Oliver House gives glimpse of life in 1800s

Barbie Stroder brought her 6-year-old son, Matthew, along with a group from the Children of the American Revolution to visit the Oliver House in Jackson on Sunday. Stroder, who is a member of Daughters of the American Revolution and has brought her son to the house before, said she hopes the visits will influence him to continue preserving history.

"Hopefully then [children who visit the museum] continue to preserve things and continue to be members of groups like the [Jackson] heritage association, so these buildings can be preserved for future generations also," Stroder said.

The Oliver House -- or, as heritage president Pat Fosse calls it, a house museum -- features the history of a home from the 1800s.

Right now, it's decoratetd for Christmas in the style of the 1800s.

"The whole idea is to get the house looking like Christmas and bring people in," Fosse said. "That's why we don't charge in December. We just like to see people come through the house."

In an effort to reflect Christmas tree decorations from the 1800s, Fosse said the trimmings of the main Christmas tree, in the living room, were altered from last year. Instead of using colored glass balls, the tree this year was decorated with angels, satin ribbons and silk roses.

Some historical items on display include a musket used during the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain, replica wallpaper from the Ford Theater where President Abraham Lincoln was shot and wooden chests used to store clothes.

Fosse explained the chests were used because homeowners were "taxed on every room and a closet was considered a room."

The house is also notable for the people who have lived in it. Two of its residents were Missouri Sen. Robert Burett Oliver and his wife Marie Watkins Oliver. Oliver, who was elected to the state senate in 1881, brought William Jennings Bryan, a three- time Democrat presidential candidate, to the house. Oliver was also influential in developing the Little River Drainage Project, which installed canals to help drain waters from inundated Missouri farm fields, Fosse said.

Marie Oliver, with the help of two other women, helped design one of Missouri's first state flags.

The house, Fosse said, was bought by the heritage association in 1976 with the intent of turning it into a house museum, said Phyllis Seabaugh, who has been a member of the heritage association since 1978 and who volunteers at the museum. Seabaugh said the house was going to be torn down when they bought it.

Seabaugh said "there were a multitude of problems" with the house.

"There wasn't a floor in the kitchen," she said. "All of the door facings and doors had to be scraped, sanded and replaced."

The museum opened around 1980.

Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children. Children younger than 3 years old get in free. With the admission and money raised from participating in Jackson's 100-mile yard sale, the museum barely stays afloat financially, Fosse said.

The museum is open from 1 to 3 p.m. the first Sunday of every month and on three Sundays in December. Tours also can be scheduled by contacting the Jackson Chamber of Commerce at 243-8131 or 243-3753.