Grant allows Lee’s Summit History Museum to conserve artifacts of this early pioneer

Thanks to a recently awarded grant, a piece of Lee’s Summit history will be preserved and on display for future generations. The $2,500 grant from the Missouri Humanities Commission is funding the Lee’s Summit History Museum’s purchase of a case to conserve and exhibit buckskin clothing and a musket owned by John Hardin Harris, an early pioneer in the area. The new display will be complete by April 1.

Born in 1832 in Independence, John Harris was the eighth of 15 children of William and Rhoda Harris. The Harris family arrived in Missouri after traveling in a wagon train from Virginia in 1830. William Harris was one of the first non-native settlers in the Independence-Blue Springs area, according to the Lee’s Summit History Museum.

John Hardin Harris was initially a Jackson County farmer but moved his family to Colorado during the Civil War. After a couple of years in the Denver area, he returned to Jackson County.

“Harris bought land near Lee’s Summit and became a prosperous local citizen through extensive farming and real estate,” according to museum records. “He was a pioneer stock breeder in Missouri, producing hogs, cattle, sheep and prize-winning mules.”

In 1897, Harris established a park stocked with wild deer, creating a popular tourist attraction in its day. Today’s Harris Park, located in a different site than the 1890s deer attraction, is the home of an outdoor play area, Summit Waves and the Harris Community Center.

According to the History Museum records, it is likely that John Harris, who owned quite a bit of property in the area, also owned the existing Harris Park property at some point. The Harris family descendants have continued to host their annual reunions at the current Harris Park.

The John Hardin Harris family is among several pioneers with ongoing ties to the community.

“As early pioneer settlers in this area, the Harris family tell a story of Lee’s Summit’s rich history as well as the generational tie to many current families still in the area,” said Sue Hart, secretary of the Lee’s Summit History Museum Board. “The buckskin outfit and musket bring John Hardin Harris’ life and times visually alive again to complete the story for museum visitors.”

A number of the 15 Harris children, including John Hardin Harris, settled in the Lee’s Summit area, marrying into other pioneer families.

The large number of Harris family descendants, many still living in the Lee’s Summit area, have also had significant impacts on the community, according to the museum officials. Numerous familiar names in Lee’s Summit today — included in street names, businesses and parks — can be traced back to the Harris family. Examples include Strother, Howard, Langsford, Leinweber, Powell, Shrout, Fristoe and Brownfield.

The Harris items were donated to the museum by descendants of the Harris family, Hart added, with the display also featuring a picture and information about the pioneer family.

“The museum has had these artifacts for some time,” Hart said. “The buckskin was on display briefly nine years ago when we opened the museum in our current location. However, because we did not have a proper way of displaying it, it was packed in an archival box to preserve it and prevent further deterioration.”

Through the grant funding, both items will be housed together in a museum-quality display case.

“The musket has been on display in a case in the museum,” Hart said, “but placing it with the buckskin will better tell the story of this early pioneer.”

In addition to the grant from the Missouri Humanities Commission, the new Harris exhibit is funded through a grant from Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

The Lee’s Summit History Museum, located downtown at 220 S.W. Main St., is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The museum has scheduled three speakers for upcoming membership meetings. Historian Tom Banks will present “Rock Island Rails to Trails” at 2 p.m. April 7. Tom Rafiner, a member of the Missouri Speakers Bureau will present “Cinders and Silence: Western Missouri’s Burnt District” at 2 p.m. June 2. Loring Miller will present information on the history of the Jefferson Highway on Aug. 4. Go here to learn about membership.