Liberty, Missouri — Old West and Mormon history foster tourism

LIBERTY, Mo. — This storied town was first settled around 1817 as a frontier post on the Missouri River. Nearly 200 years later, Liberty's town square has become a magnet for tourists fascinated by the legend of Jesse James and the history of the Old West.

Many buildings and homes surrounding the square are local or national historic sites, from the place where the first daylight bank robbery in U.S. history was carried out, to the site where Mormon leaders were jailed in 1838.

And even those not particularly interested in history will still find something to do in the square's several antique stores, two bookstores, restaurants and other shops. Lodging can be found in bed-and-breakfasts in historic homes just off the square.

"In a very small area, the square offers something for people with a lot of different interests," said Julie Lawless, historic preservation planner for the city.

Tourists often are first drawn to the square by the Jesse James Bank Museum and the Liberty Jail.

The bank museum, the oldest building on the square, is where the bank robbery was carried out by Jesse James' gang (although Jesse's exact role in the crime is debated). The museum is set up as it looked during the Feb. 13, 1866, robbery, with the same safe and vault and some of the furnishings.

Tour guide Michele Poynter's vivid description of the crime helps visitors easily imagine how two members of the gang stole between $60,000 and $72,000 and killed one witness. No one was ever arrested, but authorities were certain the James gang was involved. The James family farm and Jesse's grave are only 10 miles away in Kearney.

Just north of the square is the Liberty Jail, which is not a jail at all. It is on the site where the first president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith, and four other church leaders were jailed in the winter of 1838. The men were arrested as state and federal leaders drove a growing LDS community out of northwest Missouri.

A tour of the visitors center includes a replica of the miserable jail where Smith and others were held. The site is a sacred place for members of the LDS Church, said the director, Elder Dale Thorpe, because Smith received important revelations while jailed there.

While most visitors are LDS Church members, Thorpe said others are welcome.

"Some of them do look around and say, 'So, where do you keep the prisoners?' " Elder Thorpe said with a laugh. "But I think many find it interesting and learn something about our faith."