Missouri Town 1855

I checked the calendar last night and it said "Missouri Town 1855" for today so that is where I headed to this morning. It is part of the Jackson Count Parks  area  and was built to preserve a way of life as it was before the Border and Civil Wars began in Missouri. Missouri Town 1855 sits on 30 sloping acres and is composed of more than 25 buildings dating from 1820 to 1860.  The buildings were relocated from 7 different Missouri counties.  Each building was painstakingly dismantled, moved from its original location and reassembled to form Missouri Town 1855. Although Missouri Town 1855 itself is a reproduction, its character and appearance are based on in-depth research. At certain times of the year, volunteers and staff dress in 1850s attire and engage in activities to demonstrate life in a Missouri Town in 1855. The variety of architectural styles in the village represent the different cultural and economic backgrounds common among residents in the towns of western Missouri.

The tavern was a center for news and travel.  It offered room and board to stagecoach passengers, would serve as a postmaster's office and was a gathering place for the towns people.

There were quite a few sheep - some were in pens and a couple wandered loose through the town and followed me around. Here are a couple of lambs. Besides sheep, there were chickens, oxen, and a horse.

 

The kitchen inside the tavern.  It is a good thing I was born in the century I was since I cannot imagine cooking a meal in this room!

 

I saw this bird's nest in the eve of a porch.  I wasn't sure if it was alive when suddenly the bird flew out. About that time I saw a sign on the wall identifying the bird. It is a Eastern Phoebe.  The Eastern Phoebe has the distinction of being the first bird banded by John James Audubon around 1840. They build their nest of mud and moss inside or under the eves of barns and sheds. Phoebes frequently return to the build a new nest on top of the previous year's nest like they do here.  Generations of the birds have been known to return to the same nest for over 30 years.