Our Journey To See History and Find Ancestors

My husband and I have decided we need to start seeing and visiting historic places in our surrounding states. We have found places that we never knew were there so once a week  I will be posting a few pictures and let you know where we have explored in Our Journey To See History and Find Ancestors along the way.

I love  history and in fact got a AA in Liberal Arts for history many moons ago. I am intrigued and love old buildings and sleuthing through cemeteries. People have told me I am weird but I can just imagine life happening in these buildings and what stories they hold. I sleuth through cemeteries hunting family and ancestors. We take time to stop and read inscriptions on headstones and to find veterans buried in the different cemeteries. I am lucky that my husband enjoys this journey too.

At the end of May we started this journey  and we are going to some interesting fun places that  only took one day to drive to see. The first was a day trip to we took to see the Hollenberg Pony Express Station in Hanover, KS.

Front of Hollenberg Station

Side View of station

Hollenberg Station from front

Hollenberg station behind the visitors center the back side of the station

Hollenberg Station Visitor Center

Sign of the Trails and roads that ran at Hollenberg Station


Some of the Room displays inside the Hollenberg Station

I always thought this was just used for pony express but it was a stop over station for the stage. Originally it was the home of Hollenberg's that was a place emigrants could get supplies. It is well worth the ride to see this historic site. The visitors center has some nice displays and tells of the archaeological dig that was done on the site. Nice little museum gift shop too for souvenirs of your trip.It is part of the National Historic Parks system and you can find information on their site about the station by checking here
https://www.nps.gov/poex/planyourvisit/site4.htm

or you can find pictures and info on the Kansas travel site too
http://www.kansastravel.org/hollenbergstation.htm

It is open Wed.- Sat. May- October and costs $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for students with children 5 and under free. I hope you will check into this place and plan your trip to see it.

We also to time to drive pass the Pony Express Barn in Marysville, KS. This is the original Pony Express Home Station Number 1 1859 that is what these plaques say.

On our trip to see the Hollenberg Station we also took time to go through the Marshall County Museum which is located in the old Marshall County Courthouse. The old courthouse building is beautiful and unique in its architecture.

 Old Marshall County Courthouse from a distance

 Old Marshall County Courthouse Museum from across the street

 Look at those wonderful pillars at the entrance of the Old Marshall County Courthouse Museum.

They have used the different rooms in the courthouse to tell the story of Marshall County KS. Here are some of the things you will see in the museum.

Old organ love how decorative it is

Entrance into the museum

One of the courtrooms left like it would have been when used

Old printing

Dr's office

Vintage hats

Vintage Wedding dress

When we were driving around Marysville we ran upon the city park and there they have an old school house, a sod house, an old train depot and a train. It is all from Marshall County.

Door into sod house

Front of sod house

This is the one room Bommer School House in the city park

This is the Beattie Train Depot in the city park

Union Pacific Train at city park

Plate on the side of the train



As we were leaving Marysville KS and our drive through town we happened upon this

105mm Howitzer on display.

There is so much more to see in Marshall County KS that I am sure we will be making a trip back to the county soon. This was a good day trip and we enjoyed all the sites we saw. It is interesting to note that the downtown area of Marysville KS still has a brick road. 

We also enjoyed eating in at Penny's Diner while we were there. Was good food and reasonably priced as well as nostalgic.

Counter in Penny's Diner

Mike ordering at Penny's Dinner

Me ordering and concentrating on what to eat at Penny's Diner

All in all we had a wonderful full day on our Journey to See History and Find Ancestors. Our Next stop was Little House on The Prairie Site in Independence,KS. Hope you enjoyed going with us on our Journey.

Until Next Time 

JOURNEY ON

TBT You KNOW Me OH Lord!

It has been storming off and on all week and I was thinking of a poem I wrote and have shared before about God being our light in the storm. I have once again included it in this TBT post. I chose this post because I always go back to these verses in Psalm 139 because they remind of how much God loves and cares about us. Hope you enjoy this poem and TBT post.

My Life’s Light

I will trust you where ever you lead me
I will trust you in both the calm and stormy seas
I will follow the path you set before me
I will lean on your love and hope you give me freely
For you are the light that guides my path along my way
You are my guide through each and every day
Like the captain on the sea I will look to the light
Always keeping that beam in my sight.
For you my Lord, are my light
On whom I will keep my sight
By Deb Forbes July 2009
copyright 2009


As I was reading my Bible today I was reading Psalm 139 and the first few verses really jumped out at me. Psalm 139:1-3 NIV 

1You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Wow, think about it. God knows us and knows our thoughts, He know what we are doing and is familiar with us. That is such a comforting and sometimes scary thought to know God knows us in every way. Comforting because God knows us and understands in everything, He has intimate knowledge of us, which to me is a way to show just how much He loves and cares about us. If God didn't love us or care why would He get to know us and watch over us like these verses say.  

Then at the end of Psalm 139 David says 

Psalm 139: 23-24 NIV 

23Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

He is asking God to look at his heart and test and know what is in his heart and if God finds anything that He doesn't like to show him how to change and to lead him in God's way, down the right path.  

I think this should be our prayer each and every day, when we wake up and when we go to bed at night. Ask God to search us and our hearts and thoughts and show us anything we need to change and be forgiven for and then ask God to show us the path He has for us to follow and to help us follow it. God wants us to know Him and He is there willing to help and show us the way if we ask and then allow Him to show the way. 

As I start back to studying and memorizing God's word this really was a good one to start with because I want be more like Jesus and to be what and who God wants me to be. I hope you will join me in this journey through the Bible and Memorizing. I am no scholar but  just a believer who is relying on God and the Holy Spirit to guide me.

I know it is a lot to memorize but I am going to write these verses on a note card and put it where I will see it through out the day to remind me how God knows me in all ways and how I want Him to lead me.

Verses to memorize this week

Psalm 139:1-3

Psalm 139: 23-24

Our Weekend Day Trip to Lamar MO

It has been a whirlwind of things going on. We bought a new car then took it out for a drive this weekend. I Saturday afternoon started having a sore throat and could hardly talk by end of the day. It was really weird because I felt great  but then it just hit me. I think it must be allergies going into a head cold but still with taking the cold meds I have been sleepy and not very productive. I hope that it will be better and trying not to take meds today so that my foggy head is gone.

We just did one of our pick a direction and head in it on Saturday. We headed down 69 highway and stopped at the Downstream Casino in OK no luck there then headed over to Joplin Mo and drove around the city then headed up I 49 and stopped off at Lamar MO where Pres. Harry S Truman was born. We drove by the house but didn't go into it maybe another time. I just love looking at old homes and buildings. I know that if the walls could talk they would have a great story to tell. The house is a Missouri State Historic Site and even though we didn't take the time to go in the house we enjoyed stopping and taking pictures of the outside.

 This is a picture from across the street of the house.

 This is a side view of the house from the west side

 This is a east side view

 Memorial of Harry S Truman and jobs held on top and memorial on bottom

 Picture from back where you see the well, outhouse and smoke house

Another view from across the street from the house.

If you would like more information on this historic site check out

https://www.mostateparks.com/park/harry-s-truman-birthplace-state-historic-site

We enjoyed seeing it and will go back sometime.

We then went to Osage Village State Historic Site  It was the village of Osage Indians but it is just a walk and marked with markers to tell you what was there at one time. Though it would be a nice little hike it is only about .8 mile. It is a nice walk but was disappointed there wasn't more to see we didn't walk the whole thing because when we left home we weren't planning on doing any walking and I just had slip on shoes and the ground was saturated from the earlier rains. We will go back sometime and do the whole walk maybe but it isn't high on the list of things to do.

There are so many things to see and do in Missouri and Kansas that I think many weekend day trips are in the future.

Until Next time