Historic Preservation Plan for the City of Liberty, Missouri October 2020 Historic Preservation Plan October 2020 Prepared for the Planning and Development Department by ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mayor & Council, City of Liberty Lyndell Brenton, Mayor Jeff Watt, Councilman Third Ward Paul Jenness, Councilman First Ward Kevin Graham, Councilman Third Ward Harold A. Phillips, Councilman First Ward Michael Hagan, Councilman Fourth Ward Greg Duncan, Councilman Second Ward Gene Gentrup, Councilman Fourth Ward Rae Moore, Councilwoman Second Ward City of Liberty Historic District Review Commission Matt Grundy, Chairperson Dail Hobbs Martha Ann Reppert John Carr, Vice Chairperson Clay Lozier Doug Wilson Vern Drottz Kelley Wrenn-Pozel Mike Gilmore Brett Rinker City of Liberty Planning & Zoning Commission Dee Rosekrans, Chairperson Walter Holt Donald Sumner Tom Reinier, Vice Chair Amy Howard Ann Waterman Patricia Pence Evans Ken Personett Judith Dilts WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO: MISSOURI STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE: Allison Archambo, Grant Manager & Preservation Planner, Missouri Department of Natural Resources CITY OF LIBERTY, MISSOURI: Katherine Sharp, Director, Planning & Development; Sara Cooke, Assistant City Manager & Strategic Communications Officer; Mike Peterman, AICP, Planning & Zoning Manager; Shawnna Funderburk, Assistant to the City Administrator; Dan Estes, Finance Director; Vicki McClure Assistant Finance Director; Jeanine Thill, Community Development Manager and Historic Preservation Plan Project Manager; Claire Rodgers, Marketing & Special Events Supervisor, Public Relations Division; Karan Johnson, Economic Development Manager; and Cynthia Matney, GIS Supervisor CLAY COUNTY, MISSOURI: Melissa Mohler, Tourism & Project Development Manager; Beth Beckett. Clay County Historic Sites Manager FREEDOM’S FRONTIER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA, MISSOURI AND KANSAS: Jim Ogle, Executive Director WE THANK ALL WHO WERE INTERVIEWED IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THIS PLAN: Christi Carlson, John Carr, Julie Day, Carolyn Fulk, Shawn Garland, Patty Gentrup, Mike Gilmore, Aimee Gray, Matt Grundy, Matt Grundy, Gordon Hadden, Gordon Hadden, Chris Harris, Chery Holtman, Eileen Houston Steward, Jameson Howard, Karan Johnson, Rob Jones, Clay Lozier, Patrick McDowell, Melissa Mohler, Rae Moore, Brett Nieman, Jim Ogle, Ken Personett, Harold Phillips, Shelton Ponder, Gayle Potter, Kelley Pozel, Matt Pozel, Brett Rinker, Cecelia Robinson, Claire Rodgers, Katherine Sharp, Ann Sutherland, and Doug Wilson. AND MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS OF CREATING THIS PLAN. Consulting Team Heritage Strategies, LLC, Birchrunville, PA A. Elizabeth Watson, FAICP, Project Manager Peter C. Benton, RA, Preservation Planner Illustrations We are grateful for all contributed photographs, which are acknowledged individually throughout the plan. All photos not otherwise attributed were taken by Elizabeth Watson of Heritage Strategies. Maps were supplied by the City of Liberty, Cynthia Matney, GIS Supervisor. The Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area logo and location illustration appearing on page 187 are used by permission. Cover Credits The cover was designed by Elizabeth Watson with a background featuring a photo taken by Shane Immelt of a mural, “Lewis & Clark,” created by David McClain. COVER PHOTOS: (Front, from left) Jesse James Bank Museum, by Shane Immelt; 421 North Lightburne, by City of Liberty; Clay County Courthouse, by Shane Immelt; 408 West Kansas, by City of Liberty; D’Agee & Co. Florist, 18 E. Franklin, by Shane Immelt; (back, from left) Garrison School Cultural Center, home of Clay County African American Legacy Inc., by City of Liberty; Kansas Street on the Courthouse Square; 315 North Water; Clay County Museum & Historical Society, 14 North Main; and upper West Franklin Street. This material was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and Missouri Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Office. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior or of the Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Office. Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, disabilities, religion, age, or sex. For more information write to the Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington D.C. 20240. TABLE OF CONTENTS Historic Preservation Plan for the City of Liberty, Missouri Table of Contents Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................... v Executive Summary ...................................................................................... xi Chapter 1. Overview ........................................................................................ 1 1.1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 1.2. Liberty’s New Historic Preservation Plan ............................................... 2 1.3. Foundation of the Plan ............................................................................ 3 Establishing a Community: Liberty from 1817-1860 ............................................... 4 Civil War and Reconstruction: 1861-1874 ................................................................. 4 The Real Estate “Boom” and Residential Growth in Liberty, 1866-1896 ........... 5 The “Bon ton” Suburban Community: Liberty from 1896-1946 .......................... 5 Growth and Modernization in Liberty: 1946-Present ............................................. 6 1.4. Preservation Approach ............................................................................. 6 1.5. Historic Preservation Program ................................................................ 7 Understanding Liberty’s Historic Resources ............................................................. 8 Liberty’s Historic District Review Commission ....................................................... 8 1.6. City Planning and Land Use .................................................................... 9 1.7. Heritage Tourism and Public Outreach ................................................. 10 1.8. The Big Ideas in this Historic Preservation Plan ................................... 12 Historic Preservation .................................................................................................. 12 City Planning ................................................................................................................ 13 Heritage Tourism and Public Outreach ................................................................... 15 1.9. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 16 Chapter 2. History and Context .................................................................... 17 2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 17 2.2. Environmental Context – The Influence of the Native Landscape ....... 19 2.3. Exploration and Settlement in Clay County, 1817-1860 .......................... 22 Liberty Becomes the County Seat ............................................................................. 25 Genteel Liberty ............................................................................................................ 28 Early Schools in Liberty ............................................................................................. 29 Early Architecture ........................................................................................................ 31 Early Churches ............................................................................................................. 31 2.4. The Courthouse Square in Liberty, 1858-1941 ........................................ 32 The Antebellum Courthouse Square ........................................................................ 33 Effects of the Civil War .............................................................................................. 35 The Railroad Arrives ................................................................................................... 39 HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN v Educational Opportunities in Liberty ...................................................................... 40 Life in Liberty in the Late Nineteenth Century ...................................................... 42 The Great Real Estate “Boom” ................................................................................. 44 The Square and Beyond in the Early Twentieth Century ...................................... 46 Transportation .............................................................................................................. 47 The Courthouse Square’s Architecture .................................................................... 50 Civic Buildings ............................................................................................................. 57 Churches ....................................................................................................................... 59 2.5. Residential Growth in Liberty, 1866-1896 ..............................................