The Independence City Council is recommending locating a Pioneer Spring Log Cabin to the National Frontier Trails Museum.

JCHS provided significant information about the history of the structure from documents in its own archives and a report by Erika Prado, an UMKC history major who prepared an extensive documentation on the structure as part of an internship.

Pardo’s report stated:

“The Spring Pioneer Cabin is likely to remain an ongoing investigation project until some more concise evidence appears. The available primary and secondary source material consulted allow researchers to find accurate information on the parcel of land where the cabin was supposedly built, but do not stipulate any specific information about the cabin itself. Miscellaneous information found at different locations helped highlight aspects of the cabin’s possible history, but once again, it proved to be insufficient.”

The report suggests the log cabin likely was constructed between 1835-1857 based on land records and property valuations.

Stopping Stones arts initiative is partnering with The Westport Historical Society to recognize and celebrate a formerly enslaved African-American woman, Harriet “Hattie” Drisdom Kearney.

Hattie was 9-years-old when auctioned and purchased by Col. Charles E. Kearney for $1,300. Hattie lived the rest of her life, long after emancipation, with the Kearney family in Kansas City and is buried in the family plot at Union Cemetery. 

Surrounding the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) annual conference in KC, Stopping Stones will install a hand-stamped, brass plaque honoring Hattie on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 5:30 PM.

Hattie’s Stopping Stone will be placed in the front walkway of the Harris-Kearney House, 4000 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Mo. During the installation ceremony participants will honor Hattie’s sacrifices, tell her story, note the historical context of her time, and catalyze the audience to take action within the local community.