If you don’t know me personally or haven’t followed me long enough to figure this out, I am a God-fearing, flag waving, proud to be an American man. When the national anthem is playing, I will be standing at attention with my hand over my heart to honor the greatest country on earth. It is …
I have a bit of personal attachment to the Jesse James story because the house we built in Richmond, Missouri backed up to the cemetery where Robert (Bob) Ford was buried. Ford was the man who shot Jesse James in St Joseph. His tombstone reads, Robert Ford, “The man who shot Jesse James”. While in …
I was honored to be asked to speak with the Mary Sibley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Harrisonville on Saturday, April 16th. It was great to speak to this group of people with a passion for local history. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity for me to speak about the …
There is very little remaining of the town of Quindaro, Kansas today. A modern park shelter now sits atop the bluff that overlooks the riverfront ground that bustled with activity beginning in the late 1850s and continuing to the end of the 1800s and into the early 1900s. Unfortunately, the once-bustling area is no longer …
Newtonia is a very small town, population 200, about 60 miles southwest of Springfield. The two Civil War battles fought there will always be known more for the fact that Native American Indian soldiers fought against each other than they will for their overall significance to the war effort. First Battle of Newtonia The first …
Early on the morning of September 22, 1861, Lane, and his men, calling themselves “Lane’s Brigade”, rode into town and after trading small arms fire with a few sentries posted by the town, made a direct route to the bank. At the bank Lane had his men blow open the safe only to find it …
A traveler cannot understand the Border War without a visit to Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence is located about 30 miles west of Kansas City and was one of the first towns settled in the Kansas Territory. Lawrence was settled by abolitionist who were funded and supported by abolitionists like the New England Emigrant Aid Company among …
Lecompton is another town that has embraced its Civil War roots and markets itself to the outside world based on that image. The town’s slogan is “Historic Lecompton: The Birthplace of the Civil War, Where Slavery Began to Die.” Indeed, this very small town just a few miles northwest of Lawrence played a significant role …
Sneak Peek for the cover design for my second book, “The Border War Tour: A Traveler’s Guide to Civil War Sites on the Missouri/Kansas Border”. I’m pleased to announce that my second book “Border War Tour”, is being finalized and I expect a release date in the early spring of 2022. The images with this post …
In this tour stop, I will review what is not just one tour stop but several. The Battle of Westport Driving Tour takes the visitor through key locations in the battle around the Kansas City Country Club Plaza area and other areas east and south of the Plaza. The year is 1864 and the war is …
