Independence Insiders
Q&A with Gloria Smith
Get the inside scoop from lifelong Independence resident Gloria Smith, a treasure trove of local history and anecdotes.
History & So Much More
She’s in the midst of her second term as president of the Jackson County Historical Society and jokingly refers to herself as the organization’s “president for life.” Smith’s family arrived in Jackson County in 1835, and currently four generations of the Smith family are living in Independence. Who better to ask for the scoop on what to do, see and know about the city?
Visit Independence: If a visitor only has time to see one place in Independence, what do you recommend?
Gloria Smith: The 1859 Jail Museum, which is owned and operated by JCHS. The two-story home was built in 1859, separated from the jail at the rear of the home by stone walls measuring three feet thick. After taking the guided tour, so many visitors rave that the museum is the best value on the Independence Square. We’ve also been renovating the 1870 Howard Schoolhouse, a one-room schoolhouse, including building a new foundation and refreshing the windows and paint. Each year, all first-grade students in Independence visit the schoolhouse to experience what it would have been like to learn in a one-room schoolhouse in the late 1800s.
VI: What is your favorite thing about living and volunteering in Independence?
GS: The most important thing we have to offer is our history. I love this quote from author David McCullough, who wrote Truman: “I can’t think of another piece of landscape of similar size where so many things have happened that have been of significance in the story of America.”
VI: Speaking of David McCullough and his definitive biography; what other Independence-focused reading would you recommend to anyone interested in the area?
GS: I have three suggestions! Deaths on Pleasant Street by Giles Fowler; Memories of a Neck Child by Alversia Pettigrew; and Back in Independence by Mary Paxton Keeley.
VI: What’s your favorite place to eat in Independence?
GS: During the winter, I love taking my grandchildren to Courthouse Exchange for some delicious homestyle cooking. Another favorite is Café Verona.
To learn more about the Jackson County Historical Society and upcoming events, visit www.JCHS.org.
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