Long ago on independence square (Blue Springs, Jackson: vegetable, sale, buying)

[CatHerder]

I didn't know about the Noland cemetery. Will watch for it next time I'm driving that section of Phelps.

The Independence section of Phelps (S. Phelps Rd.) isn't all that long but is mostly developed. I can only picture a couple of spots where a cemetery might be tucked out of view, and think they would be behind residences.

I can't seem to find out where the Chrisman home/plantation was. One online source (possibly the same one you saw) said that the home was on the current site of the Sisters of St. Francis convent, but I'm not sure if that's true. It's late, so I'll have to look at my Independence books tomorrow. Wouldn't the cemetery be fairly near the home? Lee's Summit seems like it would be too far away. Perhaps this was another branch of the Chrisman family?

I'll ask around because now I'm curious.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

"On Phelps Road there is a small cemetery where the William Chrisman slaves are buried."

Taken from a web site. Anyone ever heard of this and know the location of this cemetery?

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Also found a Chrisman cemetery that is listed as being in Lee's Summit. It has eight graves but there is no location given other than "Lee's Summit." No photos either.

Originally Posted by CatHerder

I didn't know about the Noland cemetery. Will watch for it next time I'm driving that section of Phelps.

The Independence section of Phelps (S. Phelps Rd.) isn't all that long but is mostly developed. I can only picture a couple of spots where a cemetery might be tucked out of view, and think they would be behind residences.

I can't seem to find out where the Chrisman home/plantation was. One online source (possibly the same one you saw) said that the home was on the current site of the Sisters of St. Francis convent, but I'm not sure if that's true. It's late, so I'll have to look at my Independence books tomorrow. Wouldn't the cemetery be fairly near the home? Lee's Summit seems like it would be too far away. Perhaps this was another branch of the Chrisman family?

I'll ask around because now I'm curious.

I may not be able to until the weekend, but I'll check the old plat map. My fuzzy memory thinks there may have been some Chrisman property in the area now known as Lakewood.

[WCHS'59]

This is the Luttrell cemetery sandwiched in between two houses on Milton Drive in Milton Estates just east of Lee’s Summit Road between 35th and 39th streets.

This place is just over half a mile, as the crow flies, from where I lived with my folks at 35th and Brentwood in the mid-sixties.

There appear to be around 40 or so grave sites. I was totally unaware that it was there.

[WCHS'59]

Found this.

[WCHS'59]

William Chrisman, age 55, in 1877.

[WCHS'59]

From the book Images of the New Jerusalem: Latter Day Saint Faction Interpretations of Independence, Missouri.

“The southeast portion of the Temple Lot remained undivided at the early 1900s as it was the western portion of the large William Chrisman estate.” The book also shows the estate as being south of Walnut and extending west to River Blvd. The eastern boundary appears to be Osage street. Southern boundary may or may not be Pacific street.


William Chrisman owned some larger properties north and northeast of the city, also, including one parcel that fronted on the Missouri River. He was supposed to have had the second largest tobacco growing operation west of the Mississippi.

I could not find any property for him around the old Hilltop girl’s facility, which is now a convent.

The book also makes the observation that the city of Independence wanted the new high school somewhere on the western William Chrisman estate rather than on west Maple where it was actually built.

I was curious as to why he would bury his slaves so far way on Phelps Road, also. But, as the crow flies the northern portion of Phelps Road at 35th Street is a little over two miles from the Temple Lot and the southern portion at 40 highway is around four miles away.

[WCHS'59]

Here is an interesting comment concerning the book, Latter Day Saint Faction Interpretations of Independence, Missouri, apparently from the publisher in Knoxville, Tennessee.


"Other than being the hometown of former United States President Harry Truman, Independence, Missouri, does not have much extraordinary history to offer mainstream America"

[CatHerder]

Very interesting! It's my day off and I am headed out that way today. I'll do some exploring if I have time.

Decades ago, I was the weekend chef for that convent (it's a retreat center on weekends).

[quote=WCHS'59;46153618]From the book Images of the New Jerusalem: Latter Day Saint Faction Interpretations of Independence, Missouri.

“The southeast portion of the Temple Lot remained undivided at the early 1900s as it was the western portion..... "

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

From the book Images of the New Jerusalem: Latter Day Saint Faction Interpretations of Independence, Missouri.

“The southeast portion of the Temple Lot remained undivided at the early 1900s as it was the western portion of the large William Chrisman estate.” The book also shows the estate as being south of Walnut and extending west to River Blvd. The eastern boundary appears to be Osage street. Southern boundary may or may not be Pacific street.


William Chrisman owned some larger properties north and northeast of the city, also, including one parcel that fronted on the Missouri River. He was supposed to have had the second largest tobacco growing operation west of the Mississippi.

I could not find any property for him around the old Hilltop girl’s facility, which is now a convent.

The book also makes the observation that the city of Independence wanted the new high school somewhere on the western William Chrisman estate rather than on west Maple where it was actually built.

I was curious as to why he would bury his slaves so far way on Phelps Road, also. But, as the crow flies the northern portion of Phelps Road at 35th Street is a little over two miles from the Temple Lot and the southern portion at 40 highway is around four miles away.

The 1877 plat book shows Willy owning 240 acres directly across I-470 (M-291) from the Lee's Summit airport. Two tracts of land adjacent to the north of that are shown as jointly owned by Chrisman & McCoy (240 acres and 480 acres). I'll check closer to town for more.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by CatHerder

Very interesting! It's my day off and I am headed out that way today. I'll do some exploring if I have time.

Decades ago, I was the weekend chef for that convent (it's a retreat center on weekends).

Did you have a chef specialty?

*****


In 1912, Jackson County established the Blue Township School for Girls. Initially, it was located somewhere along the Missouri River and at some point, moved to 2100 N Noland Road. In 1952 it was renamed Hilltop School for Girls.

Apparently, this detention facility was for “troubled” girls ages 10 – 17. A website says that the 1930 census lists the residents as “inmates.” As I understood it, it was a peg below a reformatory.

Around 1953, a group of our neighborhood kids, boys and girls, started going to the Granada theater on Friday nights. Parents would take turns chauffeuring. It was a group thing and not a dating thing.

We always arrived at 6:30 for the 7:00 show so we could get good seats. (Not to mention that we could watch Rin Tin Tin, a weekly series, on the television in the lobby)

At around 6:45, the girls from Hilltop would arrive on a bus. Their chaperon and the bus driver would lead them to seats down front about ten rows from the screen. They sat as a group taking up about two rows in the center. They were always orderly, were never loud, and never made comments to anyone in the audience even if they overheard negative comments aimed at them. They were all dressed differently and you could not tell that these girls were any different from anyone else.

Kids can be mean to other kids and when the girls started walking down the long aisle toward their designated seats, the already seated “good” kids, both boys and girls, would start whispering among themselves, pointing, and making comments such as “run for your life” or “save me.”