The courthouse is the third one to serve the county. The first, a simple log house,&nbsp;was built in 1841 in the town of Sparta. The second one, this time a brick structure,&nbsp;was built the next year in St. Joseph. It was used until 1871 when it was condemned, which prompted the construction of the current courthouse building. Unfortunately, it was severely&nbsp;damaged by a fire on March 28, 1885; only the exterior walls and dome survived. Insurance companies rejected requests to give the county full payment for the building (the county wanted to demolish what was left and build a new courthouse). Eventually, each side agreed to restore the building to what it was before the fire. Robert Ford was a member of James' gang and hoped that by killing James, he would receive a reward and forgiveness for past crimes. After the murder, he and his brother, Charles, who was in on the scheme, contacted authorities who immediately arrested them. The next day, they were charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging. However, a short time after the trial, the governor at the time, Thomas T. Crittenden, pardoned them. Robert was murdered at age 30 in Colorado.

Website

The Buchanan County Courthouse was erected in 1873 and holds significance as the only cruciform, Renaissance Revival courthouse in the state. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is also Missouri's second-largest courthouse, after the St. Louis Courthouse. The building features many artistic elements including a dome, large Corinthian columns, and porticos. The courthouse is also notable for being the site of the trial of Robert Ford, the man who killed infamous outlaw, Jesse James in April 1882 (see below for more details).

Buchanan County Courthouse 

This walking tour begins at the Patee House Museum and Jesse James House and the nearby Pony Express National Museum. The tour includes several museums as well as historic buildings and monuments. Highlights of the tour include the Missouri Theatre, the Pony Express Mansion, and Wyeth Tootle Mansion. Be sure to also visit the St. Joseph Museums Complex and Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art which are located about two miles west of the final stop on this tour. 

St. Joseph Missouri Walking Tour

Patee House Several factors led John Patee to build the hotel. By the time it was constructed, St. Joseph had been a starting off point for settlers heading west, usually by stagecoach. Railroad lines also reached St. Joseph and the city's location next to the Missouri River attracted people as well (the Transcontinental Railroad was not completed until 1869). Therefore, the demand for lodging was very high and Patee took advantage of this need. Soon, the Patee House became the starting point for a daily stagecoach to Placerville, California, as well as the beginning of a stagecoach line from St. Joseph to Salt Lake City, Utah. As a result, the hotel played a key role in further connecting St. Joseph to westward expansion. John Patee&nbsp;owned several other businesses throughout St. Joseph. He opened the first drugstore and owned several lots and houses that he rented out.&nbsp; Jesse James Jesse Woodson James was born on September 5, 1847, in Kearney, Missouri. He was the son of Reverend Robert James and Zerelda Cole James. James had an older brother Frank that looked out for him in his younger days. The James family moved from Kentucky to Missouri in 1842 just a year before their first son Frank was born. When James turned 16 their family farm in Missouri was attacked by Union troops. This inspired both Frank and Jesse to join the Confederate army as guerrilla fighters, fighting alongside William Quantrill and “Bloody Bill” Anderson. After the war, Frank and Jesse returned home to Missouri. In the ensuing years, the brothers and their gang&nbsp;robbed an estimated twenty banks.In 1874 James married his first cousin Zerelda. The James brothers had planned one more robbery with the Ford brothers Charlie and Robert. On the morning of&nbsp;April 3, 1882 soon after breakfast, James reached up to straighten a picture and was shot in the back of the head by Robert Ford at a house about a block from this museum that visitors can also tour.&nbsp;

Built by John Patee in 1858, this historic building was home to three different hotels, a college for women, and a shirt factory. It was the last luxury hotel for passengers traveling west by stagecoach. At that time, this was the starting point for a daily stagecoach from St. Joseph to Placerville CA and part of the stagecoach line from St. Joseph to Salt Lake City. The hotel also served as the headquarters for the Pony Express office. The hotel was home to the Provost Marshal’s office during the Civil War and where Confederate raiders were tried following the war. 

Today, the Patee House is a museum that shares the history of Missouri in the 19th century and westward expansion, as well as the history of St. Joseph through the 20th century. Visitors to the museum can also see the nearby historic home where notorious outlaw Jesse James was killed in by Robert Ford in 1882. 

Patee House Museum and Jesse James House 

Before the construction of the transcontinental telegraph was completed in October 1861 (the transcontinental railroad was completed in May 1869), there was no such thing as a quick and easy way to get mail and news from one coast to another. Three men came up with an idea to use men on horseback to carry the mail in saddlebags to California in record time. This became known as the Pony Express. Riders rode in all weather and conditions and through dangerous territories, from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California and back. It was an efficient system but only lasted for one year upon the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line. The Pony Express is a key component for connecting the east and west&nbsp;United States in the late 1800s. The founders of the Pony Express chose to set up their enterprise in St. Joseph because more people left for the west near the Missouri River. It was also the site for a terminus of both the telegraph and railroad points. Across the plains and mountains from Missouri to California, there were numerous rest spots and relay stations where some men exchanged the mail and continued forward. If it weren’t for the Pony Express men, the west would not have gotten their mail in a timely manner, and it wouldn’t have inspired the mail system that is in place today.

The Pony Express was a mail relay system that started in St. Joseph, MO. and ended in Sacramento, CA. Riders would carry the mail on horseback, stopping at relay stations for meals and a change of horses. The Pony Express started in 1860 but was shut down after the completion of the transcontinental telegraph lines in 1861. The Pony Express Museum is in the original building where the riders would start their journey west. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The museum, which was founded in the 1950s, features a number of exhibits that explore the history and legacy of the Pony Express.  

Pony Express National Museum 

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, the Burnside-Sandusky Gothic House is among the more unique homes in St. Joseph. It is notable as a fine example of Gothic architecture, which is rarely seen in private residences. It is named after its first owner and builder, businessman John Burnside, and second owner, a gentleman by the name of Mr. Sandusky. Burnside, who was a machine and Blacksmith by trade, built the home in 1871. Mr. Sandusky (his first name is not readily available) made a living as a wholesale dealer. More recently, the house operated as a tea and eatery until it closed in 2016. The current status of the home is unknown.

Burnside-Sandusky Gothic House

The city's growth prompted the construction of the station. Before it was built, law enforcement activities were spread out among several locations and there was not enough room to add new police officers. The new station alleviated these issues and enabled the city to expand and centralize law enforcement.

Originally built in 1891, the former Central Police Station is historically significant for its Romanesque architecture and the role it played in shaping local law enforcement from the turn-of-the-century to 1939, at which point a new police station was built. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, it was for a time the location of the National Military Heritage Museum, which closed in 2016. It is not clear whether the museum has moved to a new building. 

Central Police Station

Originally home to the Wyeth's and then the Tootles, the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion has been operated by the St. Joseph Museums, Inc. since 1948.The mansions commanding height, its impressive tower and remarkable view of the Missouri River region and bluffs were inspired by the original owners’ trips to castles along the Rhine River in Germany. William and Eliza Wyeth commissioned architect E.J. Eckel to help them realize their grand vision. In fact, Eckel’s architectural vision and talent left a lasting mark on the St. Joseph community, as his firm designed 75% of St. Joseph’s outstanding historical buildings. The widowed Mrs. Kate M. Tootle purchased the home in the spring of 1887 for $100,000 cash. Katherine's home was always the site of high society. Though she had taken over the businesses that Milton Sr. had started, she also kept up their social standing by throwing balls, costume parties, garden parties, and welcoming guests into the home. She raised her children Frances "Fannie" Sublett, Milton Jr., and John J. in the home. Milton Jr. and his wife Lillian raised their three sons in the home. In addition to housing historical and cultural exhibits, the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion hosts community events throughout the summer and fall, including an annual Easter Egg Hunt, Motors to Marigolds Classic Car Show, Mah Jongg, and Holiday Teas. The venue also serves as a wedding, holiday party, and business meeting space. Visitors often experience a “wow” moment at the mansion’s incredible woodwork, ornate patterned floors, and hand-painted ceilings which include images of cherubs and heavenly clouds.The second floor of the Mansion currently hosts exhibits on Historic Preservation and Architecture. The award-winning “Intersections: Of Time and Buildings,” examines the junctures of history, art, architecture and humanities, along with St. Joseph’s past, present and future. “Edifice: The Architecture of E.J. Eckel” commemorates Eckel’s talent and contribution to St. Joseph’s architectural landscape. On the third floor, visitors can learn about the history and science of flooding in the St. Joseph area through, "Confluence: The Great Flood of 1993." This exhibit addresses flooding's physical, economic, and social impact on the surrounding area. The views from the third floor children’s area are some of the most sweeping and expansive in the city.The site boasts some of the most ornately manicured gardens in the City as well as a community vegetable garden. In the spring, summer, and fall it is a lovely picnic area where guests can enjoy the activity of hosts of butterflies attracted to the pollinator garden.

St. Joseph is known for an extensive collection of beautiful mansions built around the turn of the century, and the Wyeth Tootle Mansion at the corner of Eleventh and Charles Streets is a prime example. With three floors, a tower and more than 40 rooms, it stands today as one of the best examples of St. Joseph’s late 19th-century wealth and opulence, featuring stunning woodwork, hand-painted ceilings and imported stained glass.

Wyeth Tootle Mansion

Constructed in 1927 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, St. Joseph City Hall stands prominently in the heart of the city, overlooking Civic Center Park. It is not only significant for its architecture but also for the fact that it is representative of the city's prosperity during the 1920s—before the start of the Great Depression in 1929. The building was designed by several architects and features large columns, arches, and balustrades. As such, it is one of the grandest buildings in the city. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places 1985. 


St. Joseph City Hall

The Pony Express served an important purpose: it further connected California, which was granted statehood in 1850, to the rest of the country before construction of the transcontinental telegraph was completed in October 1861. It was a much faster service than stagecoach travel, reducing the time it took for mail to travel east and west to around ten days.The service was established by William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell, who were already experienced in the shipping industry. There were numerous stations on the route and riders could travel between 70-100 miles per day. There were two kinds of stations: those where riders could quickly switch horses and those where riders could eat a meal and stay overnight. Needless to say, the stations were a critical part of the service. In 1938 the City of St. Joseph decided to erect a monumental statue commemorating the Pony Express in a triangular plot in City Center Park. The city used a Public Works Administration grant of $28,620 and a public bond issue of $35,000 to fund the project. Hermon Atkins MacNeil was chosen to create the larger than life-sized bronze monument. MacNeil initially created a plaster model in his studio in New York, before casting the bronze. The Roman Bronze Works in Long Island, New York did the bronze casting. The finished sculpture stands 12 feet tall and weighs 7,200 pounds. The completed monument was unveiled on April 18, 1940. Since then, the Parks Department has taken responsibility for the maintenance of the monument and the surrounding landscape. As it is such an iconic representation of St. Joseph, several civic organizations have contributed to keeping the site attractive.

Few images are a more iconic representation of St. Joseph than the Pony Express monument. The intrepid rider and his horse galloping westward is found on countless post cards. If you are looking for the perfect place to take a picture in St. Joseph – this is it! Located in a small triangle at the intersection of Francis and 10th Streets is a memorial to the Pony Express, which was a mail delivery service that operated from April 3, 1860 to October 1861. Mail was carried by men riding fast horses on a route that began here in St. Joseph and ended in Sacramento, California. The memorial consists of a large bronze sculpture of a rider on his horse atop a stone base inscribed with the words "The Pony Express." Artist Hermon A. MacNeil created the sculpture. The memorial is surrounded by a short metal fence and there is a bench for people for people to sit on. The memorial was dedicated on April 20, 1940, the 80th anniversary of the Pony Express.

Pony Express Memorial

The theater was the city's main entertainment venue until the end of World War II. Nonetheless, movies continued to be shown here until 1970 and then it became primarily a performing arts center. It was renovated in the late 1970s and again in the early 2000s.  The Missouri Theater is a pre-Depression-era movie house designed by the Boller Brothers architectural firm of Kansas City, Missouri. It opened for business on June 25th, 1927, with the first showing including feature film “Rough House Rosie” starring Clara Bow, an artistic dramatization called “Elegy”, and a 12-minute newsreel. On Sundays and evenings, tickets cost 35 cents for adults and 13 cents for children. Weekday matinees were 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. Initially a Publix Amusement house owned by the Paramount Famous Players Corporation, it served as the city’s first-run movie house until the post-World War II era when the entertainment district shifted to the suburbs. Constructed between 1926-1927, the theater features a distinctive exterior with Arab-Iberian inspired elements, Art Deco piers, and a central arch. Connected to the theater is the Missouri Theater Building, showcasing terracotta ornamentation on its brickwork façade. The external design of the Missouri Theater was immediately iconic. By 1929, another theater, the Isauro Martínez Theater, built as an homage to the Missouri Theater, began operating in Torreón, Coah., Mexico.Inside the Missouri Theater, visitors will appreciate an atmospheric design with a single balcony and mezzanine. The interior decorations draw upon inspiration from ancient Persian, Babylonian, and Assyrian arts—featuring a plaster canopy tent ceiling, winged human-headed lions, heraldic motifs, friezes, and more. This styling creates an ambiance intended to conjure a fantasized experience inside an ancient Bedouin-inspired desert tent. The interior aesthetic, accounting for much of the theater’s overall artistic identity, was the work of Baxter Springs, Kansas-born Waylande Gregory, a 20-year-old sculptor and student of Larado Taft. Gregory's prowess manifested in the creation of many captivating sculptures, including the winged bulls and phallic gods which adorn the theater's interior. His innovative fusion of ancient Persian, Arabian, Assyrian, and Hittite influences resulted in an immersive and visually stunning environment within the theater. Beyond the Missouri Theater, Gregory's artistic legacy extends to many other notable area works such as the Hotel President in Kansas City and St. Joseph’s City Hall. The theater ceased operation as a movie house in 1970 but was saved from possible demolition by Town Hall Center, Inc. Although the Missouri Theater was originally constructed as a movie house, the theater survives to this day, in no small part, to the included original provisions for stage shows—with a large stage, dressing rooms, orchestra pit, fly gallery, and a dimmer board for lights. In 1978, after residents voted for the passing of a $750,000 bond issue, the City of Saint Joseph acquired the building as a center for the performing arts. In 1979, the Missouri Theater became a local landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Over its lifetime, the Missouri Theater has undergone restoration efforts by local citizens and organizations, emphasizing its cultural and historical significance in St. Joseph. Renovations and alterations include the installation of a snack bar, loge (opera box) and lobby renovations, accessible restrooms, rocker seating, and the removal of the original marquees, art glass, and parapet decoration from the façade.

The Missouri Theater is located at 717 Edmond Street in Downtown Saint Joseph. Alongside the Robidoux Resident Theatre, it is one of two performance theater venues operating within the community. Whether hosting symphonies, operas, musicals, concerts, or pageants, the Missouri Theater is the premier center for the performing arts. The theater is ADA compliant and has a seating capacity of 1,200.The Missouri Theater was built in 1927 and is an excellent example of a Great Depression-era movie palace. Its design combines Art Deco and Moorish Revival architecture. The exterior features blue and red tiling, a large Moorish arch in the center and several smaller arches, and four Art Deco piers. The interior can be described as "atmospheric," with Persian motifs and a tent-like canopy hanging from the ceiling. Directly adjoining the theater is a two-story building that was constructed after the theater; both were finished by the time of the grand opening on July 25, 1927. The two buildings were added, together, to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Missouri Theater 

Originally the Bank of the State of Missouri, The Missouri Valley Trust Company is what is left of the early commercial area of St. Joseph, Missouri.1 &nbsp;Though the building is no longer occupied, it was meant to be the center of commercial activity for the city when it was built in 1859. It is believed to be the oldest bank west of the Mississippi and the oldest trust company in St. Joseph.2 St. Joseph was a vital jumping-off spot for those heading west. It generated a lot of business as people arrived by train and prepared to migrate west across the United States. The commercial area where the trust company was located was the seat of business activity sparked by this western migration. Not only was this bank the oldest west of the Mississippi, it also played an important financial role in people moving west.<div> </div>

Though this building is no longer being used, the Missouri Valley Trust Co. is what is left of the early commercial center in St. Joseph MO. Originally the Missouri Valley Trust Co. was called the Bank of the State of Missouri. The commercial area in which the bank was located was fueled by people coming into St. Joseph as they moved westward. The bank boasts the title of the oldest bank in St. Joseph, as well as the oldest west of the Mississippi. 

Missouri Valley Trust Company

John Richardson was born in Maryland in 1847 and moved to St. Joseph in 1870 to take a position with the railroad. In the&nbsp;early 1880s, he partnered with John Brittain and became a wholesaler of dry goods. Until the company went out of business in the Great Depression, this building would have been full of food, spices, tobacco, coffee beans, and other items.&nbsp;

This seven-story building was completed in 1892 for the John D. Richardson Dry Goods Company, a firm operated by ohn D. Richardson and his partner John Brittain. The company produced and sold goods throughout the region and experienced growth at the turn-of-the century that lasted until the late 1920s. The company went out of business in the 1930s and the building later became home to the American Electric Company. 

John D. Richardson Dry Goods Co.

Joseph Robidoux was born in St. Louis in 1783&nbsp;to a family of fur traders and merchants. As a teenager, he traveled with his father on fur trading trips and grew to love the business. As an adult, he established a number of trading posts in the region and as far north as Chicago. He eventually made his way to St. Louis where he was hired by the American Fur Company, which sent him to what is now St. Joseph sometime between 1826-1831 to set up the first trading post in the area. It became a successful enterprise and he&nbsp;encouraged others&nbsp;to establish posts throughout the northwestern part of the state. He earned the respect of both settlers and Native Americans.&nbsp;To encourage the community around him to grow, he sold some of his lands to&nbsp;others who built houses, churches, and marketplaces. He even donated the whole city block where Buchanan County Courthouse now stands. This is how St. Joseph got its start.&nbsp; The city grew quickly because of its location. Soon, it also became a starting point for those who were traveling to the west on the Oregon Trail to settle lands that were being claimed by the federal government. The numbers of settlers increased even more after gold was discovered in California in 1848. In 1860, St. Joseph became the official starting point for the Pony Express, the mail carrier service that operated until October 1861.&nbsp;Given all of these developments, it is clear how important Joseph Robidoux is to city's history. Without his influence, St. Joseph would not be the community it is today.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div> </div>

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Robidoux Row is the house of the first settler in the area, Joseph Robidoux, who founded St. Joseph. He established a fur trading business and the area soon grew into the trading town of Black Snake Hills, which eventually became St. Joseph. His house was also a series of hotel-like apartments for travelers who were waiting for their new homes to be built. Robidoux Row is now a museum that explores the history of St. Joseph and westward expansion. Many of Robidoux's personal items are on display and rooms have been restored to their 19th-century appearance. The building is also the location of the St. Joseph Historical Society. 


St. Joseph Missouri Walking Tour

Buchanan County Courthouse

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information