Tuesday, September 28, 2010

St. Joseph, Missouri. Patee House.

Patee House was opened in 1858 by John Patee, built as a luxurious four-story hotel and an innovation for its time. Mrs. James stayed here when Jesse was killed and it served as the center of the investigation of Jesse's death.
It is St. Joseph's only National Historical Landmark for having served as headquarters for the Pony Express in 1860. Pony Express operators had their main office here and the Pony Express riders stayed here. The Union Army took over the hotel during the Civil War, and Patee, who was backing the Confederacy, decided to sell the building in a nation-wide lottery. On April 28, 1865, when 100 tickets came back unsold, Patee bought them himself and won back his own hotel.
Here's the original registration desk at the hotel. Rooms were an extravagant $2.50 a night.
Lobby of the hotel:
I liked the longhorn settee.
Here's the headquarters of the Pony Express.
Visitors can stroll down the "Streets of Old St. Jo." The Dentist's Shop:
The dentist was the father of Walter Cronkite.
The Post Office:
The Drug Store:
The Barber Shop:
The Newspaper.
The Bank.
The Ice Cream Parlor.
The Music Store.
General Merchandise.
Eye Doctor.
Photography Studio.
The Jail.
Replica of Victorian House.
Carousel.
Brothel ...
... conveniently located next to the Saloon.
Carousel.
Hearse.
The Blue Room.
Upstairs to the ballroom.
Hotel room.
Trains, antique cars, trucks, fire trucks.
Grandpa's Barn.

2 comments:

Marilyn said...

Ooh, I love Main Street museums.

Rosie, you need to try a Maid Rite!

There is one in Greenville, Ohio, but I believe the chain (and in this instance it's not a bad thing) started in Iowa. Unfortunately, their website is a bit wonky, so good luck finding a restaurant.

Kathy said...

All that stuff was in the Hotel? Sheesh.