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wwwjQpHnhiMtaLorgNew Restore Opening SoonHistory hubSt. Joseph museums reveal Midwest's pastBY RYAN RICHARDSONmfhmdson^jopinglobe romST. JOSEPH, Mo. As one ofthe most storied cities in Mis souri, St. Joseph has a colorffil past that is well documented through several long-standing museums that have become must-see destinations for both tourists and local residents.Nestled in the northwest part of the state, St. Joseph has long been a beacon for history buffs and tourists. The city has taken advantage of this draw by heavily promoting several museums, which include the Patee House Museum, the St. Joseph Museum, the Glore Psychiatric Museum and the Pony Express Stables.Patee House Museum director Gary Chilcote said that the city’s museums tell the story of Missouri from a first-person view.“We have documented and chronicled our history here because we want to give an authentic retelling of history,” Chilcote said. “We want people to walk through and Ik? able to see the authentic and the real history of where we came from. We’ve salvaged a lot of the city’s history here, there is a whole town inside of these walls.”PATEE HOUSE MUSEUM AND JESSE JAMES HOMELocated at 1202 Penn St., both museums are on the same property and are two of the oldest museums inside of the city.The Jesse James House is the location where the famous outlaw met his end on April 3,1882, at the hands of Robert Ford. The house was originally located several blocks south of its present location.It was moved to the Penn Street location in 1977. The museum has steadily transformed from just a historical home to a fully featured museum, complete with a display covering the 1995 exhumation of Jesse James. Many of the artifacts recovered during the exhumation, like the original coffin handles and lapel pins, are now on display at the museum.“Jesse James is a national legend, and there is a blurry line between who he was and what entertainment has made out of him, Chilcote said as he pointed to the bullet hole left in the wall from the fatal shot. “We show the history of what happened here. Whether he was an outlaw or a modern Robin Hood is up to you when you leave here.”The Patee House Museum itself is a four-floor treasure trove of artifacts from over 200 years of Midwest history with a specific focus on the 1860s. The museum was originally built in 1858 as a hotel and was once the headquarters for the famed Pony Express, which started in St. Joseph in 1860. The building has served as a museum since 1963.The museum contains many original storefronts from the city, including the dentist office owned by Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite, father of the famous St. Joseph-born news anchor Walter Cronkite. Also included are a locomotive from the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad and an art gallery featuring more than 40 portraits of famed westerners.Both museums are on the National Register of Historic Places and are open year-round, though from November through March the museums are open only on the weekends. Admission for the Patee House is $6 for adults and $4 for students, while the Jesse James Home runs $4 for adults and $2 for students.PONY EXPRESS NATIONAL MUSEUMThe Pony Express was a mail delivery system, that connected the West Coast to the rest of the United States before telegraph and rail connected the country. St. Joseph served as the eastern terminus for the Pony Express, which ran for a mere 18 months from 1860 until late 1861.Despite the short operational span, the Pony Express National Museum is the highest attended landmark in St. Joseph with nearly 40,000 visitors each year, according to executive director Cindy Daffron.“There is so much of a can-do attitude wrapped up in the history of the Pony Express and that history has almost become legendary,” Daffron said. “When peo pie think of St. Joseph, we will always be tied to the Pony Express and that is a great thing to be remembered for, and this museum celebrates that attitude ”The museum is located inside of the original stables used by the Pony Express. In addition to artifacts from the Pony Express' run, there is also an archaeological dig display on-site in addition to a walk through display of several of the hardships that the riders faced on the 1,900-mile trek from St. Joseph to Sacramento, Calif.The museum is located at 914 Penn St., and general admission for the museum is $6 for adults and $5 for students.THE ST. JOSEPH MUSEUM AND THE G10RE PSYCHIATRIC MUSEUMThe St. Joseph Museum and the Glore Psychiatric Museum are two of the more unique museums and are located on the same campus at 3406 Frederick Ave.The St. Joseph Museum houses a rotating collection of American Indian artifacts from over 10 regions, a doll museum and the historic black archives, in addition to a temporary exhibit which will be open through 2015 — covering the Civil War with a focus on medical treatment.Kathy Reno, director of market-ABOVE LEFT: The home where Jesse James was gunned down in 1882 stands at 12th and Mitchell streets in St. Joseph. The home has been relocated twice and now operates as a museum ABOVE RIGHT: An original flag carried by Missouri soldiers who served for the Confederacy is currently on display in the St. Joseph Museum as part of its five-year Civil War displayLEFT: Jesse James Home director Gary Chilicote adjusts the display containing artifacts recovered from the 1995 exhumation of Jesse James.BELOW: Kachina dolls are part of the permanent display of American Indian artifacts at the St Joseph Museum The museum houses artifacts from over 10 Indian tribes that were once located in the Midwest and the Southwest.CH08E ; mm HCHATOSONWant to go?FM ST MSfni MUSEUM INFORMATION or forfurther details on lodging and other activities, go lo wwwr.stjoino.com or contact the St Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800 785-0360ing for the St. Joseph Museum, said this historical blend is what keeps people coming back to the museum.“We really focus on the culture of where we came from before this was Missouri and where we are now, Reno said. “We house a state-of-the-art facility here that goes beyond the historical facts and figures. We want people to get up close and personal with where they came from.”The Glore Psychiatric Museum is one of four museums in the United States that chronicle mental health treatment throughout the world’s history and alsoserves as marker for the former Missouri State Hospital, which was located on the same campus. Named after occupational thera pist George Glore, who worked for the Missouri Department of Men tal Health for more than four decades, the museum has become a go to destination for many travelers in the city.The museum has also been fea tured on the Learning Channel, The Discovery Channel, PBS and Fox News.Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for students, which covers all of the museums located on the campus.
Newspaper Details
Joplin Sunday Globe
Joplin, Missouri, US
Sun, Aug 25, 2013
Page 25
Full Page
Clipped by
Joplin P.
MO, USA 24 Sep 2024
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