Northwest Mo.
Frontier history, Civil War lore are recalled in peaceful region

While most of the communities in northwest Missouri are sleepy towns now, relatively small compared to nearby Kansas City, they were once some of the most significant sites in the state.

When the region was part of the Louisiana Purchase territory, one of the first U.S. military outposts was positioned in the then-hostile countryside. The towns also helped outfit pioneers who were heading west on the Santa Fe Trail, which cut through the area. And an early battle of the Civil War was waged for control of the region in which Union forces surrendered to the Rebels after three days of fierce fighting.

In addition to that rich heritage, which has been well preserved, the area’s small towns tucked along the Missouri River welcome visitors with main street cafes, antique stores and an array of beautiful antebellum homes. The region affords a relaxing day tour with a peaceful pace and storied past.

Frontier history

Some of the region’s first visitors were famed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who made their way up the Missouri River into the country’s unknown northwestern territory beginning in 1803. Because of his knowledge of the area and his dealings with Indians, Clark was later directed to found a fort in northwest Missouri in what is now Sibley to maintain stability through trade and military alliances with the Indian tribes, particularly the Osage nation.

Fort Osage, as it became known, was established in 1808 as one of the first U.S. outposts in the Louisiana Purchase territory. In fact, for a time, it was the westernmost military post in the burgeoning nation. The pentagonal wooden fort housed military personnel and featured four block houses, officer’s quarters and a barracks. Additionally, it served as a factory, or trade center, for the region where settlers and Indians alike could trade. It was the largest and most expensive in the U.S. factory system, which included 28 such trade centers. At one time, approximately 100 people called the fort home, including civilians and military personnel.

To reach the fort from the Kansas City area, take Interstate 70 east to the Grain Valley exit (Exit #24) and travel north about eight miles on Highway BB to Buckner. Once in Buckner, follow the signs to the fort, which has been reconstructed over the years using the original plans.

Start your journey back in time at the fort’s visitor center, where exhibits provide an overview of the Osage Indians and the fort’s development and operation. Within the fort, authentically attired interpreters use living history to provide insight into the daily life of the post’s military and civilian population around 1812 amid the reconstructed blockhouses, barracks, forge and other buildings.

The fort, a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, is open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, and $4 for children 5–13 and $3 for seniors. For details, call (816) 650-5737, or visit www.jacksongov.org.

And nearby the fort, don’t miss the Osage Honey Farm. Visitors can watch thousands of bees crawling around a glass-enclosed hive. You can buy honey made at the site.

Backtrack to Highway 24 and continue east to reach several small towns with courthouse squares, antique shops and lovely homes. Within some of the sleepy hamlets whose populations are generally less than 1,000, such as Napoleon, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

As you drive further east on Highway 224, the route skirts the Missouri River and offers a scenic, relaxing trip to historic Lexington.

A place in time

Founded in 1822 by settlers from Lexington, Ky., the new town reached its heyday in the 1830s when it was the largest and most important town west of St. Louis. The bustling trade center served as an outfitting post for the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. Factories, warehouses, stores and mills lined the town’s riverfront, which boasted docks for approximately 100 boats. Steamboats delivered the supplies that settlers needed to purchase before their westward journeys began.

Though other towns and cities eclipsed Lexington as river trade declined and the overland trails were replaced with roads, the city has preserved its rich heritage. Its tree-lined streets and numerous antebellum homes have a fascinating story to tell.

As you enter the town on Highway 224, you’ll pass the large “Madonna of the Trail” statue, erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The statue honors the brave pioneer mothers of the covered wagon days who, with their families, forged their way west. It is one of only 12 such statues placed in every state crossed by the National Old Trails Road, the route early settlers took from Maryland to California. The monument was dedicated in 1928, and the keynote speaker was Judge Harry S. Truman, who was president of the National Old Trails Association at the time.

Not far from the monument, you’ll find the Lexington Tourism Bureau at 927 Main St., which is open 8:30 a.m.–4:30 pm. Monday–Friday. Stop in to pick up maps and other tourist information, or (660) 259-4711. Or visit the Web site www.historiclexington.com.

The downtown business district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As you browse through the streets, you’ll find gift and antique shops located in historic buildings, including a 1830s log house that was discovered in 1985 hidden under the siding and plaster of a house that was slated to be demolished. The Lexington Historical Association restored the home and today leases it to an antique dealer.

The centerpiece of the district is the Lafayette County Courthouse, built in 1847–1849 and considered to be the oldest courthouse in constant use west of the Mississippi River. One of the unique features of the Classic Greek Revival structure is that a Civil War cannonball embedded in one of its columns has been left as a remembrance of the war. Inside the stately building, visitors can gaze at the pressed tin ceiling and paintings depicting early scenes of Lafayette County.

The courthouse, which also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is just one example of the town’s magnificent architecture. In fact, Lexington has more than 120 lovely antebellum homes and buildings, more than any other Missouri town.

For another look into the town’s past, visit the Lexington Historical Museum at the intersection of Main and 13th streets. Located in the 1846 former Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the museum contains exhibits about the city’s heritage; the city’s role in the Civil War; the Santa Fe Trail, which passed through Lexington; and extensive details about the Pony Express. Lexington was the headquarters for the famous westward freighting firm–Russell, Majors and Waddell–that founded the Pony Express. Admission for the museum, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is $2 for adults, $1 for children, and free for children 12 and under. Hours are 1–4 p.m. Monday–Friday and Sunday, and from 10–4 p.m. on Saturday June–September. In May and October, the museum is open on weekends only, and it is closed in winter. For details, call (660) 259-6313.

Lexington is also home to Wentworth Military Academy, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected military schools. The academy’s campus is a historic district, and tours are available by appointment.

Battle scars

Though peaceful now, Lexington endured a tumultuous time during the Civil War when the Union and Confederacy vied for control of the area. As a busy river port, Lexington held strategic importance. If the Confederacy controlled Missouri, the federal government could lose control of the Mississippi River. As a result, Missouri was critical to the Union cause.

Confederate forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Sterling Price marched on Lexington in the late summer of 1861, eventually outnumbering the Union troops almost six to one. While Price was advancing, 2,700 federal troops under the command of Col. James A. Mulligan fortified themselves inside the grounds of the Masonic College in town. The battle began Sept. 18.

The Confederates bombarded the Union troops at the college and seized the nearby house of Oliver Anderson, which was serving as a Union hospital at the time. In a bloody countercharge, Col. Mulligan’s men stormed the house and retook it, only to lose it a short time later.

The three-day skirmish is today known as the “Battle of the Hemp Bales” because of the unusual way it ended. At the time, Lexington was a large producer of hemp, and the Confederate troops rounded up a large supply of bales from warehouses along the riverfront. The Rebels soaked the bales in water and rolled them toward the Union army, using them as a moveable breastworks. The incoming bullets were harmlessly absorbed in the tightly packed bales. After a hand-to-hand struggle, the federals finally surrendered on Sept. 20, 1861.

Today, the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site just north of downtown has preserved the scene of the fighting. The battlefield is one of the few from the Civil War that has never been cultivated, and the outlines of the trenches are still visible. Visitors can follow a walking trail around the site to see where the fighting occurred.

Also, guided tours are offered of the Anderson House, which was built in 1853 in the Greek Revival style. It has been restored and furnished as a fine example of the large mansion houses that prosperous, slave-holding Southerners were building in Missouri in the 1840s and ’50s. However, scars of the battle are still visible in some places, including a number of bullet holes and damage from cannon shots. Indeed, a hole in the second floor ceiling was the result of a stray cannonball that careened through the attic.

The site’s visitors center, which features exhibits on the battle, is free. Tours of the Anderson House are $2.50 for adults and $1.50 for children 6–12. From March–October, the visitors center is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Saturday, with house tours beginning at 10 a.m. On Sunday, the hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. with later hours until 6 p.m. during the summer. From November–April, the visitors center is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday–Saturday and 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sunday. House tours are given by appointment only in the winter. For additional information, call (660) 259-4654 or visit www.mostateparks.com.

Casualties of War

While the Confederates won the Battle of Lexington, the bitter cost of that and other battles is clearly evident at the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site in Higginsville. The 135-acre site, which the United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated to the valor of Rebel soldiers, contains row upon row of fading limestone grave markers of 679 Confederate veterans.

From Lexington, follow Highway 13 south and pick up Business Route 13 into Higginsville. Before you reach town, you’ll see the park on the left. The site was once part of the grounds of the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri, which housed dependent Civil War veterans and their families.

In addition to the cemetery and the adjacent Chapel of the Confederate Home, the lovely park has a number of shaded picnic areas, a playground and several lakes stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation. For details, call (660) 584-2853 or visit www.mostateparks.com.

The Confederate Memorial is another reminder of the important role that northwest Missouri has played in the state’s history. Once the western edge of the frontier and a Civil War battleground for control of the state, the region continues to relate its stirring and remarkable legacy.

From Higginsville, head south on Route 13 for about four miles to Interstate 70. Then take I-70 about 34 miles west to the Kansas City area. The approximate round-trip mileage is 86 miles.

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