Long ago on independence square (Raytown, Liberty: 2015, houses, tax)

[Major Tom 58]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

Or...

Ravenwood

Ravenwood was the direct result of the construction of the Great Western Railroad... It was built in 1887. Ravenwood is situated on Sec. 13, Twp. 64 N, R. 34 W. The date of its platting was August 20, 1887.

In 1910 James Sawyer was post-master, A. H. Stineburner, mayor. A. M. Moore was black smith, and the general dealers were A. B. Bently, F. H. Burnes, Sawyer & Mow; Lewis Kaureman and Ross Hardware store. (--Bowen, Vol. 1, p. 284, 285.; Conard, Vol. 5, p. 303.)

It is situated at the junction of 136 & O.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

Or...

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

Ravenwood

Ravenwood was the direct result of the construction of the Great Western Railroad... It was built in 1887. Ravenwood is situated on Sec. 13, Twp. 64 N, R. 34 W. The date of its platting was August 20, 1887.

In 1910 James Sawyer was post-master, A. H. Stineburner, mayor. A. M. Moore was black smith, and the general dealers were A. B. Bently, F. H. Burnes, Sawyer & Mow; Lewis Kaureman and Ross Hardware store. (--Bowen, Vol. 1, p. 284, 285.; Conard, Vol. 5, p. 303.)

It is situated at the junction of 136 & O.

In the 1911 directory for Independence "Ravenswood Station" is shown as the first stop east of Englewood on the Electric Line. That would place it near Scott, but I think the Electric Line was the trolley that ran along the current day Winner Road. The MoPac may also have had a Ravenswood Station, as an earlier map (which I'll post tomorrow) shows Ravenswood as a subdivision in that area.

[WCHS'59]

So, you live in Ravenswood. It is 1906.

It is the dead of winter and you have been gone from home a while. In fact, you are in St. Louis boarding a Missouri Pacific passenger train and your ticket says Ravenswood, milepost 273.2. The train you board is only a number as it will be ten years before the MoPac names your train the Scenic Limited—and it will be few decades more before your train will be called the Missouri River Eagle.

As you glide into milepost 272.7, Independence station, to drop off and take on passengers you notice a most warming site that brings a smile to your face. Taking off again, you prepare to get off at the next stop.


You get off the Missouri Pacific at the Ravenswood Station and even though it is cold and the snow is deep, you walk a short distance to your home. You open your very modern house and walk in able to see with the aid of gas lighting. The temperature seems as though it is almost the same as it is outside.
You do not have a fireplace so you start up your gas fired furnace and in no time at all it is toasty comfortable.

While waiting for the house to warm, you fire up a gas “range” in the kitchen and cook a nice meal.

To whom do you thank in this day and time for having such a nice amenity as natural gas piped to your house to enable such modern comforts?

Where in the world is the gas utility that provides your gas to you? Specify where the location is today.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

In the 1911 directory for Independence "Ravenswood Station" is shown as the first stop east of Englewood on the Electric Line. That would place it near Scott, but I think the Electric Line was the trolley that ran along the current day Winner Road. The MoPac may also have had a Ravenswood Station, as an earlier map (which I'll post tomorrow) shows Ravenswood as a subdivision in that area.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Copied from Missouri Railroads, Passenger Stations and Stops.

The stops are in Jackson County on the Missouri Pacific RR.

Mile post from St Louis

254.4 Greenwood
259.3 Lee’s Summit
265.2 Little Blue
272.7 Independence, Grand Street Station
273.2 Ravenswood
273.4 Maywood
273.8 Crisp
274.9 Evanston
275.2 Mount Washington

List of MoPac stations in Jackson County--at one time.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

So, you live in Ravenswood. It is 1906.

It is the dead of winter and you have been gone from home a while. In fact, you are in St. Louis boarding a Missouri Pacific passenger train and your ticket says Ravenswood, milepost 273.2. The train you board is only a number as it will be ten years before the MoPac names your train the Scenic Limited—and it will be few decades more before your train will be called the Missouri River Eagle.

As you glide into milepost 272.7, Independence station, to drop off and take on passengers you notice a most warming site that brings a smile to your face. Taking off again, you prepare to get off at the next stop.


You get off the Missouri Pacific at the Ravenswood Station and even though it is cold and the snow is deep, you walk a short distance to your home. You open your very modern house and walk in able to see with the aid of gas lighting. The temperature seems as though it is almost the same as it is outside.
You do not have a fireplace so you start up your gas fired furnace and in no time at all it is toasty comfortable.

While waiting for the house to warm, you fire up a gas “range” in the kitchen and cook a nice meal.

To whom do you thank in this day and time for having such a nice amenity as natural gas piped to your house to enable such modern comforts?

Where in the world is the gas utility that provides your gas to you? Specify where the location is today.

The answer is the Jackson County Light, Heat, and Power Company Gas Works, a private company, located on the northwest corner of River and Pacific—the warming site you noticed from your rail car—where the lower portion of the Auditorium parking lot is located today. The utility had its own rail spur off the Lexington Branch for coal deliveries.


The gas works served Independence, Ravenswood, and Norwood with 40 miles of mains and 2300 customers. The company listed around 40 hot water tanks in use by its customers. Don’t know when it might have gone out of business.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Ask and ye shall receiveth! The Sanborn map of 1916...

Surprised to see that 824 W Maple is built yet the lot to the east is vacant. That house looked so much older than, and now. Also interesting to see the three vacant lots at the corner with River. 900 W. Maple is a big house, as was one of the teardowns directly across the street. Those were rentals in the 60s.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Surprised to see that 824 W Maple is built yet the lot to the east is vacant. That house looked so much older than, and now. Also interesting to see the three vacant lots at the corner with River. 900 W. Maple is a big house, as was one of the teardowns directly across the street. Those were rentals in the 60s.

I just picked this house number at random.

Let’s say you are living at 1208 west Maple, Independence, Missouri.

Let’s go back 100 years and you are living in the same house and the house number is still the same.

What would your address be?

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

I just picked this house number at random.

Let’s say you are living at 1208 west Maple, Independence, Missouri.

Let’s go back 100 years and you are living in the same house and the house number is still the same.

What would your address be?

A discerning individual will be shocked by the clue on this map!

[WCHS'59]

Another apparent case of duplicate street names in Independence.

Delorme Maps shows a 317 foot segment of a n-s Short Street south of Wilson Road to Shope Street.

Delorme shows another 276 foot segment of a n-s Short Street north of Wilson Road to Morrell Terrace. Google shows this segment as Glenwood Street, though.

Short Street is also a 3,000 foot e-w street from Liberty to Leslie and a 1,649 foot segment from Forest to Lexington.