Road Trip – Missouri (Part 7)

 Road Trip – Missouri (Part 7)

…continuing north along MO Hwy 5, after crossing US Hwy 50, we came to Versailles Missouri.

After a little time, we came to Versailles Missouri, the county seat of Morgan County.  This 2-story, 85 feet by 85’ Second Empire style brick building was constructed on a limestone block foundation in 1889.  That cupola is quite different than most with some decorative features done in cast iron.  The mansard style corner towers or pavilions are eye-catching as well. 

Morgan County’s first courthouse in Versailles was log building that was purchased, taken apart and then rebuilt on the town square in 1836.  It served the purpose for about 7 years, at which time it was removed and a more permanent brick courthouse was completed in 1844.  The newer building was the courthouse for about 40 years.

Actually, a major fire in October of 1886 almost wiped out the town.  Then only 5 months later, in March of 1887, a second fire destroyed all the businesses on 2 sides of the town square…as well as the old 1844 courthouse.  The new replacement courthouse was already under construction when the fire occurred but legal issues regarding the property tied up its completion, so it took about 2 years to complete it.

The Bank of Versailles was definitely built to impress the area’s citizens and to assure them that it was a good place to put their money.  I like the fact that they’ve preserved that solid “bank” exterior image.  The Bank of Versailles opened for business in November of 1882 and it has always been locally-owned and operated.  It was started by 5 shareholders with $5,000 between them.  The interior of this building, the bank’s main facility, was remodeled in 1958.  So…let’s see.  The remodeling took place a mere 65 years ago and the bank has been operating for 141 years…not bad!

I included this handsome old red brick building in downtown Versailles, just because I liked the almost unaltered look of it.

Versailles History: Morgan County was established in 1833, at a time when Native Americans from the Osage Indian tribe still lived in the area.  Versailles was platted/founded only 2 years later.  The town was named after the Palace of Versailles in France, possibly by county residents who were of French descent.  

By 1940, the village had grown and it had a population of 70 and it included 25 buildings!  There was a 3-room tavern and inn, a livery stable, a stagecoach stop, a blacksmith shop, boarding house, a general store and a carpentry shop all built around the town square.  By 1894, Versailles had gas lights and by 1904 it had electric lights.  In 1909 the town even had an ice plant!  The Rock Island Railroad was completed from St. Louis to Kansas City through the city in 1903, just in time for folks from Morgan County to attend the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.  Today Versailles has a population of 2,539 and Morgan County has just a little over 21,000 residents.

In 1908, a Sanborn Insurance Map showed that a theater was operating in the southern half of the brick addition to Versailles’s Martin Hotel.  They also disclose that the Royal Theater had opened by 1914.  I love seeing old small to medium size towns maintaining or reutilizing old ‘opera houses’ or movie theaters.  The Royal Theater has been reconfigured inside and its former balcony is gone.  These days, the theater is very much alive, now featuring live plays and other entertainment.  This coming October, the theater will present 8 performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Play, “Cats”.  To learn more, go to The Royal Theatre.

Note: I was unfamiliar with the Sanborn Map Company until I ran across the note on the Royal Theater.  Back in the early days and well into the latter half of the 1900s, maps were created to allow fire insurance companies to assess their total liability in urbanized areas of the USA.  These maps contain detailed information about properties and building for about 12,000 American cities over many, many years.  They are an important resource for historical research as they document changes over the decades.  Sanborn had a virtual lock on this business for many years...

The Martin Hotel was built in Versailles in 1877, with a brick 2-story addition being added in 1884.  Some guests would arrive via the Jefferson City t0 Springfield MO stagecoach line that passed through town.  The hotel also had a stagecoach the connected with the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Tipton Missouri.  Civil War soldiers and famous people such as P.T. Barnum and the outlaw Jesse James.

The rooms in the Martin Hotel had the necessary bedding, a washstand with a water pitcher and a bowl as well as a chamber pot to serve as a toilet.  Also, each room had a wood stove and they had a heavy rope that was attached to the floor.  In case of a fire, the rope could be tossed out the window and used as a fire escape.  An early Sanborn map showed that as of 1894, the room that eventually became the early theater, was used as a sample room.  Electricity was installed in 1908 and by 1923, interior plumbing was added. 

The Martin Hotel was operated by the same family until 1967 or 1974, (depending on the source of information), when it was purchased by the Morgan County Historical Museum.  The old hotel registers include signatures of Civil War soldiers who stopped for room and board.  The museum also features a barbershop; a weaving/quilt room; Civil War relics; an early rural school room, a carbide chandelier, 2 folding covered-wagon rockers and much more.

The museum is open from May through October.  To learn more, their website is at Morgan County Historical Society and Museum (morganmomuseum.org).

As we came to the town of Tipton Missouri, we stopped to take a picture of the Harrison School National Historic Site.  Harrison School is not only listed on the Register of Historic Places but it’s also on the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Community website.  It is the last remaining school in Moniteau County Missouri from the 1800s that was built for black students.

The school’s stone foundation was cut, quarried and laid by some of Tipton’s formerly enslaved black citizens.  This 2-room brick schoolhouse opened in the fall of 1890.  It initially only taught students from the first to the sixth grades.  From 1890 until 1936 and then from 1942 until 1954, black students who wanted to continue to high school had to enroll in high schools in Sedalia, Kansas City, Jefferson City or St. Louis Missouri.  Of course, such a decision required transportation, self-funding and finding somewhere to live while at school.

Tipton’s high school was integrated in 1954 but elementary students weren’t integrated into Tipton Public Schools until 1957, and the Harrison School was closed.  This historic school could use a little tender loving care…

This handsome mansion is also located in Tipton Missouri.  The Maclay Mansion, aka the Rosehill Seminary was completed in 1860 and it was briefly used as a female seminary until the beginning of the Civil War, at which time it became a private residence.  During the war it is thought that General John Fremont used the home as his headquarters during his stay in town in 1861.  It is also claimed that Confederate leaning ‘bushwhackers’ attempted to burn the house down during the war.  Since Confederate soldiers under General Joseph Shelby did burn down the railroad depot and a number of railcars in 1862, there may be some credence to the claim about trying to burn down this big home.

This 3-story, 17 room brick home served as a private residence until about 1920.  When the home was purchased by the Maclay/Gleim family in 1865, it wasn’t long before 3 bachelor brothers, 5 widowed sisters and their children were all living in the home.  After 1920, Maclay family descendants used the property for special events and as a summer home.  In 1983, the mansion was given to the Friends of the Maclay Home, Inc.

The mansion is a great example of antebellum brick architecture in Missouri.  It is filled with original furnishings and clothing that belonged to the Maclay family over the years.  It’s described as a time capsule of life during the second half of the 1800s.  To learn more, go to Maclay Home | Tipton MO | Facebook.

History: William Tipton Seely founded the town of Tipton.  He was a veteran of the War of 1812 and he’d been awarded with the land for his service.  He set up a general store on the Butterfield Overland Stage Line route.  Then he arranged for the Pacific Railroad line to cross through his property.  The town was surveyed in March of 1858 and Seely was selling off his lots to build the town.  By the time the railroad was completed, more than 25o people called Tipton home.  Today the town has a population of a little over 2,900 people.

I followed MO Hwy 5 north to MO Road B and then on to Bunceton Missouri.  My goal was the former Missouri Pacific Depot at 111 East Main Street.  I am not sure when the depot was built but I do know that it was constructed by the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad probably sometime between 1870 and 1880.  It was shortly after 1880 when the Missouri Pacific Railroad took over the Osage Valley railroad.  The MoPac caboose next to the old depot is a model M930 with a wide vision cupola.  It was made by the International Car Company and it’s about 38 feet long.  The old depot now serves as the Bunceton City Hall.

Bunceton was laid out and platted in 1868.  It was named for an early county resident and a post office has been in operation in town since the year the town was platted.  In 1980, Bunceton Missouri’s voters elected the United States’ first openly gay mayor.  The town has 334 residents.

Bunceton and its immediate area has experienced a bit of history.  The Civil War Battle of Lone Jack was fought nearby.  It was an intense battle with over 200 soldiers killed.  In the 1800s, Bunceton was a stop along the famous Santa Fe Trail.  The Trail of Tears, with the ‘removal’ of Native Americans from their ancestral homes, also passed through the town. 

From Bunceton we followed MO Road J back to MO Hwy 5 north.

When MO Hwy 5 intersected with I-75 we followed it west to US Hwy 65 north to the City of Marshall Missouri.  We had several historic and/or strange sites to visit in Marshall…

The Buckner House, a historical 2-story, 3 bay Classic Revival home was built in 1906.  This 48 foot square home sits on a cut stone and concrete foundation.  We love that fantastic double porch!  It is considered to be representative of the level of prosperity and taste achieved by an elite family prior to World War 1. 

The home is in excellent condition and almost completely unaltered.  It was presented to the Saline County Missouri Historical Society by the Buckner family in 1982.  A little research revealed that the interior of the Buckner home is documented via a series of photographs posted on Zillow.  The interior is fabulous and it looks pristine.  You can check it out at ^{https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/125-N-Brunswick-Ave-Marshall-MO-65340/239599258_zpid/.}

The Chicago and Alton Railroad Depot, aka the Illinois Central Gulf Depot was built in 1906 for the Chicago and Alton Railroad.  This brick and stone structure with both Jacobethan Revival and Mission Revival style elements is about 113 feet long beside the tracks, which are still in use.  Other sources simply list the design style as Spanish Revival.  It served as both a passenger depot and freight depot for Marshall.  Unfortunately, it is now abandoned.

That’s about it for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by and patiently following our road trip through Missouri!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave