Day 30 June 12 Friday

Early start with breakfast in Clinton MO. Cute little place. Square around courthouse and city of the year in 2004. Seems like all the ladies were eating where we were and all the guys were in a place across the square. Took a walk around and found a store with cross stitch. Really nice lady with antique spinning wheels displayed on the ledges around the store. She is very proud of her little town. Beginning to get a sense of the north/south thing in Missouri.

On to Kansas City/Independence. Lots of traffic. Decided to just find a convenient place to stay for 2-3 days as we explored from one spot. Did that. Not the greatest park but it is convenient.

Went to the farm where Truman's grandparents settled. He had to give up his accounting job when he was in his twenties to work the farm with his parents, brother, sister. Father was broke and had to move back and the rest of the family had to help. Did that for several years and then WWI. The grandparents were wealthy - 600 acres but the family seems not to have been very good at business. See picture.

He spent every weekend with Bess and her very wealthy family while he lived on the farm. Bess's father was in the flour business. Took Harry 2 hours to get there by trolley and train before he got a car. They "dated" for 9 years. She was only daughter and her mother was very protective, etc.

When they did marry Harry moved to Independence into the family house and Bess's 2 brothers had houses right next door. Her mother was still alive and ruled the roost until the day she died. See picture. Everything in the house is as it was when Bess died- I think it was 1982, They came back to that house after the presidency. She lived in the same place for almost 90 years! They did not have secret service protection when they moved back until Kennedy was killed. Had to plant high bushes and wrought iron fence for some privacy.

Then onto the presidential museum and library. Again, great stuff and tired before we could see everything. He, Bess, Margaret, and her husband all buried there. All of his decisions as president seemed to be very controversial and source of much study by historians. Thought they did a great job of presenting the factors in his decisions without claiming whether he made the right decision or not. They had several little interactive theatres where they presented a situation and we could push a button for our responses. Needless to say Jack and I were only 2 people and all tallies were "50% of you picked ___ and 50% of you picked ____. " Big surprise that Jack and I didn't see eye to eye. See pictures. I do like these presidential libraries.