1890s residence built by Samuel Kincaid Caldwell
The museum was originally a single family residence built on the Caldwell family farm in the 1890s by Samuel Kincaid Caldwell and his wife, Mary Agnes Thompson. Following Samuel's death in 1905, the house was occupied by the family of his son, John, and John's wife, Lizzie (nee Tyler). The house then passed to John's eldest son, Samuel, following John's death in 1930. This Samuel occupied the house with his wife of 53 years, Vertese (nee McCallister) until the 1980s.
In the 1970s, Samuel and Vertese (pronounced Ver-TEASE) decided to transfer ownership of the family farm to the state of Missouri to avoid the possibility of having the property subdivided. The state agreed to assume responsibility for the property with the objective of using it for educational purposes.
In the 1980s, Samuel and Vertese built a more modern house adjacent to what we now refer to as the museum so they could spend their final years enjoying modern conveniences such as central heat and air conditioning. They began to amass the possessions that had belonged to both the Caldwell and the McCallister families for generations and intended to convert their former residence into a museum for the community to enjoy.
Vertese passed away in 1988 and Samuel followed in 2000. Since then, the state has managed the farm while the museum has been under the control of a Board of Directors. Recently, the board members decided to retire and turn stewardship over to Samuel's nephew and great nieces.
Members of the Caldwell family are now responsible for the museum (a two-story brick house with six rooms and a cellar), a barn and a family cemetery containing approximately 30 graves. They are currently assessing the buildings to identify what repairs need to be made immediately to maintain the integrity of the structures. They will then determine how to reintegrate the museum into the community so it can be enjoyed as it was intended.
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