William Bullitt Howard School House

Located in the courtyard of the Jail site is a one-room schoolhouse. The school was built in the early 1870s by William and Mary Howard for the education of their children. Originally it stood behind the Howard family home in Lee's Summit and was moved to its present site in 1959. The 12-by-16 foot frame building is completely restored and is a perfect example of an elementary school from that day. The school was given to the Jackson County Historical Society by William T. Howard, a grandson of the builder.

There is a historical connection between the jail and the schoolhouse. During the Civil War, William Bullitt Howard was a prominent landholder in Jackson County, founder of Lee’s Summit, and was a known Southern sympathizer. He was arrested by a Union officer in command in Independence and with his brother-in-law, spent one month in the old jail. His release came after he paid a large sum of money and agreed to move his family to Kentucky for the duration of the war.