As I followed my GPS into St. Joseph, Missouri I entered a neighborhood lined with magnificent old brick buildings. Amongst them is the Patee House Museum. It is massive, and has been well preserved for the past 160 years. I always give thanks when I encounter these living examples of our historical past. Each era seems to tear down these grand buildings to replace them with more modern ones, and understandably so. But what a rare experience it is to be able to literally step back through time.
As I entered, I met Gary Chilcote, the Director of the Museum. Not only does he know about every item in the Museum (he has been the Director for decades), but he has extensive familiarity with St. Joseph, as he was a career newspaperman for the town. He has an endless depth of knowledge and can answer most any question. He took me on a personal tour, and pointed out much that I would probably have missed.
This Indigenous Tribe symbol represented friendship and peace. Who knew? Obviously not Hitler.
Do you see the tank on the right side? It is for the gasoline. Who thought a gasoline stove would be a good idea? And how was it not extremely dangerous?
I thought the electric car was a fairly recent invention. I was surprised to see one from 1908. Notice the side battery it attaches to for charging.
I am 5’9″ and am standing next to Robert Wadlow, who was 8′ 11″ tall. He was in St. Joseph in 1938 to file a libel lawsuit against Dr. Charles Humberd for describing giants as “abnormal socially and mentally”. I was stunned to learn Robert lost the case. What a tragically grievous injustice.
This museum has endless rooms with endless fascinations. It was built as a hotel in 1860 with 145 rooms. On the first floor, it was cleverly progressive with necessary provisions included: a post office, barbershop, telegraph office, saloon, a druggist, and the Pony Express. All of these shops are still in place in the museum to explore and enjoy. The Patee contains one of the largest variety of displays I have ever seen.
In the back sits a tiny house. It is the home where Jesse James lived with his wife and two children. It is the house in which Jesse was killed. It was originally a block down the road, but the museum rescued it when a new highway was going to overlay it.
A young Bob Ford, only 20 years old, was a member of the gang and he shot Jesse from behind.
The purported bullet hole is still in the wall, although it has been chipped at over the years.
I stood in that small living room and looked just feet away into the kitchen where his two little children had stood. I couldn’t imagine the horror they experienced at seeing their father killed by an explosive bullet to the head. What became of them? The daughter separated herself from the family and the memory of their violent lives. The son, Jesse James Jr., went on to become an attorney and wrote a book about this father:
Come visit the Patee when you are anywhere near St. Joseph, Missouri. Ask for Gary and his two children, Doug and Carolyn. They each have unique stories because they have carefully preserved and presented each display thoughtfully. You will be mightily impressed.