Independence Missouri Heritage Trail

1. Bingham-Waggoner Estate

The Bingham-Waggoner Estate is considered one of the most historically significant homes in western Missouri. Built in the 1850s, the home is a well-preserved example of Italian Villa architecture and is situated on a 19-acre partially wooded property. Today, the Bingham-Waggoner Historical Society operates it as a historic house museum. In addition to its architecture, the house is also significant for its association with notable 19th-century artist and politician George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879), who lived here from 1864-1870; the Santa Fe Trail; and the Waggoner-Gates Milling Company, which was located across the street where the National Trails Frontier Museum is now. The estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

2. National Frontier Trails Museum

Established in 1990, the National Frontier Trails Museum is dedicated to interpreting and promoting the history of the main trails—the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails—that led people to the West in the 19th century. Thousands of people traveled west—over rivers, hills and broken terrain to head to the West, and nearly all of them passed through Independence. The museum explores this history, as well as the Lewis and Clark expedition and the gradual acquisition of western lands. It features interpretive exhibits and a research library. Visitors can watch an introductory film about westward expansion, see many artifacts and other items on display, and learn about fur trappers, traders, Mormons, and the transcontinental railroad. It also still possible to see wagon ruts across the street on the Bingham-Waggoner Estate; a pathway with interpretive signs circles around them. For those interested, the museum offers a covered wagon tour.

3. Missouri Pacific Railroad Station

The Missouri Pacific Railroad Station is historically significant for its architecture and association with Harry S. Truman, who frequently used it when traveling to and from Washington D.C. before, during, and after his presidency. The station was built in 1913 and is an excellent example of Spanish/Mission Revival architecture. Truman often wrote home about seeing Bess at the station when he arrived home. One of his most famous trips to the Independence station was during his campaign tour in 1948. Today, the station is also known as the Truman Train Station and is used by Amtrak.

4. LDS Temple Lot, Independence

The Temple Lot is one of the holiest sites in all of the Mormon Church. Members of the church believe that this is the place where Jesus Christ will return to the earth, an event that is prophesized in the Bible. Most of the property is a grassy lawn that is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The site was set apart by Joseph Smith in the 19th century with the intention of building a temple. The area is currently home to a visitors center that is welcome to all.

5. Independence Missouri LDS Visitors Center

This visitors center, own and operated by the LDS church, sits on a portion of 63 acre lot known as the "Temple Lot". This land was purchased by the LDS church in 1831 after Joseph Smith, Jr. received a revelation that a temple was to be built here as well as this spot was to be the gathering place of Zion at Christ's Second Coming; corner stones were laid and dedicated. After the Extermination Order was issues by Missouri Governor Lilliburn Boggs in 1838, the LDS church was forced out of the state one year later and forced to give up the land. Years later the church returned to by the land, but ended up having to share the land with two break-offs of the church: The Community of Christ and the Church of Christ, Temple Lot. The visitors center provides the general public a history of the LDS church as whole, its years in Missouri and beliefs regarding this spot and others within the state.

6. Harry S. Truman Boyhood Home

Future President Harry S. Truman spent part of his childhood in this historic Independence home which was built around 1886. The Truman family moved here ten years later, and today, it is a contributing property of the Harry S. Truman National Historic District. The structure continues to serve as a private family home, although a historical marker located in front of the house is available for all to see.

7. Harry S Truman National Historic Site - Truman Home

A farmer, a father, a scholar, public servant, husband, President, and man lived in this house for decades. Harry S Truman is often overlooked as far as American leaders are concerned, but he showed dedication and willpower to lead this nation to stand the test of time. Truman's life filled with expanding power never deterred his tendency to remember where he came from. 219 Delaware Street in the small town of Independence was where President Truman hung his hat beginning in 1919 until his death in 1972. He raised a family and built a legacy while inhabiting this classically designed home. Today it remains as a memorial to Truman and his accomplishments as well as his down to Earth nature.Play the audio above when you are in front of the Truman Home to learn more about the family's time there!

8. First Presbyterian Church

This historic site is significant because it is where Harry Truman and Bess Wallace first met in 1892. The beginning of a life long relationship found its roots in First Presbyterian. Truman recalled, “I was six years old. In my Sunday school class was a beautiful little girl with golden curls. I was smitten at once and still am – she’s Mrs. Truman and the mother of the loveliest daughter ‘in the world.’” Many other prominent leaders attended the church and are still members today such as the Wallace families, and the Christian Ott family. Prior to the church being completed, The Kansas City Times hailed the church as being “the handsomest and most tastefully fitted church edifice between Chicago and Denver.”

9. The Memorial Building

In 1925, the Memorial Building was built at 416 West Maple Avenue in Independence, Missouri. The building was erected to memorialize those who had fought in World War I. Harry S. Truman led the dedication ceremony that took place on July 4, 1926. The is a contributing property of the Harry S. Truman National Historic District. Today, the building is home to the Independence Parks and Recreation Department.

10. Independence High School

Harry S. Truman graduated in 1901 as a member of the second graduating class from Independence High School. In addition to Harry S. Truman, other members of the graduating class included Charlie Ross, who later became his White House press secretary, and Bess Wallace. As seniors, Harry Truman and Charlie Ross worked to create The Gleam, which was the school’s first yearbook. Independence High School was built in 1898, and included a library, art studio, chemistry laboratory, and hardwood floors.

11. Trinity Episcopal Church

This site is historically significant, as it was where Harry Truman and Bess Wallace were married on June 28, 1919. In addition to Truman and his wife being married in Trinity Episcopal, Truman’s daughter Margaret married her husband Clifton Daniel there as well on April 21, 1956. Bess Truman’s funeral was also held at Trinity Episcopal in October of 1982. The Trinity Episcopal Church is reported to be the only example of the work of John Hubbard Sturgis, who introduced the Victorian Gothic design to the United States, west of the Allegheny Mountains. P. Morgan constructed the church foundation.Listen to the audio clip above to learn more about the Truman's wedding here!

12. Vietta Garr House

This historic home once belonged to Vietta Garr (1896-1973) who, throughout the middle of the twentieth century, worked as a housekeeper for Harry and Bess Truman, both in Independence and at the White House. In recognition for her work, the Trumans helped her finance the construction of the house, which was built in 1953 after she retired. It is a contributing property to the Harry S. Truman National Historic District.

13. 2nd Battle of Independence (Price's Raid)

One of the final engagements in Confederate General Stirling Price's 1864 raid through Missouri before his disastrous defeat at Westport, Kansas, the 2nd Battle of Independence was a fierce, all-day fight that progressed from the Little Blue River (7 miles east of the city) to the Big Blue River (several miles west). As Price moved his army southwest to avoid fighting heavily entrenched Federals on the banks of the Big Blue, Union General Alfred Pleasonton aggressively attacked his rearguard with nearly 10,000 Union cavalry. Though the battle's result was, by end of day, a tactical draw, Pleasonton nevertheless forced Price to commit a large portion of his army to protecting his retreat. A marker near the city center commemorates the fighting that took place within town boundaries, and the nearby Jackson County Courthouse served as Pleasonton's headquarters after the Confederates retreated.

14. Harry Truman National Historic Site Visitor Center

Located at the historic 1928 Independent Fire Station No. 1, the Harry Truman National Historic Site Visitor's Center displays information about the 33rd President and offers directions to the nearby Truman farm and Truman home. Visitors should start here to begin touring the city. The fire station is a contributing property to the Harry S. Truman National Historic Landmark District.

15. Jackson County Jail and Marshal's Home (1859 Jail Museum)

Now known as the 1859 Jail Museum, the Jackson County Jail and Marshal’s Home was operational from 1859 until its official decommissioning in 1933, and during that time had a variety of uses. It was a private residence for the standing jailer and his family, held violators of Prohibition laws, and was used for Works Progress Administration projects during the Great Depression. The jail was also central to the Civil War in the Missouri-Kansas border region, during which it was used as a hospital, the U.S. Provost Marshal’s office, and held both military and civilian prisoners during the infamous Order Number 11. Some of its more famous inmates include guerrilla leader William Clarke Quantrill and outlaw Frank James. By 1958, the jail was slated for demolition, but the Jackson County Historical Society, with the help of former president Harry Truman, purchased, restored, and converted it into a museum, which has been open since the jail’s centennial year, 1959.

16. Clinton's Drug Store

This building is most notable for a teenage employee who worked at Clinton's Drug Store and went on to become President of the United States. In his first week of work, a fourteen-year-old Harry S. Truman earned three silver dollars which he chose to spend on a present for his mother. Prior to that time, this location was home to a wood-frame general store in the late 19th century. That original store was rebuilt as a brick structure following a fire. George Clinton bought the building and established a drug store on the main level in the mid-1890s. In February 1906, the two neighboring blocks where Clinton’s Drug Store was located was destroyed by fire. George Clinton’s brother, James, chose to buy the damaged building in May and planned to demolish the existing building and replace it. The building now stands as a rectangle, two-story, commercial building on the corner of West Maple Street and North Main Street.Listen to the audio to learn more about Truman's thoughts on his first job!

17. Community Savings and Loan Association

The Community Savings and Loan Association was a part of the Ott Building which was built ca. 1887. The building, which is a contributing property of the Harry S. Truman National Historic District, housed multiple commercial businesses throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. Most notably, Harry S. Truman served as the manager of the Community Savings and Loan Association during the 1920s. In addition, the building also featured a restaurant and the Independence Waterworks Company. Today the building is occupied by an upholstery store, an American Family Insurance office, and is home to the Jackson County Election Board.

18. Old Oregon Trail medallion (Independence, Missouri)

Avard Fairbanks sculpted this covered wagon scene in 1924. Plans to use Fairbanks' image to mark the route of the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to Seaside, Oregon, floundered in the 1920s, resulting in only two markers in Oregon. But in the 21st century, Fairbanks' descendants have worked to erect additional castings of the bronze medallion, including this one in the jumping-off point of Independence. The medallion was installed on a stone marker first installed in 1948.

19. Historic Truman Courthouse

The courthouse located at 112 West Lexington Avenue in Independence served as one of the two sites that Truman worked at while serving first as eastern district judge from 1922-24, and then as presiding judge from 1926-34 in Jackson County. The first courthouse was constructed in 1836 and has been remodeled multiple times since. Truman oversaw the 1933 remodeling of the courthouse in the colonial revival style. Today the courthouse serves as the home of the Jackson County Historical Society. They provide guided tours and historical interpretation. In addition to that, they also operate a History Center, an Archives and Research Center, the Old Jail, a gallery of George Caleb Bingham paintings, and Harry S. Truman's office and courtroom. The courthouse also now houses offices for Jackson County’s Assessment, Collections and Recorder of Deeds Departments, as well as the Independence Tourism Department.Listen to the audio to learn more about Harry S. Truman's early political life!

20. 1827 Log Courthouse

The 1827 Log Courthouse in Independence, Mo. played a critical role in the early years of Jackson County governance. This courthouse provided the earliest forms of government service and was the last of American settlement that many would see for years to come. It’s estimated that between 300,000 to 500,000 settlers over a period of six-decades began their overland route here in Independence and thereby populated (1846-1869) the western territories that would become eventually states that comprise the western United States. This log courthouse was used by President Harry S. Truman where he presided as a judge until 1932 and is one of few remaining structures dating from the earliest years of Jackson County’s founding.

21. Kritser House

Built around 1850, this small but historic home is the Kritser House. It is named after its first owner and builder, Martin U. Kritser, who played an important role in the city's early development. The home is also a typical example of mid-1880s Victorian middle-class architecture. A historical marker is located in front of the house and a modern addition was built in the rear. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

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Independence Missouri Heritage Trail

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