It’s travel time, once again. This time the Neosho County Family Community Education Council is sponsoring an overnight (2-Day) trip to Kansas City, MO., Tuesday, October 21 & Wednesday, October 22, 2025.
The last trip was to the Kansas Flint Hills, Manhattan and Topeka. This trip will explore and visit four special venues in Kansas City, Mo. One is the Steamboat Arabia. For over 25 years visitors have enjoyed this unique KC attraction as it is what you might call a “time capsule” of the American frontier before the Civil War. It has been declared one of “Kansas City’s Favorite Hidden Gems.” It is the largest collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world and it is almost at our front door. We know how dangerous rivers can be such as the Mississippi and our own Neosho River. Did you know the Missouri River is the longest river in the United States and it claimed 400 boats over it’s 2,500 miles in the 1850’s? In September 1856 the Arabia and it’s 200 tons of cargo sank just 6 miles west of KC. The boat and it’s cargo were eventually covered with mud and it was over 100 years later that it was located and it’s contents brought to the light of day, all intact, buried 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield. it’s cargo was all intact. A buried museum. This is a stop you won’t want to miss.
The trip will also include a visit to the Negro Baseball Hall of Fame which is the only national museum that is preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American Baseball. This unique museum also shares some of the racial divide in KC in the first half of the past century.
Another stop will be the Harry S. Truman Museum and Library in Independence, MO. Even if you visited this site in the past you will be surprised with the venue that celebrates the Truman Presidency and Legacy.
The last stop will be at the John Wornall Home just south of the current Country Club Plaza. John’s parents purchased 500 acres here when they came from Kentucky about 1843 and upon their return to Kentucky about 1847 or 1848, their son John stayed and turned to farming where he made his fortune. Learn how the Greek Revival Home he built in 1858 on the “Road to Santa Fe” played an important part in the history of that area of Kansas City and the Civil War Battle of Westport.
This unique trip is open to anyone wishing to make the trip. For more details and pricing contact Lois Carlson, 620-244-3622. If you leave a message, be sure to include the date of your call, your name and contact information. Pick up points will be Chanute, Erie and Arma, KS. Reservations will be taken until September 1, 2025 Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July!
