Abner Dean Home

The Abner Dean house is located at 702 W Wall St., Harrisonville, Missouri. The house is a small, elegant, two-story home that was built in 1867. Born January 27, 1828 Abner Dean became a baptist preacher in 1850 and was active in churches all-throughout Cass County. While a baptist preacher he became involved with the Blue River Baptist Association which opened up the opportunities he had in many of the churches in the county. After the Civil War, Dean had been arrested for refusing to take the Test Oath. The Test Oath was to prove that someone had complete loyalty to the Union army. Even though Dean had been a major in the Union army he refused to say the oath that he did not assist anyone in the Confederate Army. While Dean was in prison, George Caleb Bingham was inspired by Dean and visited him on a few occasions. During his visits with him in July of 1866, Bingham painted two portraits of him which can still be seen today. After Abner Dean was released from jail this small house on Wall St. was constructed. Dean passed away in November 18, 1912. Abner Dean’s situation is an example of the complex situations present during the Civil War. Even though someone’s loyalty should have been very clear, such as Abner’s clear allegiance to the Union army, they could still be seen as the enemy. This connects to the history of the area, where during the civil war Ewing issued the Order No. 11. It was intended to stop the surprise attacks of the bushwhackers.