A fall Historic Homes Tour is planned by the Heritage Seekers of Palmyra from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. It will feature private residences, offices and public buildings built for other people in another era. Restoration is underway in some of the buildings on the tour, and in others restoration is complete.
Historic buildings that reflect adaptive re-use include the Gardner House, the old Marion County Jail, Floral Hall, and two businesses.
Heritage Seekers is the official visitor’s center and historical society that has been responsible for the restoration of the Gardner House, a former stagecoach inn and now a museum. Heritage Seekers have also been involved in other historical activities, such as preservation of the Big Spring log cabin and annual re-enactment events of Porter’s Raid. The Historic Homes Tour will follow the final re-enactment of Civil War events, scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 17-19 in Palmyra
The tour will include several historic private homes along South Main street and East Ross street in Palmyra that were built in the late 1800s, as well as an ante-bellum home west of town. The architectural styles include Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Italianate, and American Four-square. The cost will be $6 and tickets may be purchased at any one of the houses on the tour. Proceeds will be used to continue restoration of the log cabin in the Big Spring Park.
Palmyra was laid out in 1819 and grew steadily when a land office was opened there in 1825. When Marion County was carved out of former larger counties, Palmyra was named the county seat in 1827, further encouraging growth, By 1860, Palmyra was a flourishing city of over 2200. Some of the buildings on this tour are 150 years old.
As the American frontier pushed steadily westward, newcomers eagerly sought land for farming and commerce. Longtime residents of Virginia and Kentucky worked their way west and north to northeast Missouri, where they settled, prospered, and built fine homes and downtown buildings that have lasted for more than a century. In the late 1800s, many immigrants, especially those from Germany, found agreeable conditions near Palmyra and fertile land to farm.
The residences on this tour reflect the care given to them by previous owners and, in some cases, restoration efforts are currently in progress to return them to their former glory. The 19th century two-story early Queen Anne white frame house at 721 S. Main is being restored by Sara Bainter. The house features a charming octagonal entry and second-story alcove.
The brick Italianate house at 922 S. Main served as home to the Phillips family for many years. It is believed to have been built prior to the Civil War by a man named Logan and subsequently purchased by H. Clay Heather, a prominent Prosecuting Attorney for Marion County in the 1890s. It has recently been purchased by the Joe Knochel family and is a work-in-progress.
A two-story brick Greek Revival house on Hwy 168 west of Palmyra, has been lived in by seven generations of the McPike family. The late Queen Anne Victorian house at 1501 South Main, now owned by Hannah and Jacob Gottman, was built in the late 19th century by the Mackey family. The Mackeys moved in the early 1900s into a large prairie style home designed by Quincy architect Ernest Wood. They didn’t have far to go--their new “modern” house was just next door.
A grand-scale Italianate house, now owned by James and Cindy Davis, sits deep in the block at 402 E. Ross. Built in 1858 by attorney and Missouri Supreme Court Judge John Dryden and later owned by Henry Louthan, a successful merchant, and several generations of Riegels, the house had undergone a series of structural changes to accommodate apartments. In 1980 the Davis family began restoring it to much of its original design. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The stately modified Queen Anne brick home at 504 S. Main is both home and office for Missouri State Representative Rachel Bringer. It was built by William Miller around 1890 but was later sold to Dr. Alonzo White. Mrs. White was the granddaughter of Moses D. Bates, who founded Hannibal and helped design the town of Palmyra. In 1926 Ernest Wood redesigned the entry and some of the interior, installing oak trim and a new interior staircase.
Several public buildings in Palmyra began life as one thing but have been re-purposed: A stagecoach stop and inn built in 1828, later a school and eventually a private residence now houses the Gardner House Museum. It is listed on the National Register. The building at 206 South Main was built as a bank, but it is now a beautifully restored real estate office for Ragar Realty.
A nicely maintained example of American Four-square architecture, until recently a private home at 414 South Main, has also been adapted as a real estate business for United Country Realty. The brick structure at the corner of Lafayette and Dickerson, built in 1858, housed not only the old Marion County Jail but also private quarters. A project of Landmarks of Northeast Missouri, it is being restored and will eventually become a Civil War museum. It, too, is on the National Register.
Floral Hall, a unique octagonal 19th century structure built as an exhibit hall, was once located on old fairgrounds in Palmyra. Rescued from its humble use as a storage barn for many years by a local organization, it was moved to its current location in the Flower City Park in Palmyra in 1989 and now serves as an art exhibit gallery during the Marion County Fair and a meeting space for community organizations.
Refreshments and a map will be provided, along with photos and descriptions of the houses, at the Gardner House Museum, 417 S. Main in Palmyra from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19. Also on continuous display at the Gardner House all afternoon is a PowerPoint presentation prepared by Jim and Nancy Talley describing architectural styles in Palmyra residences. For further information, please contact Becky Taylor, (573) 769-3595 or Sandy Moore, (573) 769-2802.
Tickets
Tickets may be purchased in advance, at any of the houses on the tour, or will be available at the Gardner House Museum, 417 S. Main in Palmyra, from now until the day of the tour, or from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.
