Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Lee's Summit: leasing agent, motels, lawsuits)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Wasn't there like a small red or orange neon "Hobbies" light that she displayed above the entrance?

You are probably right, but I don't seem to have that recall. She would have to have had some type of sign to announce her place of business.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Both the northwest and southwest corners of Elm and Lexington are vacant and show signs of something being there before.

I know there was a Safeway on the west side in that area and I believe that when driving down Lexington from the square it came before the Natatorium.

I am going to stick my neck out and say the first vacant corner on Elm Street (northwest corner) coming from the direction of the square where that parking lot might have been was the site of the former Safeway store. The vacant corner on the other side of Elm (southwest) would be the former site of the Natatorium, I think.

The blue house on Lexington just before where I am placing the old Safeway was the location of Mrs. Cooper's hobby shop. She had her living and dining room configured as a hobby sales place.

Going farther back in time, there was once a place called the Bridge Cafe that was right across from the old Safeway. There were a couple other businesses on that side of Lexington also. I was never in there but the cafe seemed to be a large place. I believe the RLDS Church bought those businesses out years ago.

The old number 2 fire station was on the southeast corner of Elm and Lexington. The building is still standing there all by itself. The city used it for storage for a number of years but I don't believe they now own it.

The Natatorium was located on the SW corner of Elm and Lexington, now vacant. When I was a kid there was a burger joint there. I do remember the Bridge Cafe, but never ate there. The old Fire Station is (I think it is still) a bicycle shop.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

You are probably right, but I don't seem to have that recall. She would have to have had some type of sign to announce her place of business.

It was rather surreal to see a home business in that part of town with a neon light at night. I can picture being inside the hobby shop, don't know if I ever purchased anything there but it was a neat little store from what I remember.

Just for fun I traced the RR tracks at the Y eastward and they are the tracks that ran right behind our house near Raytown. They proceed into Lee's Summit, Sedalia and on to Jeff City. (I wonder if
Rep Clarence Heflin hitched his rides to and fro :-) Finally thru Hermann and into St. Louis.

A burger joint at the old site of the Natatorium explains the concrete and drive way visible from Streetview. The old firehouse is now Pace Bicycle Haven and the building is inscribed at the top as
"Fire Station No. 2 1928"

[WCHS'59]

Fire Station #2 relocated to 39th Street and Phelps Road.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

This is from the City of Independence web site concerning the brick water tower.

"North Main Water Tower (24 Highway and Main) was constructed in 1884. It was a circular, brick water tower 55 feet high and 21 feet in diameter with a wooden standpipe 30 feet high. In May of 1995, it was dedicated as a National American Water Works Association Historic Landmark. There are only 11 National AWWA landmarks in Missouri. North Main water tower was rebuilt after the wooden portion (top 30 feet) burned down after being struck by lightning."

Google shows a circular building of some type next to the current water tower, but it is rather short and hidden by trees. The current water tower has to be from around 1955.

I drove by the water tower this morning. The round structure just south of the current tower is the remnant of the brick water tower. You can see it slightly better by using Bing maps bird's eye view. The brick structure is now just about 1 story high, the street side mostly stuccoed, but on the back side (visible by driving down the alley) the brick still shows.

[WCHS'59]

I kept coming across information that there is a Catholic cemetery in Independence, specifically Saint Mary’s Cemetery on south Noland Road. I was not aware of such a place but research indicates the following.

A cemetery was started in 1837 on what was to become Noland Road. The land was about six-tenths of a mile southeast of the square. That cemetery eventually became known as City Cemetery, run by the city of Independence.

In 1853, a Father Donnelly purchased six acres south of City Cemetery and the land became Saint Mary’s Cemetery.


In 1922, Saint Mary’s Cemetery was consolidated with City Cemetery and both became known as Woodlawn Cemetery, operated by the city of Independence.


The Catholic portion of Woodlawn is administered by Saint Mary’s Parish and is reserved for Catholics.

Woodlawn Cemetery is 56 acres in size and has 33,000 burials.

[MRG Dallas]

"Fire Station #2 relocated to 39th Street and Phelps Road."

Which explains why the "No. 2" is whited out while the original lettering of "Fire Station" remains. That's another intersection I recall bustling with activity. Now Streetivew shows nothing but the bike shop. Even the shot of the overpass doesn't look the same. The RLDS boundary line/Welcome replaced whatever commercial places were on the opposite corner. Would love to see a photo from the site circa 1960.

"The round structure just south of the current tower is the remnant of the brick water tower. You can see it slightly better by using Bing maps bird's eye view."

Satellite view looks like they attached some sort of management structure to the part you are describing. I can see the circular object but there is a little office attached on the south side?

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

"The round structure just south of the current tower is the remnant of the brick water tower. You can see it slightly better by using Bing maps bird's eye view."

Satellite view looks like they attached some sort of management structure to the part you are describing. I can see the circular object but there is a little office attached on the south side?

The side structure looks to be original. Perhaps it housed the pumping equipment.

[SilverDoc]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Fields Furniture was for many years on the northeast corner of Truman and Noland Road. I think it might have had to relocate slightly when Noland Road was widened.

For many years there was a huge unsightly junk yard on the northwest corner across from Fields. The yard was covered by a tall fence.

That junk yard covered the block west to the rear of the Cable Chevrolet dealership on Main. No one ever seemed to complain about the junk accepting it as a fact of life.


There is a local bus terminal of some sort there now that has shrubs and greenery. That must have been a big chore to clean up the junk yard mess.

I have photos of Field's Furniture that I need to post. and the "junk yard" you refer to was called Marcus Scrap Yard, if I'm not mistaken.

[SilverDoc]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

It would really be interesting to pick a side of the square and then trace each store's ownership backward to 1827.

I've thought that for a long time. My Great-grandfather had his real estate office (Butcher Real Estate) 111 E. Lexington. Sometime before that, it was in the office that were above Katz Drug Store. He had been in real estate since 1905. I should have, but never did sit down with him to talk about the square. His son, my Great-Uncle, was for a time his salesman and sold my folks their home (the one I grew up in, and live in today) in 1955. My Great-Uncle also helped open and worked at the Firestone at S. Main and Kansas. Between the two, I could have had access to tons of history.