Antebellum Resources of Northern Lafayette County

From introduction: "In 1989, a survey of Lafayette County's architectural resources was completed by Show-Me Regional Planning Commission with primary financing provided by a Historic Preservation Fund grant. Architectural surveys of the Region's other two counties (Johnson and Pettis) were completed earlier, as were individual surveys of the larger cities--Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lexington and Higginsville. More than 1,100 properties with at least local significance were identified during the course of these surveys. Inventory survey forms, reports, photographs and maps generated by the projects were submitted to the Missouri Historic Preservation Program. This material--now part of the Missouri Cultural Resource Inventory--will help point the direction for future preservation activity in the Show-Me Region. One result of the previous activity was the present survey. As expected, the greatest concentration of antebellum and semiantebellum properties (priority resources) was found in northern Lafayette County. Many of the Region's antebellum properties already are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, especially in Lexington where three historic districts were established in 1983. Although additional nominations could be prepared, the Missouri Historic Preservation Program staff reasoned that it would be more efficient to first compile new and updated information about selected antebellum properties through a more intensive survey. From this study, the potentially eligible properties could be further prioritized and a typology prepared for the Region. In addition, the floor plans and photographs which would be compiled would be immensely useful for subsequent nominations. Several of the Region's most eligible antebellum houses had not been visited by historic preservation staff for nearly a decade and others were never entered. The survey would answer crucial questions about integrity 'today.'" Funding was provided in part by a 1990 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Show-Me Regional Planning Commission (project number MO-90-174A) administered by the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 29-90-50111) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Antebellum Resources of Northern Lafayette County

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