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Discover Mid-America — May 2007
KC’s oldest brick home to
get a facelift
The 1855 Harris-Kearney House, at 40th and Baltimore, is said to be the oldest surviving brick home in Kansas City. The showplace home of one of the area’s pioneer families is also the headquarters of the Westport Historical Society, which has announced renovations and improvements this summer.
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John Harris and his wife Henrietta were pioneers from Kentucky. In 1832, they traveled to Westport in a covered wagon with the first six of their eight children. Like most settlers, the Harrises built a log house and farmed their parcel of land, eventually selling off all but five acres. John became one of Westport’s early postmasters.
In 1846, Harris bought the inn owned by John McCoy and William Chick, expanded it and renamed it the Harris House Hotel. It was on the Santa Fe Trail, across the street from the Boone-Bernard Trading Post, today’s Kelly’s Tavern.
One of the first boarders, Charles Kearney, was more than satisfied with the Harris’ hospitality. He courted and married one of their lively daughters, Josephine.
In 1852, Harris bought a 53-acre farm and soon began building a brick “mansion house” on a hill overlooking the rural countryside at the edge of Westport. The Greek Revival structure was a showplace, the center of activity for the large family. Its bricks were made from Westport clay, with beams fashioned from native walnut. Foot-thick inner walls with 16-inch exterior walls provided strength and security in an uncertain time on the new frontier.
The house was a showplace, and its size was suitable for John and Henrietta and their large family. But their peaceful life would soon be disturbed by border clashes and eventual warfare that visited the area. The hotel was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War. Harris and his family fled to the Independence area in 1861 and returned in 1866 to a drastically changed life. Harris sold his hotel and died in 1874 at the age of 75.
Charles Kearney and his wife Josephine inherited the house, where Josephine cared for her mother until Henrietta’s death in 1881. Kearney, a Mexican War veteran, had become a hero to Kansas Citians when he helped bring railroads to the area and played a major role in getting a railroad bridge across the Missouri River.
In 1922, the house was moved to 40th and Baltimore from its original location at Main St. and Westport Rd. Photos of the move are on display. For the next half-century it had various owners, and was used as a doctor’s office when the Westport Historical Society acquired it in 1972. Since then, the Society has renovated the house, bringing it back to its 1855 configuration as much as possible.
Alana Smith, first vice president of the Westport Historical Society, gave me a tour of the house on a sunny morning in late March. The front of the house is called the “1855 part,” she explained, as it was the original Harris property and is the focal point of tours.
Dominating the parlor is an 1841-vintage piano from Philadelphia, “the oldest piano in any residence in Kansas City,” Alana said. She plinked a few notes to demonstrate its harpsichord sound. “It was donated by a local resident.”
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To the right of the entranceway is the dining room with the table set for a formal dinner. Alana said that the china and place settings were from the Wornall House, another historical home.
The staircase is original and features the original native walnut banister. At the top is a sitting room, which may have been converted into an extra bedroom on occasion. The right wing contains the master bedroom with a large bed and a green settee owned by a Kearney granddaughter. To the left is the children’s bedroom, outfitted with smaller beds, period dolls and other items.
The Kearneys added a large wing in 1872, which now houses the historical society offices, and another tenant on the upper level. Photos of the Harris and Kearney families are displayed here, along with old views of the original house. Paintings of the nearby Battle of Westport also are displayed.
The Westport Historical Society began a major fundraising campaign last fall to renovate and preserve the house. Workmen installed an iron fence at the time of my visit. Other projects include the renovation of the front porch and addition of a side porch. Original rooms also will be refurbished.
Alana is proud of her “Junior Docent” program — 15 volunteers age 8 to 22. “They’re an absolute delight,” she said. “They have their own period costumes, and will help conduct tours this summer. They’ll also pose as grandchildren on a candlelight tour in November.”
She added that one of them is a direct descendent of Charles and Josephine Kearney.
An ice cream social will be held Saturday, May 19 at the house. It’s likely that visitors will see some junior docents at that event.
Winter hours are in effect: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Summer hours have not been determined. Admission is $3. For more information or to schedule a group tour, call 816-561-1821.
Ken Weyand can be reached at kweyand1@kc.rr.com
> Traveling with Ken Archive — past columns
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