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Things to do in Independence
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Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
The Harry S. Truman Library and
Museum is devoted to saving the papers, books and other related
historical documents that pertain to the 33rd President of the
United States. The buiding is set upon a small hill that faces
US Highway 24 in Independence, Missouri; which is Harry's
hometown. This was the first such presidential library that was
made under the provisions of the 1955 Presidential Libraries
Act, and is one of the 12 that is run by the National Archives
and Records Administration. The museum was built on the hill
that looks out over the Kansas City skyline, on land that was
donated by the city of Independence, and opened in 1957 in a
ceremony that included the Masonic Rites of Dedication; with
former President Herbert Hoover, former First Lady Eleanor
Roosevelt and Chief Justice Earl Warren. A $23 million
restoration occurred in 2001, with the majority of it using more
glass in the windowless structure and changing the space between
Harry's grave and the museum. He had had his office in Room 1107
of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, after leaving the
presidency in 1953, until the library opened in 1957. He
continued to be involved in the day-to-day activities,
personally training the docents and giving impromptu press
conferences for the throngs of high school students that came to
visit and learn. Harry would often arrive before anyone else at
the library, answering the phone to give directions or answer
questions, telling everyone that it was the former president
himself. From the day the library opened, Harry was
working in his office, five or even six days a week, writing
letters, articles and his book, "Mr. Citizen". He met Presidents
Hoover, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, as well as other
well known Americans like Robert F. Kennedy, Jack Benny, Thomas
Hart Benton, Dean Acheson, and Ginger Rogers. One of the most
favorite sights of the visitors coming to the museum, his office
could be seen through one of the windows in the courtyard. The
office is just the same as when the President was working there
before his death on December 26, 1972. The museum has an
introductory film about his life, and there are two floors of
memorabilia displayed that relate to his life and presidency,
with artifacts, film clips, documents, photographs and other
items. This was the first library to have a full scale replica
of the Oval Office, a feature that was also copied in the
Johnson, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton libraries. A beautiful
mural adorns the walls in the entry way, which is called
Independence and the Opening of the West, by Thomas Hart Benton,
who painted the mural himself over a three year period and
finished in 1961.
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Chicago & Alton Railroad Depot
The Chicago and Alton
Railroad Depot was constructed in 1879, then moved to its
present locale in 1992, and renovated there until finished in
2002. The two story depot has three rooms on the first floor
that contain the stationmaster's room, the baggage room and the
waiting room. The second floor has four rooms which had been the
stationmaster's residence and held the dining room, kitchen,
bedroom and parlor. The rooms have been restored to their 1879
condition and a totally separate room houses the relics from the
Chicago and Alton Railroad. The depot is home to hundreds of
collectibles from that railroad. Abraham Lincoln had some of his
first law cases for the Alton and Sangamon Railroad, and in 1865
his funeral car was moved from Chicago to Springield, Illinois
on the C and A railroad. When the Great Chicago Fire occurred,
the fire equipment was moved by the C and A from Bloomington,
Illinois to help Chicago fight the horrendous fire. When the
depot was built, there were 38 stars on the flag, and Rutherford
B. Hayes was the president. In 1908, when William Jennings Bryan
was running his third campaign for president, he came to
Independence; and outlaw Jessie James robbed the train 3 times
near the Glendale, Missouri depot; causing it to be renamed to
Selsa. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson stopped at the depot
wanting to wait a bit so that he could arrive in Kansas City at
the right moment; while on his League of Nations tour and a huge
affair had been planned when he arrived. There are two railway
express baggage carts in the baggage room of the depot that are
authentic C & A carts, one coming from Roodhouse, Illinois and
the other belonging to the depot. The last passenger train to
stop at the depot was in 1960, and it was abandoned in 1972,
when it was to be demolished. It was the Friends of the Chicago
and Alton Depot that moved the building to where it sits today
in 1996, and they began a renovation. The depot has a marvelous
history and when you go to Independence, it is a wonderful place
to visit and learn about it.
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Leila's Hair Museum
Leila's Hair Museum is
located in Independence, Missouri containing many unique
displays of hair art that date back to the 1800s. Hair art is
items or paintings that have hair from famous people or hair
that has belonged to people with exciting stories to be told.
The hair art began in the 1800s and actually flourished in the
Victorian period, used by many to save the memory of their loved
ones before the advent of cameras. According to the Minnesota
history magazine, hair art began in Europe, England and France,
before coming to this country with the immigrants. The art form
is used to make bracelets, rings, necklaces, paintings, lockets
and medallions, which embellished the items with the hair from
their loved ones. The first hair museum in the country, and one
of the most famous, is Leila Cohoon's hair museum; started by
this 77 year old cosmetologist instructor who has been
collecting hair for more than 37 years. Leila was a friend of
Ronald Reagan and Oliver North, and a member of the Missouri
board of Cosmetology. She owns her own school, called the
Independence School of Cosmetology, and opened the museum in a
small room in the school. She began collecting hair in 1949, and
thinks it is her profession, since she has always been
fascinated with hair, even as a child, and believes it to be one
of the most unique parts of the body. She opened her museum
since she had run out of room at her home, for her collection,
which she moved with her hair school to a bigger building just a
few blocks from her old place of business. This new locale has a
few rooms with four walls that are covered with hair from top to
bottom. She has over 159 wreaths and more than 2000 pieces of
jewelry that contain hair, dating from the 1900s and before.
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