Liberty Memorial over the World WarI MuseumThe memorial was designed by Harold Van Buren Magonigle who won a design competition. The primary sculptor was Robert Aikten. The approaches were designed by Wight and Wight.
It was dedicated on November 11, 1926, by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. In attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony on November 1, 1921, were Lieutenant General Baron Jacques of Belgium, Admiral Earl Beatty of Great Britain, General Armando Diaz of Italy, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, and General John Pershing of the United States. In 1935, bas reliefs by Walker Hancock of Jacques, Beatty, Diaz, Foch and Pershing were unveiled.
The Liberty Memorial houses the official World War I museum of the United States. Among other landscaping, its grounds include two large sphinx sculptures, the centerpiece 217-foot (66 m) tower, and the museums around and under the tower. Commensurate with the memorial's congressional designation as the "national" memorial and museum, a new, much larger museum opened in 2006 beneath the main memorial to form a huge museum complex
Statue ----------------------------------------------------------------------Building Downtown
----------------------------------------------- The Sprint Center
The Stadiums
Patee House Museum Hotel Patee House was the center of the nation's Westward expansion from the start of the Pony Express to the death of Jesse James. It was opened by John Patee as a luxurious hotel in 1858 to serve travelers as the railroad pushed west to St. Joseph.
The hotel cost $180,000 and had 140 guest rooms. It featured winding stairs to the fourth floor covered with red Brussels carpets.
It is a National Historical Landmark for its role as headquarters for the Pony Express where Russell, Majors and Waddell had their office starting April 3, 1860.
One of St. Joseph's finest museums!
The two things St. Joseph is known for, the start of the Pony Express, and the end of Jesse James both dealt directly with Patee House. Our primary objective is to put across the message that Patee House Museum served as the Pony Express Headquarters from 1860 to 1861. That is the most important role in history the building has played. Patee House is also the only original Pony Express building still in existence in St. Joseph.
Patee House was built as a luxury hotel in 1858, and many prominent people during that time stayed in the hotel, and attended social events in the building. Among those were Hanging Judge Isaac Parker, George Ellis Raker (Sec. to Secretary of State, William Seward), and Jesse James' wife, mother and children.
St. Joseph was the last stop for supplies for many pioneers headed West before they crossed the Missouri River into Indian territory. Many of these prominent pioneers stayed in Patee House while gathering provisions they would need for the long journey which awaited them.
Military MuseumSituated on the banks of the Missouri river St. Joseph was known as the starting point of the Pony Express. It is also know as the place where infamous outlaw Jesse James's life ended. St. Joe is a medium sized city but has more than it's share of museums, my favorite being the Military Museum. According to Frank Flesher, President and Director, the museum is dedicated to bringing to remembrance the sacrifice made by the men and women of our armed forces. All branches are represented as well as the civilians who help support the war effort. The exhibits range from uniforms and artifacts from all the major wars, to a model railroad exhibit designed to show St. Joe during the Second World War.
Wyeth Tootle Mansion
The Wyeth-Tootle Mansion is an 1879 gothic Mansion. The first floor of the house is currently under renovation to regain it’s former elegance as a 19th century home. The exhibits on the second and third floors illustrate St. Joseph’s cultural and natural beauty.
The Wyeth-Tootle Mansion is an 1879 gothic Mansion. The first floor of the house is currently under renovation to regain it’s former elegance as a 19th century home. The exhibits on the second and third floors illustrate St. Joseph’s cultural and natural beauty.
Jesse James HomeThe Jesse James Home Museum is located directly behind Patee House Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri and was only two blocks away when outlaw Jesse James was gunned down on April 3, 1882, by Bob Ford.After the killing, the investigation into the death was conducted at Patee House Hotel (formerly the World's Hotel), and Mrs. James, her two children, and Jesse's mother stayed in Patee House for two nights after he was killed.The house is not at its original location. Jesse was shot at 1318 Lafayette Street. In 1939 it was moved to a busier Belt Highway location. In 1977 it was moved to Patee House at 12th and Mitchell closer to its original location.The house has a large bullet hole on the left wall as you enter from the front. However, the hole was actually much smaller but shavings from the hole for souvenirs have enlarged it. Ironically, the original autopsy recorded that that there was no exit wound. Therefore, the bullet must have remained in Jesse's skull.The Jesse James Home contains a number of items owned by Jesse James and his family, and new exhibits on the 1995 exhumation of the infamous outlaw, including coffin handles, bits of wood, and a pin Jesse James wore in his death photo, as well as numerous photos taken during the exhumation. In 1995, top forensic scientist Professor James E. Starrs, of George Washington University, conducted an exhumation of the grave of Jesse James. In February, 1996, he announced that DNA tests performed on the remains and compared to the DNA of existing known relatives proved a 99.7% chance that the body in the grave is that of Jesse James.The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 04, 1980.
