Newsletter Response

Two times a year the Johnson County Historical Society publishes "The Bulletin".  In this issue, I told an old story that my grandmother also knew about.  So had the girls on the Warrensburg H.S. pep club bus. The older girls taught us as we rode the bus to games by the Pittsville cemetery we were supposed to wave for luck.  Since working at the JCHS I have looked a little bit into the "Bradley Brothers".  
Well, since the newsletter came out last week, I have found out "the rest of the story".
Not only are the Bradley Brothers the only stone facing U.S. Highway 50, one of two brothers, Richard Bradley had the grave turned 90 degrees to face the new highway, because Reuben would have wanted to see the cars go by.  Reuben passed away in 1937 and his brother followed, after a few happy years of retirement in the Ozarks before he, too, was laid to rest next to his brother. 


-- Pittsville is listed as Jackson County, it seems, on Google Maps (it let me edit though), but everywhere else, it is counted as one of our Johnson County Towns.

The Old Courthouse ca. 1970s

The Old Courthouse, when purchased from the Cole (Davis) Family by the JCHS had been through several changes of owners.  But until it became a museum in the mid 1960s, it had been home to several generations -- since about 1884.  This photo, a companion to the last photo of the Lodge, was taken by a young photographer .

Exposed sections of the original brick are well documented in this image, perhaps better than in any photo in the collection. The soft brick (clay locally dug and fired by Joe Wade starting in 1838) was covered with stucco before the building was sold by the county.    The windows in the front door and the half circle above had been added by one of the families who lived there, and were ruby red glass.  At this stage, the front porch had been removed as well as other external additions.

Thanks to our friend who shared this great view of this treasure of our local heritage before restoration.

For Example:

Did you know that when Missouri first became a state the area now known as Johnson County, Missouri was contained in a large county named for state legislator James Lillard?  Lillard County reached from the Missouri River to the Osage River and Lexington was founded as the county seat in 1822.  The name of the large county was changed to Lafayette after the tour of the French general in 1825.  By 1834, the new county of Johnson was established with its original county seat in Columbus.

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