Long ago on independence square (Liberty, Lexington: house, theater, shop)

[SilverDoc]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

In reading the article “On the Right Side of the Tracks: The Wyandotte, Kansas City & Northwestern Railroad Then and Now,” the author says there was a Masso Spur going northwest just west of Turner Road in what would have been in the settlement of East Independence.


This spur serviced two quarries at the settlement of Pixley west of East Independence. The spur paralleled Massman Road, which is no longer there.

He says the Lexington Branch from Masso Spur was severed all the way to Lake City Junction in 1935 but the right of way continued to be used for telegraph lines through the sixties.


He mentions the Masso Spur as still being there (2007) but from Doc’s map the Lexington Branch line (or Pixley Spur nowadays) going east seems to have been reconfigured to go north just west of Vista Road to meet a shortened Masso Spur and then circles back somewhat.


I thought the Independence Power and Light at Truman and M-78 was built in the fifties to use natural gas to power the electrical generators. Then sometime in the 70s or 80s the plant was converted to coal. I thought coal was brought in to the plant on the Lexington Branch from Lake City junction. Now, the power plant is again converting back to gas or has converted back already.

Massman Road (which I think was the private drive to the Massman Farm which is where Truman Road Industrial Park is today, (the farm buildings were located on the hill just north of the park, and is owned by the City of Indep.) which runs from Vista Drive on the west, (which is basically the old Massman Road) to the east and just west of Turner Road.

The coal for the power plant was brought in from the east on the Lexington Branch, until as you mentioned, the plant was first converting to natural gas. The old tracks were removed shortly thereafter, and there was a short period of time that the coal was trucked in, before the conversion was completed.

[Mad Anthonie]

What a difference 50 years makes!

1960s view




2012 view

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

What a difference 50 years makes!

1960s view




2012 view

This is more fun than a barrel full of monkeys.

1960s view (do you have an exact date on this photo):

And is there a chance this photo could be earlier?

Where the RLDS office building on the southeast corner of Lexington and Osage seems to be a brick building and it is not as wide as the office building. I thought the new office building came in in the mid fifties.

Maybe the reason no one remembers the rr freight station is that there appears to be a brick building in front facing Osage that might have hidden the station until one drove down the alley. I am thinking that building on Osage was Wyandotte Furniture.

If the station is there in this photo it appears to be sandwiched in between another building that seems like it is only accessible from the alley?

The old Antoines on the north side of east Lexington is there. And that side of Lexington is wall to wall buildings, which I imagine go all the way to Noland.

The roof on the Chrisman-Sawyer bank at Lexington and Liberty looks strange as well as the sides. I thought they remodeled the outside of the building in the fifties. But, maybe it was in the 60s. The current roof is flat.

There are three different buildings across from the Granada with the middle building presumably the old Studebaker dealership. The building to the right of it housed Studebaker in the twenties. To the east of the Studebaker on the northeast corner of Maple and Spring is the building that housed the Safeway where Sally's father worked.

The A&P building is still there just south of the Chrisman-Sawyer Bank with its small parking lot and across the street on Liberty is a parking lot where the floor covering place and the Hudson dealership burned in the late forties.

Just south of the parking lot where the Hudson dealership and the floor covering place is a huge brick building right on the northeast corner of Kansas and Liberty. I cannot recall what that building might have been. It is now the parking garage.

Snow Meats is there on the northeast corner of Lynn and Maple.

One thing seems sure: it is downsize for parking.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

What a difference 50 years makes!

1960s view




2012 view

Sad. Paved Paradise and put up parking lots

[WCHS'59]

The front part of the Chrisman-Sawyer Bank, first floor only facing Lexington was remodeled in a modernistic style in 1950 by Phil Weeks construction company. The rest of the building exterior remained the same. I suppose the rest of the building was redone in another decade.......

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

This is more fun than a barrel full of monkeys.

1960s view (do you have an exact date on this photo):

And is there a chance this photo could be earlier?

Where the RLDS office building on the southeast corner of Lexington and Osage seems to be a brick building and it is not as wide as the office building. I thought the new office building came in in the mid fifties.

Maybe the reason no one remembers the rr freight station is that there appears to be a brick building in front facing Osage that might have hidden the station until one drove down the alley. I am thinking that building on Osage was Wyandotte Furniture.

If the station is there in this photo it appears to be sandwiched in between another building that seems like it is only accessible from the alley?

The old Antoines on the north side of east Lexington is there. And that side of Lexington is wall to wall buildings, which I imagine go all the way to Noland.

The roof on the Chrisman-Sawyer bank at Lexington and Liberty looks strange as well as the sides. I thought they remodeled the outside of the building in the fifties. But, maybe it was in the 60s. The current roof is flat.

There are three different buildings across from the Granada with the middle building presumably the old Studebaker dealership. The building to the right of it housed Studebaker in the twenties. To the east of the Studebaker on the northeast corner of Maple and Spring is the building that housed the Safeway where Sally's father worked.

The A&P building is still there just south of the Chrisman-Sawyer Bank with its small parking lot and across the street on Liberty is a parking lot where the floor covering place and the Hudson dealership burned in the late forties.

Just south of the parking lot where the Hudson dealership and the floor covering place is a huge brick building right on the northeast corner of Kansas and Liberty. I cannot recall what that building might have been. It is now the parking garage.

Snow Meats is there on the northeast corner of Lynn and Maple.

One thing seems sure: it is downsize for parking.

My source only says 1960s, without further detail. I figured you could identify the newest cars, thus narrowing the possibilities!

Perhaps Dallas could perform some directory magic to narrow things.

Did you notice Ott & Mitchell Funeral Home at Main & Truman?

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

My source only says 1960s, without further detail. I figured you could identify the newest cars, thus narrowing the possibilities!

Perhaps Dallas could perform some directory magic to narrow things.

Did you notice Ott & Mitchell Funeral Home at Main & Truman?

Not until you mentioned Ott & Mitchell did I notice it.

But I did notice the Chevrolet Dealer across the street on Main.

The old post office is still there also.

I think that is a red caddy parked in front of Bundchu.

The courthouse also has the mini-sidewalk just in front of the parked cars all around the square. Those small walks were taken out with Urban Renewal I think and could not have been more than a couple feet wide if that.

Cannot tell if there are any sheriff cars on the northwest corner on Maple so dont know if the sheriff was still at the courthous in this photo--but I think he moved out to Crysler and 23rd area in the fifties, also.

I wonder what the oldest building on the square or downtown is besides the old courthouse on Kansas and Main?

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

My source only says 1960s, without further detail. I figured you could identify the newest cars, thus narrowing the possibilities!

Perhaps Dallas could perform some directory magic to narrow things.

Did you notice Ott & Mitchell Funeral Home at Main & Truman?

It looks to be post 1960 (the last year I have available) In looking at the s. side of Maple between Liberty and Spring there appears to be only the tall building (Elko Camera et al) on the corner, parking lots, a building adjacent to The Granada, then the theater. 1960 shows alot more businesses on the Elko block then appear in the photo.

1960 listed these on that side of Maple:

203 McCoy Building
207 Elko
209 Lollas Shoe Shop
211 Hargrove and Bass Barbers
213 Bunyar Flowers
215 Johnson Cleaners
217 Velvet Freeze
221 Clem's Buffet Clem Ogden
223 Independence Cab
(n. side goes to 230 Monkey Wards)

313-317 Vacant
325 Granada
327 Granada Sweet Shop

[Mad Anthonie]

Anyone know what the multi-story building is on the NW corner of Truman & Liberty?

[WCHS'59]

This is a photo of the entire Independence fire department at the turn of the 19th century.

The photo was taken in the street looking north on Osage Street in front of the site that would become the huge post office building a few years later. It seems to me I have read that the fire department was located at that site before the new post office was built so it seems they are standing in front of the then fire department building immediately to their left. I think City Hall was there also.

The building in the rear is the Kansas City Southern RR passenger depot on the northeast corner of Osage and Maple.