I arrived at the Bates County Museum out in the countryside, and was instantly thrilled to see it is housed in a building from 1915. How better to present history than on historic premises?!! It immediately sets the tone. I entered the grand dame through her front door. and was greeted by the museum director, Peggy Buhr. I was already excited as to what I would discover here. So, I was glad that Peggy captained the discussion. She is a natural, fascinating story-teller, who can truly bring the past back to life.
The building was originally the Old County Poor Farm. The people who lived here became a ward of the county. It was a working farm, which allowed the residents to provide for their families.
Peggy showed me their archives. I stand in profound admiration when I enter such a repository. Since only a small percentage of all information has been scanned and digitized and provided online, everyone doing family research will always dead end on the computer. The rest of the details about our ancestors’ lives reside in places like this. And the caretakers safeguard them for us. I am so very thankful for each of these overseers.
Look at this incredible tax ledger book from 1863. If your great+grandparents lived in this county, you would find them in this book. How thrilling would that be?!!
Peggy showed me multiple file cabinets filled with family history and photographs. She has done all the work for you. It is organized and indexed. All you have to do is ask for it! How wonderful is that?!
Whatever you discover on your relatives, please share it with the world on FamilySearch.org and/or Ancestry.com. Trust me — there are many other descendants looking for these records too.
Peggy then took me on a tour of the museum. It is far larger than I suspected. There are numerous rooms with individual themes. It is extraordinarily well done. It helps the visitor to feel the era in which their ancestors lived.
There are murals depicting the Civil War. This one gripped me, I was gravely sobered. Peggy stood beside me quietly telling me how the black Kansas militia fought the Missouri guerrillas in 1862 at the Babble of Island Mound. She went on to describe the infamous Burnt Order #11, in which the Union army gave every resident of Bates County 15 days to evacuate; or every man, woman, and child would risk being shot on site. I could feel a rush of tears, and still do as I type this. It is unfathomable. How devastating it must’ve been for these families. The army burned each business and home in the entire county. Afterwards, only 40% of the citizens returned to their land. Being from San Diego, I remember little schooling on the Civil War, as I imagine our state was not heavily involved. So the stories back here in Kansas and Missouri are staggering to me. I wish everyone could come to this museum and hear Peggy verbalize the narration.
I try not to detail a museum too fully, as I want you to be able to go encounter it yourself. It is a totally different experience to read about it versus being present in person. The latter is deeply moving and satisfying.
So, without giving away what all is contained in the rest of the rooms, I just wanted to mention this as it was surprising to me. During the Cold War, the government planted ballistic missiles in farmland throughout Missouri to intercept potential missiles from the Soviet Union. Do you see all the dots on the map? Those are the war heads. I can’t imagine living in the vicinity of nuclear rockets. Thankfully, they were removed after the war. Peggy says some people then turned the missile silos into homes.
Towards the end of the tour, Peggy took me to the large community room in the back of the building. She showed me a draped piano. She began removing the cloth cover, and I cheered with excitement. It is an 1877 Steinway piano, made of Brazilian rosewood, that was originally owned by the town physician – Dr. Pyle. In the 1880’s, the train station was several miles away, so the piano was brought from the train to town by a horse and cart. I wonder if it was out of tune when it arrived. The picture in the background is of Dr. Pyle’s home.
Peggy worked for 4 years to raise the $60,000 to have the piano restored. Thankfully, the county citizens generously gave because they knew the value of their amazing heritage. I asked Peggy if only professional pianists are allowed to play it. She smiled and showed me a book of the names of everyone who has played it. I saw the the delicate scrawl of children on numerous pages. She says anyone can play it. What a gift! Thank you, Bates County Missouri.