Sarah Lavinia Eby Baile and John Gaty Business Transaction 1885

This week's discovery is personal... usually we are
digging  around in the lives of historic personages who have distinguished themselves in some out of the ordinary way.  But recently the papers of my great grandmother Sarah Lavinia (Eby) Baile were donated to the society's collection and  seemed too interesting to just box up and put away.  They were the receipts of her life in Warrensburg from 1867 -until her death in 1911(and letters from her friends and family back in Preble County, Ohio.  Many biographies in the 1881 History of the County include roots from that area.  )
This receipt is representative of the of the collection.  Three items of interest:
1.  The receipt is for payment on work on her business house at the corner of Holden Street  and Culton Street  (full receipts for construction of building  also in the collection)
 2.  The reverse side engraving shows Johnson County Today (1880s) and 50 years ago.
3.  The slip of paper documents the real estate business of John Gaty, land agent.
There are hundreds of documents in the collection and some place businesses that have not been found in the city directories and other ephemera of the time.
What a lot of great things to find out about my widowed Great Grandmother, who joined her daughter, Nancy Jane Roop (and many of her other Dunkard offspring in Johnson County after the close of the civil war. )

The Lodge at Pertle Springs

A view of the old lodge.

    Quite a few folks around here lament the demolition of a lovely building... the old lodge at Pertle Springs.  If you peer through the trees, you can sense some of the grandeur of the lovely structure. The original hotel at the springs was was much larger and had over 100 rooms. It was destroyed by fire by the 1940s (actual date available upon request.  : )   )
     Through the 1970s and 80s this Lodge was used for group meetings and parties. We appreciate the contribution from a friend who recently found several photos that he shot around the 'burg when he was just learning to use his camera ... a completely different process than learning to "take pictures" today, but that's another post.

Welcome to Accidental History

This Johnson County (Missouri) Historical Society Blog is to share the interesting items that are uncovered daily in our archives and museum.  It's a way to publish the fascinating stories which we accidentally uncover on the way to the actual research being conducted.  Every now and then we run across stories that we share among ourselves at the Heritage Library, but we've wished for a platform to share on a regular basis with our members and interested friends.  Please bear with us as we discover blogging as a way to showcase our shared history with a larger audience.
The building illustrated here is our 1840s Old Courthouse, still maintained as a museum on the original town square.

                                           Lisa Irle

                                         JCHS  Curator

                                           Warrensburg, MO