Thursday, October 17, 2024
Today we left Cherry Glen Campground in Polk City, Iowa at 8:30 a.m. and traveled about 215 miles to Lee's Summit, Missouri to spend four nights at the Lake Jacomo Campground and have an opportunity to see our son, Ben Mendenhall and Paul Slaven.
Lee's Summit is a suburb in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It resides in Jackson County (predominantly) as well as Cass County. Its population was 101,108 in 2020, making it the 6th most populous city in both Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The "Town of Strother" was founded by William Bullitt Howard in October 1865. He named it for his wife, Maria D. Strother, the daughter of William D. Strother formerly of Bardstown, Kentucky. Howard came to Jackson County in 1842 from Kentucky, married Maria in 1844, and by 1850 he and Maria had 833 acres and a homestead 5 miles north of town. Howard was arrested for being a Confederate in October 1862, near the beginning of the Civil War, and after being paroled he took his family back to Kentucky for the duration of the war. After the war ended he returned and, knowing that the Missouri Pacific Railroad was surveying a route in the area, platted the town with 70 acres in the fall of 1865 as the town of Strother.
In November 1868, the town's name was changed to the "Town of Lee's Summit", most likely to honor early settler Dr. Pleasant John Graves Lea, who had moved to Jackson County in 1849 from Bradley County, Tennessee. Lea was listed as the postmaster of nearby Big Cedar in the 1855 United States Official Postal Guide. Dr. Lea was killed in August 1862 by Kansas Jayhawkers (or Redlegs).
When the surveyors for the Missouri Pacific Railroad came through, the local people and the railroad wanted to name the town in Dr. Lea's honor. He had a farm on the highest point and near the path of the tracks, and his murder had taken place near the site of the proposed depot. So they chose the name of "Lea's Summit", the "summit" portion to reflect its highest elevation on the Missouri Pacific Railroad between St. Louis and Kansas City. But they misspelled the name "Lees Summit" (instead of "Lea") on a boxcar that was serving as a station and donated by the Missouri Pacific, then a sign next to the tracks, and finally in the printed time schedule for the railroad. And this misspelling stuck and the name has remained "Lee's Summit" ever since.
The spelling is unusual because apostrophes are typically not included in place names due to potential confusion regarding whether the place is owned by the namesake person. Most possessive place names lack an apostrophe, such as Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
At 1:36 p.m., we have just come to the entrance into Fleming Park located 15 miles from Kansas City, Missouri.
When we saw the sign into Jacomo Campground, we turned left and drove up the hill.
We checked in at the gate to Lake Jacomo Campground with the attendant and then drove to our campsite. Lake Jacomo Campgroud is nestled along the banks of the Little Blue River.
We got set up on site #53, which was in great location with the water hydrant just a few feet away from our site, and the bathroom was just across the street.
After getting set up, we drove into town to the KC Bier Company so Mel could get some craft beer. We texted Jeff Oden to see if he was home and could come visit us as he didn't live very far away from the brewery. He said he could and it was great to see him.
Friday, October 18, 2024
Today, while I rode around the campground, Mel rode his mountain bike ride on the trails around the outside of the campground. The pictures below are from Mel's bike ride.
Mel said the trails were pretty rough and full of tree roots -- and that they beat him up a little.
In the late afternoon, Ben and Paul came out to the campground for a visit and to have dinner with us. We had steak and broccoli salad.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Today we planned to meet up with Ben and Paul in Independence, Missouri to go see the Harry S. Truman National Historic Landmark.
Independence is the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri and a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri. In 2020, it had a total population of 123,011, making it the fifth-most populous city in Missouri.
Independence is known as the "Queen City of the Trails" because it was a point of departure for the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails. It is the hometown of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, with the Truman Presidential Library and Museum, and the gravesites of Truman and First Lady Bess Truman. The city is sacred to the Latter Day Saint movement, as the home of Joseph Smith's 1831 Temple Lot, and the headquarters of several Mormon denominations.
Independence was originally inhabited by Missouri and Osage Native Americans, followed by the Spanish and a brief French tenure. It became part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals that they stopped in 1804 to pick plums, raspberries, and wild apples at a site that would later form part of the city. Independence was also a stopping point for the "Donner Party", an ill-fated group of 19th-century wagon train emigrants whose westward journey along the California Trail ended in disaster, spawning one of the most well known and taboo stories of pioneer-era America.
Named after the Declaration of Independence, Independence was founded on March 29, 1827, and quickly became an important frontier town. Independence was the farthest point westward on the Missouri River where the steamboats or other cargo vessels could travel, due to the convergence of the Kansas River with the Missouri River approximately six miles west of town, near the current Kansas-Missouri border. Independence immediately became a jumping-off point for the emerging fur trade, accommodating merchants and adventurers beginning the long trek westward on the Santa Fe Trail.
In 1831, members of the Latter Day Saint movement began moving to the Jackson County, Missouri area. Shortly thereafter, founder Joseph Smith declared a spot west of the Courthouse Square to be the place for his prophesied temple of the New Jerusalem, in expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. Tension grew with local Missourians until the Latter Day Saints were driven from the area in 1833, the beginning of a conflict which culminated in the 1838 Mormon War. Several branches of this movement gradually returned to the city beginning in 1867, with many making their headquarters there. These include the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) and the Restoration Branches.
Independence saw great prosperity from the late 1830s through the mid-1840s, while the business of outfitting pioneers boomed. Between 1848 and 1868, it was a hub of the California Trail. On March 8, 1849, the Missouri General Assembly granted a home-rule charter to the town and on July 18, 1849, William McCoy was elected as its first mayor. In the mid-19th century an Act of the United States Congress defined Independence as the start of the Oregon Trail.
Two important Civil War battles occurred at Independence: the first on August 11, 1862, when Confederate soldiers took control of the town, and the second in October 1864, which resulted in a Union victory. The war took its toll on Independence, and the town was never able to regain its previous prosperity, although a flurry of building activity took place soon after the war. The rise of nearby Kansas City also contributed to the town's relegation to a place of secondary prominence in Jackson County, though Independence has retained its position as county seat to the present day.
The map above shows the location of the Noland Home, the Truman Home, the Wallace Homes and the Visitor Center.
The United States President, Harry S. Truman, grew up in Independence and, in 1922, was elected judge of the Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Although he was defeated for re-election in 1924, he won back the office in 1926 and was re-elected in 1930. Truman performed his duties diligently, and won personal acclaim for several popular public works projects, including an extensive series of fine roads for the growing use of automobiles, the building of a new County Court building in Independence, and a series of 12 Madonna of the Trail monuments to pioneer women dedicated across the country in 1928 and 1929. He would later return to the city after two terms as president. His wife, First Lady Bess Truman, was born and raised in Independence, and both are buried there. The Harry S. Truman National Historic Site (Truman's home) and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum are both located in Independence, as is one of Truman's boyhood residences.
I took a few pictures of the Noland Home before our tour time for the Truman Home.
"The Noland Home" is located across the street from the "Harry Truman House". There was no fee to visit it.
Harry Truman’s favorite cousins, Nellie and Ethel Noland, lived at 216 N. Delaware. Nellie, four years older than Harry, was like a big sister to the future president. Ethel was just six months older than Harry. Growing up they spent countless hours together after school, reading Shakespeare aloud, practicing their Latin, and sharing stories. Terribly shy around other girls, Harry always felt at ease with Nellie and Ethel. “Harry was always fun,” Ethel later recalled. Their strong friendship lasted a lifetime.
Truman’s uncle and aunt, Joseph and Ella Noland, and their three daughters, Ruth, Nellie, and Ethel, moved into the Queen Anne style cottage at 216 N. Delaware around 1900. Joseph made a living selling real estate. Ella was a sister of Harry Truman’s father, John Anderson Truman. The Nolands, like the Trumans, moved to Independence from a farm in order to be near good schools. “We saw a lot of Aunt Ella and her three
daughters after we moved to Independence,” Truman remembered. “We grew up and went to school with cousins Nellie and Ethel…Nellie would translate my Latin lesson for me when I was in high school and I would escort Ethel to parties and learn how to be polite from her.”
After high school, Harry moved to Kansas City and later to the family farm in Grandview twenty miles from Independence. After the move to Grandview, he still managed to visit his cousins nearly every weekend. The two-hour trip required him to catch a train to Kansas City and then a streetcar to Independence.
By a happy coincidence Harry’s childhood sweetheart, Bess Wallace, lived across the street from Nellie and Ethel. Although Harry had not seen Bess in years, fate would smile on him during a visit to Independence in 1910. A borrowed cake plate needed to be returned to the Wallace home. Harry volunteered. He grabbed the plate “with something approaching the speed of light,” Ethel later recalled. He rang the doorbell at 219 N. Delaware. He stood waiting. And then Bess answered the door. Two hours later he returned to the Noland Home, face aglow, and announced, “Well, I saw her!” No one could possibly realize it at the time, but this meeting marked the start of a nine-year
courtship between Harry and Bess.
Shown below is the famous front porch where Harry first returned the "cake plate," which was the beginning of the love that grew between him and Bess.
Shown above is a picture of young Harry S. Truman, while below is a picture of young Bess Wallace.
The courtship may have been impossible without the help of the Nolands—and the use of the couch in their parlor. Whenever possible Harry would catch the train from Grandview on Saturday mornings, stop by the Noland home to freshen up, and then trot across the street to see Bess.
On Saturday nights he would sleep in the Noland parlor so he could visit with Bess again on Sundays without having to make another long round trip from the farm in Grandview. The Noland Home was Harry’s link between Grandview and Independence.
When Harry and Bess finally married in 1919, Harry moved into 219 N. Delaware—and thus became neighbors with Nellie and Ethel. They remained a close-knit family, even during the long periods of separation when Harry and Bess lived in Washington, D.C. When personal visits were not possible, Harry, Nellie, and Ethel stayed in touch by
writing numerous letters back and forth. The Noland sisters never married. They taught for many years in the Kansas City and Independence School Districts. Ethel passed away in 1958, Nellie in 1971. Their home at 216 N. Delaware passed to relatives.
The Harry S. Truman National Historic Site preserves the longtime home of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (shown below), as well as other properties associated with him in the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area. The site is operated by the National Park Service, with its centerpieces being the Truman Home in Independence and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview. It also includes the Noland home of Truman's cousins, and the George and Frank Wallace homes of Bess Truman's brothers. The site was designated a National Historic Site on May 23, 1983.
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The Truman Home (earlier known as the Gates–Wallace home), 219 North Delaware Street, Independence, Missouri, was the home of Harry S. Truman from the time of his marriage to Bess Wallace on June 28, 1919, until his death on December 26, 1972. Bess Truman's maternal grandfather, George Porterfield Gates, built the house between the years 1867 and 1885.
After Bess's father, David Willock Wallace, committed suicide in 1903, she and her mother and brothers moved into the house with Bess's grandparents, George and Elizabeth Gates. At the time Harry and Bess married in 1919, Harry was putting all of his money into his business partnership, a men's clothing store called Truman & Jacobson at 104 West 12th Street in downtown Kansas City, so living at the Wallace home made good financial sense.
After Truman's haberdashery failed in 1922, he and his wife continued to live in the house to save money while he paid his debts. After being elected to the Senate in 1935, he moved to Washington, D.C., with his wife and daughter. Whenever they came back to Missouri, the house at 219 N. Delaware was their home.
After he retired in 1953, until the Truman Library was opened on July 6, 1957, the Truman Home served as Truman's personal office. Bess lived in the home until her death in 1982, and she bequeathed the property to the National Park Service. The home was closed for 8 months in 2009-10 for a $1.1 million renovation that improved fire safety, visitor comfort and structural stability.
The Truman Home offers a glimpse at the personal life of the 33rd President of the United States, particularly the simple life the family enjoyed in Independence before and after Harry's eight years as president. The Trumans' only child, Mary Margaret, was born in the home on February 17, 1924. The site also includes the two adjacent homes of Mrs. Truman's brothers, and, across Delaware Street, the Noland Home, where the President's favorite aunt and cousins lived. The site operates a visitor center, located inside an historic firehouse, in downtown Independence. NPS park ranger-interpreters lead guided tours of the home on a regular basis, providing a look at the home much as the Truman family left it.
BESS (WALLACE) TRUMAN'S STORY
Elizabeth Virginia (Wallace) Truman (February 13, 1885 – October 18, 1982) was the wife of President Harry S. Truman and First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953. She had previously served as second lady of the United States from January to April 1945. At 97 years, 247 days, she is the longest-lived first and second lady.
(Above is a portrait of Bess at the age of 4.)
She was born in Independence, Missouri, where she kept a home her entire life. She had known Harry since they were children, though she did not return his affections until adulthood. She was strongly affected by the suicide of her father when she was 18, which shaped her opinions about privacy from the public eye and the responsibilities of a spouse. Bess and Harry married in 1919, and Bess would spend the following years managing the Truman household and working in her husband's offices as his political career advanced. She was apprehensive about Harry running for vice president in 1944, and she was deeply upset when he ascended to the presidency the following year.
(Above is the photo of Harry and Bess Truman on their wedding day, June 28, 1919.)
As first lady, Bess avoided social obligations and media attention whenever possible, and she made regular excursions to her home in Independence. She chose not to continue in the regular press conferences carried out by her predecessor Eleanor Roosevelt, believing that her responsibility as a wife was to keep her opinions private. Her influence on her husband's presidency came about in their private conversations, as he would consult her about most major decisions during his presidency. She was also prominent in his reelection campaign, making regular appearances for crowds as he toured the United States. She was greatly relieved when Harry chose not to run for another term in 1952. After her tenure as first lady, Bess lived in retirement at her home in Independence until her death in 1982.
(Shown above is the second-floor bedroom of Harry and Bess Truman.)
The second floor of the home has never been open to the public – Bess wrote into her will that to protect her family's privacy, the second floor was to remain closed until the death of her daughter, Margaret. Though Margaret died in 2008, the NPS has maintained the closure in order to best preserve the home.
(Shown above is the Trumans, Margaret, Bess and Harry in 1951.)
On display in the ground floor of the home is the Steinway piano Truman originally purchased as a Christmas present for Margaret, and which was played by Truman in the White House; a portion of the Trumans' extensive personal library (including the mysteries preferred by Bess); the family record collection; the official White House portrait of the First Lady (the one in Washington D.C., is a copy): and paintings including a panorama of Athens, Greece, a "primitive" of Key West featuring palm trees and a backward-looking donkey, and a canvas entitled "Swan River." The fireplace is framed with tiles depicting a fanciful Middle Eastern desert landscape with tents and minarets, likely inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.
Truman is one of the few Presidents who never owned his own home prior to his time in office. He lived with his parents until he married, then in the Wallace House, in rented apartments and houses in Washington (including 4701 Connecticut Avenue), in Blair House (the official state visitors residence), and in the White House, but it was not until July 1953, following his term of office and the December 1952 death of Madge Gates Wallace, that Harry and Bess Truman purchased the home at 219 North Delaware Street.
As we were not allowed to take any photos inside the house, all I have is pictures of the outside.
Shown in the above picture in front of the Truman Home are Ben, Paul, Mel and Shirley.
The house on the corner (across the street from the Truman House) is where the secret service agents stayed while Harry was President (see pictures above and below).
President Harry S. Truman and his wife Bess lived in this Victorian home for over 50 years (see above and below).
The Wallace Homes, located at 601 and 605 W. Truman Road, are not open to the public.
The brown house (601 W. Truman Road) shown above and below was where Bess' brother Frank and his wife, Natalie lived. Frank Wallace was tall and dignified, a serious fellow who assumed responsibility for his widowed mother’s business affairs. His new wife Natalie was the daughter of a banker and had traveled widely, including a nine-month trip to Europe—something rare for Independence residents.
The green house (605 W. Truman Road) shown above and below was where Bess' brother George and his wife, May lived. George Wallace was the handyman; if something needed fixing, the family took it to George. His wife, May, eventually found herself the family spokesperson after her brother-in-law Harry became President of the United States. One local reporter remembered, “She was wonderful, because I could always find out what was going on. I would find out some things that some other papers wouldn’t.”
Shown in the above picture from left to right is May (Mrs. George) Wallace, Harry S. Truman, Bess Wallace, Natalie (Mrs. Frank) Wallace, and Mr. Frank Wallace posing for a photograph during a picnic.
Shown above is the back and side of the Truman Home you can see from the Wallace Homes on W. Truman Road.
After our tour was finished, Ben and Paul suggested that we get something to eat. Their suggestion was Ophelia's Restaurant & Inn located at 201 N. Main Street in Independence, Missouri (see below).
Shown above, Mel and I both had a grilled hamburger with swiss cheese on a pretzel bun and steak frites. It was delicious!
Shown above, Paul and Ben both had a grilled chicken topped with lots of greens and tomatoes, etc. on a sesame seed bun with a garden salad. After they saw our steak frites, they decided to order a side of them too! Thanks for treating us to lunch, Ben and Paul.
Before leaving, Mel wanted to stop at the 3 Trails Brewing Company. The 3 Trails Brewery is a mico brewery with a full bar located on the historic Independence Square.
Shown above, Mel lifts his beer as a toast for a wonderful day. We enjoyed spending it with our son Ben and Paul, while learning about President Harry S. Truman and his family in Independence, Missouri. A enjoyable day for history buffs for sure!
Shirley & Mel
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