Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Jackson: best school districts, rankings, 2013)

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by dmouse

Oh for gosh sake........Mt. Washington?

Close enough! It was Washington Park, an amusement park built by Mr Winner to give his railway weekend business. Rock Creek was dammed to create a lake for boating and swimming. There was a dance pavilion, live music, and restaurants. Not long after it opened in 1888 it faced strong competition from the slightly newer and larger Fairmount Park, which had everything Washington had plus big name entertainers. Washington Park closed just after 1900 and by 1904 had become Mount Washington Cemetery.

The original name for Winner Road was Washington Park Boulevard. The large stone bus shelter at today's US 24 Highway & Brookside was the railway stop for the park.

[MRG Dallas]

Ok since I gave us'all one week to post our memories, etc. here is "the rest of the story'

This forum triggered my interest in genealogy, and from Ancestry.com I discovered a much longer and prominent history, including both sides of my Mom's family in Independence, particularly the NE section, Ft Osage, etc.

In particular, a GGGFather who was associated with the founding of the Blue Mills (and he married the owner's daughter, smart guy!), a cofounder of the Six Mile Baptist Church (where I attended a service in 2013 and saw an article about him from The KC Star Sunday Magazine, 1974). Pearl Wilcox I think it was, said he at one time owned the largest homestead in Jackson County.

No one ever mentioned this ancestor. I believe he lost his property from the confiscatory, unconstitutional General Order No, 11 (for you Civil War and Constitutional buffs) George Bingham, who adamantly opposed this Order, subsequently painted a famous mural of a scene

Polk's, the year before my birth, had my parents living in an apt house on Pendleton. Unable to find this address on Google Maps, it eventually occurred to me this block was torn down to enable more parking for the RLDS Auditorium (isn't that where we all graduated HS?) So I joke to my wife I was "conceived on God's Country"

Lastly, Ancestry. com led to AncestryDNA.com whereupon I re-discovered communication with a first cousin, north of the River. We subsequently have become great friends and were even lucky enough to get together just days before COVID shut down so much

So yeah, I owe alot to this thread Many thanks to Sally and to all of you.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Was it "Electric Park," the amusement park the Metropolitan Street Railway Company built at the eastern end of its Independence Avenue (now Boulevard) streetcar line as a traffic-builder?

And I assume that Winner Road was named for this guy. Looking at the map, the street describes a path that parallels a nearby mainline railroad.

I believe there were two Electric Parks

One near the area you describe My feeble memory tells me it was near the Chouteau Bridge and the Mighty Mo

The other was at or near the site of The Landing, a place where you have been many times This one might have burned down.

One of the two, or both, was Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Belated 10th anniversary greetings!

Of course, I'm a latecomer to this discussion as well as an outsider: I grew up in Kansas City and now live in Philadelphia. I suspect I'm also among the younger participants, as I'm Pembroke-Country Day '77.

But my grandparents loved to dine out and go on Sunday drives, and on those drives I learned something about the lay of the land in Independence and around the square. The funny thing is, even though I know something about some of the businesses (e.g., Emery Bird Thayer's purchase of Bundschu's) and the Truman Court House (as the former main courthouse is now called; I was surprised to find out that the county seat had officially moved to Kansas City, but in my teens, I'd already known that very little county business, if any, took place in the Truman Court House, and when the county dropped its three-member governing "court" (these are known as county commissions in most other states) in favor of a legislature, said legislature met in the newer Court House Annex, which I think remains in use), I never set foot in any of them. I think I'd like to remedy that wrt the Truman Court House on my next trip Back Home.

I have managed to learn some interesting things about Independence and environs through this thread, including the existence of Stephenson's Apple Farm spinoffs (I ate at the original restaurant twice). I'm glad I stumbled across it and am glad to see that it's still going 10 years out.

Now, I have a question: Who was William Chrisman?

A very interesting history Independence has. Much of which I've learned from this thread

A regret is not appreciating the who, what, where, whens esp back in the 1960s when I was within walking distance of history entrepreneurs, famous chains, local (Katz, Bundschu's) and national "Woolworth's Kresge's . . . both of them!) This architecture of the Courthouse, the old Post Office, the blocks of stores side by side)

I get that the auto, The Blue Ridge Mall, I-70, and old age contributed to much of the downfall of The Square and surrounds . . . Can someone here please win the PowerBall and contribute millions to rehab the area to much of what it once was?

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Another major contributor to this thread was WCHS'59. He grew up here and shared many memories and over 4,700 posts. He has since been granted eternal Independence from life on earth. Here is his first post.

Absolutely x 1000 WCHS was a priceless contributor Tremendous interest and memory MAD and I both realized about the same time that he hadn't posted in several weeks, and that's how we learned he had passed. His obit mentioned his interest in this thread and how he enjoyed learning and posting here

Wish his widow and Sally's son could have happenstanced on this 10th thread Would have enjoyed learning more about them. Maybe one day they will check in to see how thing's are going as we chase the 15th anniversary

I learned many things from WCHS. One that comes readily to mind was the murderess, Sharon Kinne, circa 1960-1965 I have mentioned before her cases and the incredible string of events that followed, was the earliest local news item I recall. I hear the tones of Charles Gray, I believe that was KMBC Channel 9 news, relating those headline stories

The Kinne case is fascinating, not just the murders but the legal aspects. How she kept beating the system. I have the book uniquely titled "The Sharon Kinne Story" She is also featured in the episode "Luck Be A Lady" repeated often on "A Crime to Remember" (fascinating) series, on ID Discovery

There are many other things WCHS mentioned that I would never have remembered

RIP Friend and thank you

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

MRG, if you come to town this summer, let us know when you will come. I would love to meet you and maybe we will be able to have a meeting of all the members of this page.

For sure, Casey, the feeling is mutual. I would hope that I can meet all of you, perhaps we can lunch one day on The Square where pearjas can join us

I would enjoy if one or more of us can join in a revisit of The Square and environs. Perhaps seeing where each of us lived, hung out, went to grade school, etc. But definitely we will get together

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

I believe there were two Electric Parks

One near the area you describe My feeble memory tells me it was near the Chouteau Bridge and the Mighty Mo

The other was at or near the site of The Landing, a place where you have been many times This one might have burned down.

One of the two, or both, was Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland

The second Electric Park was just east of The Paseo and north of Brush Creek. That site is now an apartment complex.

[dmouse]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

For sure, Casey, the feeling is mutual. I would hope that I can meet all of you, perhaps we can lunch one day on The Square where pearjas can join us

I would enjoy if one or more of us can join in a revisit of The Square and environs. Perhaps seeing where each of us lived, hung out, went to grade school, etc. But definitely we will get together

OK... who owns a bus to haul us around in? Probably better make it handicapped accessible though....

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

A very interesting history Independence has. Much of which I've learned from this thread

A regret is not appreciating the who, what, where, whens esp back in the 1960s when I was within walking distance of history entrepreneurs, famous chains, local (Katz, Bundschu's) and national "Woolworth's Kresge's . . . both of them!) This architecture of the Courthouse, the old Post Office, the blocks of stores side by side)

I get that the auto, The Blue Ridge Mall, I-70, and old age contributed to much of the downfall of The Square and surrounds . . . Can someone here please win the PowerBall and contribute millions to rehab the area to much of what it once was?

I second that! I should have gotten a photo of HST walking past our home, but alas, film wasn't cheap then (and I was even cheaper).

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

For sure, Casey, the feeling is mutual. I would hope that I can meet all of you, perhaps we can lunch one day on The Square where pearjas can join us

I would enjoy if one or more of us can join in a revisit of The Square and environs. Perhaps seeing where each of us lived, hung out, went to grade school, etc. But definitely we will get together

Sounds like a good time. A small bus would be perfect assuming we can find one to rent. If we had a bus and a listing of places to visit and we could probably make it a full day. I see that the car rental places have vans that seat 15 people.