The Minnie Hackney Center was established as the Negro Service Council in 1946. The purpose of the organization was to provide a safe-haven for Black travelers on Route 66 as well as serving as a community center for Southwest Missouri. During segregation meeting places for the Black population were few and far between, so the center became an oasis of sorts. The center still serves the Joplin area to this day and persists as a monument to eras gone by while working towards a connected future for Joplin’s Black community. Birthdays, benefits, weddings, and acts of community service have and will continue to bless these halls.