Philip E. Chappell House

This stately Queen Anne home was built for Phillip Chappell in 1888 after arriving in Kansas City where he served as president of Citizens National Bank. Chappell's arrival in Kansas City followed years in Jefferson City where he served as mayor and state treasurer. This home reflected the popular design styles of the wealthy during a period that is often referred to as the Gilded Age. Chappell descended from a wealthy family who came to Virginia from England during the 1630s and amassed wealth through land acquisition and enslaved labor. Chappell authored two books, one focussing on the history of Native people, fur traders, explorers, and steamboats along the Missouri River and a second family history of his Virginia ancestors. While Chappell and many other authors writing at the turn of the century wrote from the perspective of plantation owners and concluded that slavery was a positive good for the nation, the work of historians such as Carter G. Woodson challenged this historiography by incorporating more sources and perspectives.

The Philip E. Chappell House, a Queen Anne-style mansion, was completed in 1888. The Chappell family came to Virginia during the 1630s, purchased large tracts of land, established large plantations, and obtained wealth through the labor of the people they enslaved.

The house reveals the prominence of Chappel and his family. Harry Kemp designed the home, which embodies the "Queen Anne" Revival prevalent during the mid-19th century, notably among the upper-middle class. The popularity of this style can be traced back to the construction of several homes that were featured in periodicals of the time as well as the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where many visitors first saw examples of the Queen Anne style. The home speaks to the growing wealth of some families during the Gilded Age and a construction boom in Kansas City that preceded a short-lived national recession known as the Panic of 1893.

From the end of the Civil War through the end of the nineteenth century, the nation experienced an economic transformation resulting in an economy driven by industry, resulting in the rapid expansion of big business and the development of commercial agriculture.

Chappell penned "A genealogical history of the Chappell, Dickie, and other kindred families of Virginia," in which he offers evidence that his family likely immigrated to Virginia from England during the 1630s. (Before that, the family may have held prominent roles in England as far back as the 1500s.) The Chappell family quickly accumulated large tracts of land early in Virginia's history and developed plantations that included owning slaves. Even in Phillip's 1895 writing, regarding his ancestor's slave-owing past, he states, "I have no apology to offer for them. They and their descendants have always been law abiding people. The laws of England protected and fostered slavery in the colony of Virginia." He also defended the institution of slavery and argued that those outside the South merely misunderstood it, even claiming that Africans benefited from enslavement. 

Phillip Chappell came to Missouri in 1835 as a child. Phillip later served as mayor of Jefferson City, Missouri (elected 1872) and State Treasurer (elected 1881) before leaving politics for the private sector. In 1885, Chappell moved to Kansas City to become President of the Citizens National Bank. He also accepted an appointment to serve on Kansas City's first Board of Public Works, and he authored the History of the Missouri River. 

Architects in Kansas City regularly chose brick instead of wood in their Queen Anne plans. Harry Kemp designed the historic home, which materialized during a significant Kansas City building boom during the 1880s. Real estate sales reached $11 million in 1886, climbed to $40 million in 1887, and peaked at $88 million in 1888 (when the Chappell House appeared) before financial panics and depressions led to a speculation collapse in Kansas City (and much of the nation). 

Chappell died in 1908, and Sicilian immigrants Joe and Mary Palazola purchased the home in 1934 and the property has remained in the Palazola family for generations. Today, the property stands amidst other Queen Ane Style homes as a reminder of the neighborhood's prosperity during the Gilded Age.

Chappell, Phillip E. "The Chappell Family." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 3, no. 4 (1896): 416–20. 

--- --- --- A Genealogical History of the Chappell, Dickie, and Other Kindred Families of Virginia, 1635-1900. Kansas City: Tiernan-Havens Printing, 1895. 

Lazarski, Andrea, J. "Registration Form: Chappell, Philip E., House." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Chappell%2C%20Philip%20E.%2C%20House.pdf. 

Rollings, Virginia H. "Chappell Family Has Deep Roots in Virginia." Daily Press (Norfolk, VA). Oct 01, 1999. https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19991002-1999-10-02-9910020101-story.html.