Ginger Rogers home in Independence set to close

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- A museum in Independence dedicated to the late actress Ginger Rogers will close after only one year of operation.

Rogers, who was born in Independence, is most famous as the dancing partner for Fred Astaire in the 1930s and '40s.

Marge and Gene Padgitt opened the museum last year in the home where Rogers and her mother, writer Lela Owens-Rogers, lived.

The Independence Examiner reported Marge Padgitt said the museum didn't have enough visitors, and doesn't have enough space to hold donated items.

The museum will be open Wednesdays and Saturdays through September.

The couple still hopes to acquire a larger building for a museum dedicated to Jackson County history and celebrities who lived in the area, including Rogers, Walt Disney, actor Jean Harlow, actor William Powell and outlaws Jesse and Frank James.

Information from: The Examiner, http://www.examiner.net