A Future In the Past: Carthage Man’s Passion for History is Shaping His Future
Brady Cloud can hold the Jasper County, Missouri, Courthouse in the palm of his hand. He has recreated schools that were torn down decades ago, hotels that collapsed before he was born and buildings people walk past every day without knowing their stories. Using 3D modeling software and hours of research, Brady turns landmarks into detailed models, bringing buildings to life. The Carthage, Missouri, native and junior at Pittsburg State University is already becoming both a designer and a historian for his community.
Brady is majoring in construction management with a focus on building information modeling.
“Basically, it’s like computer-aided drafting for commercial or residential projects,” he explained. “It’s similar to what I do already with my 3D prints.”
He began making the prints as a hobby, starting with landmarks in Carthage, and later added a few from Joplin. “I spend time researching them, try to get good photos to model them off of,” he said. Once the design is complete in 3D software, a local printer produces the model. Brady then adds the finishing touches with paint and keeps them as mementos. “I do this because it’s a hobby,” he explained, “because it’s cool to see, you know, to have a little small piece of these awesome buildings at home sitting on my shelf.”
What started small has grown into something bigger. He has sold models of the Jasper County Courthouse and, over the summer, created replicas of Mark Twain Elementary, Eugene Field Elementary, the former high school now serving as the sixth-grade center, and Hawthorne School. A portion of those sales went back to the Carthage school district.
“It really just makes me feel good to bring all these historic buildings back to life,” he said.
Research is often the most challenging part. The Connor Hotel in Joplin, for example, was particularly challenging because only a handful of photos were available. To fill in the gaps, Brady dug through old images at the library, submitted open record requests for blueprints or took pictures and measurements when buildings are still standing.
“Sometimes I just have to eyeball it and figure it out,” he said. That kind of digging means Brady has become a go-to source on Carthage history. Curious why Carthage became the county seat, or who opened the town’s first grocery store? Brady can tell you the answers along with plenty of other stories most people have never heard.
Each model is built to scale. “All of my prints are one four-hundredth scale,” Brady said. “They don’t have interiors since floor plans usually aren’t available, but I’ve been experimenting with that.”
The finished prints may be small in size, but the stories they tell are big.
“Re-creating them and printing them is a way to preserve them,” Brady said. “They now have their place back in the world.”
The last step in Brady’s process is painting the buildings. “I’ve been painting ever since I could get my hands on a paintbrush,” he said. “I try to find what colors the buildings were and paint them as accurately as I can.”
His skills have already gained the attention of local organizations. He worked with Vision Carthage on a redesign of the UMB Bank building, showing what a more historically accurate version might look like. Right now, he is creating models of the old Carthage YMCA buildings for the Fair Acres YMCA’s anniversary gala. His projects have also stretched beyond Carthage, including a recent 3D print of the Bess Hotel in Pittsburg, Kansas, which Pittsburg State University is restoring to use as apartments.
In January, Brady launched a weekly architecture series on the “What’s Happening in Carthage, Missouri” Facebook page, which has over 40,000 members. Each week, he shares the story of local buildings, some of which are still standing and many of which have long since disappeared. He also highlights the town’s historic founders and connects their stories to the places they built.
“I’ve gotten a lot of positive responses,” Brady said. “People tell me, ‘I was born there,’ or ‘I didn’t even know the building existed.’ It’s really interesting to hear their stories and have them add to the discussion.”
Brady has recently added another role to his already busy schedule as a columnist for the Pittsburg Morning Sun.
“I compile events that happened 100, 50 and 25 years ago. It’s similar to what I do with my weekly series, sifting through hours of newspapers. I’m very excited about it and how it’ll help with my research skills.”
Brady’s love of local history was encouraged by his late father, Andy, who showed him old buildings and took him to the site of the former Lakeside Park amusement park.
“He really inspired me and helped get me to where I am today,” Brady said. That support has continued through the rest of his family. “My grandparents show off all the stuff I do. My mom has always supported me. She loves what I do, even though I’ve completely destroyed her kitchen table with paint. My family is proud of me, and I’m blessed to have them.” His 15-year-old brother, Brady admitted, is a bit harder to impress.
Even though Brady’s passion is history, he is looking forward to the future. In the next five years, he hopes to be working for a construction company, and further down the road, he dreams of becoming an architect.
His talent for connecting people to their hometown’s stories is laying the foundation for a successful career, and it is clear he is just getting started.
