We took a long weekend and met Kea, Miguel and the girls midway between the two of us to be total history nerds and it was a blast.
On day 1 we drove straight into Atchison, KS and started out day at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. It was a beautiful historic home with a lot to learn. The children appreciated the bingo style scavenger hunt throughout the house.
Me in the corner....a teacher always teaching.
Muriel - the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E — an aircraft identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight.
There was a ton of hands-on exhibits in this museum. It was truly perfect for kids - they were able to keep their hands busy and those of us who wanted were able to read signage to our heart's content.
It is interesting to tour someone's life work whom I respect but am pretty sure I wouldn't have agreed with in many ways.
What a great day in Atchison! To my homeschool field trip planning friends - if you can do all three, definitely do it! If you only had time for one, I'd choose the hangar museum, especially for kids of varying ages. We opted out of the virtual reality experience (additional fee).
We headed back to St. Joseph and checked into the hotel. The kids were eager to swim, so Miguel put us on the list for a late supper reservation and we unwound poolside.
Saturday morning I was up before the masses and wandered down to find my coffee. Xavier joined me after a bit and we had breakfast together.
We were the only ones with children so we just let them play and play.
We walked to the Jesse James house next and I guess I didn't take many photos. It didn't take long to tour - just 3 rooms - but an interesting piece of history.
A true love seat. Only the man had a backrest, forcing the woman to lean into him for comfort. {eye roll} Was surely designed by a man.
Built as a luxury hotel in 1858 by John Patee, the Patee House was meant to serve as the last stop of refinement and civility as travelers made their way farther into newly settled western territories. The hotel was a modern marvel, with amenities such as hot and cold running water in the bathrooms and a cupola that allowed for better air circulation, like a natural cooling system.
On April 3, 1860, businessmen William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell established the headquarters for the Pony Express on the first floor of Patee House. The men wanted to provide a faster mail route between St. Joseph and Sacramento, CA, with the hope of riding the distance in just 10 days. Unfortunately, with the expansion of the telegraph, the Pony Express ended in October 1861, lasting only 18 months.
During the Civil War, the Patee House was used as the Provost Marshal’s office. After the war, the hotel’s grand ballroom was used as the courtroom in which Confederate officers were tried.
In the fall of 1864, John Patee made plans to dispose of his hotel in a nationwide lottery. The drawing was held in April 1865, but the winning lottery ticket came back in an unsold bunch, meaning Patee would keep his hotel.
He did eventually sell the hotel to be used as the Patee Female College. However, by 1868, the building was sold again and converted back into a hotel. It was once again lavishly furnished only to close within another few years and then abandoned.
In 1876, it opened as St. Joseph Female College, under the direction of Dr. Elijah S. Dulin. It remained open until the summer of 1881, with plans to open a hotel one last time. Dr. Samuel A. Richmond opened The World’s Hotel, sparing no expense. Unfortunately, financial difficulties led to the hotel’s final closure in December 1882.
Patee House could not succeed as a hotel because it was located too far away from downtown, and its location often flooded after hard rains, which drove away patrons. Finally, in 1886, R.L McDonald purchased the building and converted it into a garment factory, which remained in operation until the late 1950s.
It was a treasure trove of history and we could walk back through it and not see the same things. This is where the mail was sorted for the pony express.
Fire hydrant....made in Oskaloosa, of course!
We went back to the hotel for a supper of hotel kick back snacks and to let the kids swim. First, a snack of fruits and veggies, and birthday gifts for AJ, Xavier, and Evalynn.
See the packet of croutons in her front pocket? In case she gets hungry later.
Nachos, pulled pork, salad, hot dogs, soda....what more could we have wanted?
Mini golf time!! We waited until the day cooled off and it was a beautiful evening!
It was a really nice golf course.
I got a hole in one the last hole which earned me a free game. I gifted it to some locals who were nearby.
And finally, ice cream. The Beelers had never been to a Baskin Robins and they enjoyed picking their flavors.
Sunday morning my kids swam while I packed up the hotel and then we headed home.
Thanks, Kea, Miguel, and girls for meeting us and making a great weekend!!!
