Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Liberty: lawyers, income, grocer)

[Mad Anthonie]

Welcome to the thread Dallas. You can help answer WCHS, as he goes much faster than I can!

I have never heard of the current Sugar Creek Ball fields referrred to as Fairmount Park. The Sugar Creek city web site lists that facility as Roper Stadium and Kenney Field.

Google maps does show Fairmount Park there. I wonder if that might be a copyright trick. In olden days mapmakers often added a small street that didn't exist in order to catch copyright violations.

There is a newer Fairmount Park in Independence, located NW of the old one. Go to Norledge & Home on Google maps. The new park opened in the 1960s, my parents to us to the grand opening. When it opened it featured a swinging bridge that went to a wooden "fort". At the time we lived in western Fairmount, so I spent many hours in that park as a youngster.

[WCHS'59]

Hey Mad, you have a good point there. I found this description of the Independence Fairmount Park, which refers to the old Fairmount Park and has the lake where Independence Avenue is now.



FAIRMOUNT PARK
300 N. Home Ave. (Independence)
Trail = 1/4 mile

For 36 years, Fairmount Park was a place for summer fun and water sports. (“Many Parks,” 1973) Canoes and boats were available for rental and a beach was available for sunbathers and swimmers. There was a two-story bathhouse and amusement park for the community to enjoy as well.

Originally an eight-acre lake was located at the park; now Highway 24 is located there. According to the Kansas City Star, “The park was Arthur Stillwell's creation and was planned primarily to furnish trade for his air-line interurban line, which ran from 2nd and Grand to Independence. Records show that as many as $15,000 in fares were collected in a single day. Between 1897 and 1901, a nine-hole golf course was maintained by the private Evanston Golf Club. In 1933, the park suffered a major fire. Between the fire, the problem with water pollution, and the great depression, the park closed.

Fairmount Park is located east of this older park and has been named after it.”

[WCHS'59]

Here is the web site that says Fairmount Park is in Sugar Creek (about one half down) I think this site belongs to the same folks that have this forum?

https://www.city-data.com/city/Sugar-Creek-Missouri.html

Here is the park list in Sugar Creek that I could not find before. It does not list a Fairmount Park.

http://www.sugar-creek.mo.us/departm...ile.asp?dept=7

Here is an Independence Trail Guide that has Fairmount Park on page 9.

http://www.ci.independence.mo.us/use...ilguideWeb.pdf

I think Mad Anthonie has it right.

[WCHS'59]

Mad,


You mentioned Fairmount Park opened in the 1960s and that you lived in Fairmount.

I believe the Fairmount area was annexed into Independence in 1960. A lot of the people being annexed were unhappy and I think that park was one of the first city projects accomplished in the area to help placate those who did not want to be part of Independence. I did not recall the park name but I recall the city really wanted to do something to help the citizens feel like they were getting something for their new taxes.

It seems to me that Fairmount was annexed without the residents having a say so. At one time only the people doing the annexing would vote to annex an area. Later, the laws were changed to require the vote of the annexing area and the vote of those being annexed. I think I am correct with that thinking.

I lived for a short time in the 500 block of Ash Street in Fairmount when I worked at Charlie’s Market, a grocery store on Independence Avenue across from the drug store. This store was another United Super effort. The two Cook brothers, neither named Charlie, bought the store from "Charlie" and decided to keep the original name.


The owners would send me down to the close by A&P to check that store’s prices on staples such as bread, eggs, milk, etc. They would raise or lower their prices to match. Sometime after I left to go to the new Cascio’s on Highway 40, they purchased the A&P store when that store was vacated. They moved their store a block or so to that building and renamed it Cook’s United Super.

Did you ever go to the Byam Theater? I think it was on its last legs when I was in Fairmount.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Welcome to the thread Dallas. You can help answer WCHS, as he goes much faster than I can!

I have never heard of the current Sugar Creek Ball fields referrred to as Fairmount Park. The Sugar Creek city web site lists that facility as Roper Stadium and Kenney Field.

Google maps does show Fairmount Park there. I wonder if that might be a copyright trick. In olden days mapmakers often added a small street that didn't exist in order to catch copyright violations.

There is a newer Fairmount Park in Independence, located NW of the old one. Go to Norledge & Home on Google maps. The new park opened in the 1960s, my parents to us to the grand opening. When it opened it featured a swinging bridge that went to a wooden "fort". At the time we lived in western Fairmount, so I spent many hours in that park as a youngster.

MAD, thanks, it's fun to be here and I'm reading most of the posts over this hot Texas weekend.

I did get the "Fairmount Park" name from Google Maps, and now I see there are indeed, two references. I have no recollection other than "Sugar Creek Park" being the name during my KC 3&2 baseball days. But I could be wrong about that, just like I can't remember the pool being so close to the diamond nor the traffic light in the middle of the street.

My recollections are limited as I grew up in Raytown and know Independence only partially, from my vacations and summers spent at my parents' shops and baseball/bowling days. Plus my grandparents lived on W. Maple, thus many trips to The Square, but Fairmount and eastern Indep. where WCHS' stomping grounds were are fairly unfamiliar territory.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Hey Mad, you have a good point there. I found this description of the Independence Fairmount Park, which refers to the old Fairmount Park and has the lake where Independence Avenue is now.

FAIRMOUNT PARK
300 N. Home Ave. (Independence)
Trail = 1/4 mile

Fairmount Park is located east of this older park and has been named after it.”

I hope you didn't get this info from the city web site, as the current Fairmount Park is located NW of the original!

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

I believe the Fairmount area was annexed into Independence in 1960. ...
It seems to me that Fairmount was annexed without the residents having a say so. At one time only the people doing the annexing would vote to annex an area. Later, the laws were changed to require the vote of the annexing area and the vote of those being annexed. I think I am correct with that thinking.

You are correct, at one time the annexed persons did not get a vote. That law changed in the early 1970s, which led to a land-grab. Independence hurriedly voted to annex several large tracts to the east, extending to within spitting distance of Buckner. To add to the insult the ordinance to annex had different effective dates for each parcel, dragging the annexations out for several years past the law change. That made many unhappy new residents! I worked at the PD in those years, and as each portion was added we had to make sure patrol cars were seen often in the new areas.

Originally Posted by WCHS '59

I lived for a short time in the 500 block of Ash Street in Fairmount when I worked at Charlie’s Market, a grocery store on Independence Avenue across from the drug store. This store was another United Super effort. The two Cook brothers, neither named Charlie, bought the store from "Charlie" and decided to keep the original name.

The owners would send me down to the close by A&P to check that store’s prices on staples such as bread, eggs, milk, etc. They would raise or lower their prices to match. Sometime after I left to go to the new Cascio’s on Highway 40, they purchased the A&P store when that store was vacated. They moved their store a block or so to that building and renamed it Cook’s United Super.

Did you ever go to the Byam Theater? I think it was on its last legs when I was in Fairmount.

I remember Cook's US at Independence Ave & Northern. Later it was a Piggly-Wiggly. I think it is currently a smoke and liquor store, but I need to refresh my memory on that with a drive-by.

The Byam Theater was gone before my day, I'm not even sure which building it was in.

[WCHS'59]

Does the name Harry Rummel ring a bell with anyone?

Rummel, from Independence, has his own place in Independence and American history.

A Republican he was a saddle maker having a shop somewhere in the vicinity of the old Knoepker’s store on the north side of the square.


He is he only man to ever defeat Harry S Truman in an election.
Truman, the incumbent county judge (county commissioner) was beaten by Rummel in 1924.

Two years later, Harry came roaring back and won his old job back.

[WCHS'59]

Bryant Elementary School is on west College Street about four blocks from the Harry S Truman home on Delaware.


Around 1930 or so, someone tried to kidnap six-year old Margaret Truman from the old Bryant.


Harry Truman was a county judge (county commissioner) at the time.


The principal of the school became suspicious of the man who asked to take her out of class early and foiled the effort with the man fleeing.


As far as I know, the culprit(s) were never caught.

[mrb18690]

I'm too young to remember the old square, but I love to imagine it in it's old glory. My mom and grandpa talk about it's better days a lot.

[WCHS'59]

The stores were open 'til 9:00 on Friday nights.

People were everywhere. While my mom shopped I would walk around and around the square looking at the people and looking in the windows.