We did two touristy things today, and both were very enjoyable. First, we took off from “home” about 11:30 to see the Kansas City Museum, which opened at noon. On the drive there we went through a neighborhood close to ours that was called Country Club. It was filled with even bigger and prettier homes than our lovely area.
The Kansas City Museum is located on the rise above the Missouri River in the Historic District. The Museum was the former residence of Robert Alexander Long and his wife, Ella. Mr. Long made his millions in the timber/wood business before having this home built, along with a horse farm in a nearby community, and then a planned community in Washington after having to move the business there for access to more trees. The first floor of the museum/house was information on the Long family. The second and third floors had information on the history of Kansas City — well presented, attractive, and informative. It is free to tour!
The second stop today was the Arabia Steamboat Museum, which is located in the City River Market area. The museum tells the story of the sinking and later rediscovery of the Arabia and houses the remains of the steamboat and all the items it was carrying when it hit an uprooted tree in the water and sank in 1856.
It was unearthed in 1988 by a group of five friends who learned of the existence of sunken steamboats by one of their clients. The group conducted the excavation with their own funds and chose to create the museum rather than sell the items they recovered. The ship was dug up in a corn field about a 1/2 mile from the river, as the contours of the Missouri River have moved over the years.
A short video said the artifacts removed from the ship were the largest collection of pre-Civil War items in the world. It was amazing, as hopefully you can tell by the pictures. Also, in the museum is a working preservation lab. We talked to the preservationist, and she said there was still 20% of the discovery yet to be cleaned, sorted and cataloged, a job she estimated would take another 8-12 years!
All in all, an interesting an educational day in Kansas City (the City of Fountains).
Peckish Travels 