Cass County Historical Society

The Cass County Historical Society, Inc. will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of its people by connecting them with their past, present, and future.

The Cass County Historical Society, Inc. was organized in 1965 for the purpose of discovering, collecting and preserving material which identifies and illustrates the history of this area. We collect material illustrative of life conditions, events and activities of the past and present. The society has published books dealing with family histories, a history of Harrisonville, cemetery guides, calendars, and reprinted plat books.

The society provides for the preservation of such material and makes it accessible to the public in the Margaret Wade Archives, located in the Cass County Information Center at 400 E. Mechanic. There it houses many county records such as probate packets, deed books and indices, court records, marriage records, tax records, etc. Volunteers have prepared indices for birth and death records, census and marriage records, and over 60,000 obituaries to name a few.

The Burnt District Museum holds many items and documents of interest for historians. Most of the holdings are directly tied to Cass County, Missouri.

In addition, the society maintains the 1835 Sharp-Hopper Log Cabin and uses it to showcase the pioneer heritage of the county.

Displaying 1 - 6 of 6
Repository Object

This letter, dated September 29, 1855, was sent by an unknown writer to John Ament. The writer proposes to buy John's interest in the land and slaves on his father's estate for $500 or 550 acres of land warrants.

Repository Object

This ca. 1860 black-and-white photograph depicts Nancy Walker Lyon Harris, who was born in 1803. Nancy's father, William Lyon, served as clerk of the court when Cass County, Missouri (originally Van Buren County) was first established.

Repository Object

This tintype, ca. 1860, depicts Laura Hidden Pearson, an Ohio native who married William D. Pearson in Cass County, Missouri. William was the oldest child of Robert D. Pearson, an early Cass County pioneer.

Repository Object

This diary, kept by John Ament or possibly one of his children between August 7, 1863 and August 24, 1863, records the family's flight out of Cass County, Missouri after being ordered to leave their home.