Independence, Missouri - Oct 17

Kansas City, Kansas - Oct 16
I arrived early in the evening in KC, Kansas.  This hotel was off the freeway but in the business area and there was nothing to see so I ventured to Harrah's Casino on the Missouri side.  The place was packed and the slots were tight so I made a donation instead of walking out with any extra bucks.  It kept me entertained instead of sitting in a hotel room.

Independence, Missouri - Oct 17

I spent a good part of Saturday in Independence and I pretty much had the town to myself.  The weather was overcast and cold.  My original plan was to tour Truman's home and the Truman Library.  I thought I'd be in town about two hours, then head into Kansas City.  I thought wrong as there was plenty to keep me busy - I toured the NPS Truman museum, Harry Truman's home, the National Frontier Trails Museum and roamed about town.  I never made it to the Truman Library.  The Truman Home will be closed on Oct 19 for restoration and maintenance and will re-open some time next year so my timing was just right.  It's a National Parks Service property so I was able to get a free ticket by using my NPS pass. 

The home was originally built by Bess Truman's grandfather and Harry lived nearby in Grandview.  His cousins lived in Independence and he met Bess on one of his visits.  After her father died at a young age, she and her mother moved into the house and lived with her grandparents.  After she and Harry married, they both also lived in the house till their deaths.  Their only child Margaret was also born in the house.  There is an iron fence around the property which was installed by the Secret Service after JFK was assassinated.  The house is on a tree-lined street in a typical middle class neighborhood and is quite grand for a house of its type.  As with other houses I've toured, no picture taking is allowed inside the house.  They also don't take you up to the second floor as the staircase is weak and not suited for the number of people who go through the house each year.  The Trumans lived as normally as you and I live.  The house is still the way it was when Bess died on Oct 18, 1982.  Margaret donated the house to the NPS to preserve the Truman legacy.  Harry's trademark was his hat and cane.  When he would come home, he'd hang them on a hook inside the side door - Bess left them there after he died in 1972 and they hang there still.

After my tour, I walked around Courthouse Square and took lots of pictures.  Because it was Saturday, the building wasn't open so I could only enjoy it from the outside.  Across the street from the Courthouse is a now-closed shop called "Wild About Harry". 

There is a 'religious district' with churches of various denominations in this area.  As I was roaming about town, one very shiny, modern steeple caught my attention.  The National Park Ranger at the Truman House told me it was the Community of Christ Temple, so I also checked that out too. 

This the world headquarters for the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).  There is quite a complex here which also includes a huge auditorium in a separate building across the street.  There was an LDS Visitor Center but because I had limited time, I didn't stop in.  I also passed a church called the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - I'm not sure how that fits into the grand scheme of things and if it's different from the Reorganized Church.  Nearby there was a fountain on a small plaza that turned out to be the The U.N. Peace Plaza which was quite lovely. 

There was van parked on the street near the plaza that was plastered with signs.  I took this picture just because it was so out of place in this area - luckily the owner wasn't there as I didn't want him to think I was buying into his hype.

Next I went to the National Trails Frontier Museum which is devoted to the Oregon, Santa Fe & California Trails.  Independence was a major jumping-off point for these trails. There was a lot to cover and it was quite interesting.  Even though I had about 1-1/2 hours before the museum closed, it still wasn't enough time to take it all in - though I did cover most of it.

Check out my Independence photo album and read my next post about Kansas City.  I hope you're enjoying my blogs and my photos.  Once I'm back home and I have more time, I'll work on reorganizing and labeling my photos.  You can view any of my albums via this link - they'll be there for quite some time.