Historical Marker
Swartz & Malsbury Building
Historical marker location:
422 - 428 South Main Street, Joplin, Missouri
( Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (Missouri Route 43) and 5th Street, on the right when traveling south on Main Street.)
422 - 428 Main.
The state of Missouri was the birthplace of the ice cream cone. It was invented by a Syrian immigrant named Ernest Hamwi who was selling waffles at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. When an ice cream vendor ran out of dishes, Hamwi rolled up one of his waffles to hold the ice cream and the ice cream cone was born.