LIBERTY, Mo. — This storied town was first settled around 1817 as a frontier post on the Missouri River. Nearly 200 years later, Liberty's town square has become a magnet for tourists fascinated by the legend of Jesse James and the history of the Old West.
Many buildings and homes surrounding the square are local or national historic sites, from the place where the first daylight bank robbery in U.S. history was carried out, to the site where Mormon leaders were jailed in 1838.
And even those not particularly interested in history will still find something to do in the square's several antique stores, two bookstores, restaurants and other shops. Lodging can be found in bed-and-breakfasts in historic homes just off the square.
"In a very small area, the square offers something for people with a lot of different interests," said Julie Lawless, historic preservation planner for the city.
Tourists often are first drawn to the square by the Jesse James Bank Museum and the Liberty Jail.
The bank museum, the oldest building on the square, is where the bank robbery was carried out by Jesse James' gang (although Jesse's exact role in the crime is debated). The museum is set up as it looked during the Feb. 13, 1866, robbery, with the same safe and vault and some of the furnishings.
Tour guide Michele Poynter's vivid description of the crime helps visitors easily imagine how two members of the gang stole between $60,000 and $72,000 and killed one witness. No one was ever arrested, but authorities were certain the James gang was involved. The James family farm and Jesse's grave are only 10 miles away in Kearney.
Just north of the square is the Liberty Jail, which is not a jail at all. It is on the site where the first president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith, and four other church leaders were jailed in the winter of 1838. The men were arrested as state and federal leaders drove a growing LDS community out of northwest Missouri.
A tour of the visitors center includes a replica of the miserable jail where Smith and others were held. The site is a sacred place for members of the LDS Church, said the director, Elder Dale Thorpe, because Smith received important revelations while jailed there.
While most visitors are LDS Church members, Thorpe said others are welcome.
"Some of them do look around and say, 'So, where do you keep the prisoners?' " Elder Thorpe said with a laugh. "But I think many find it interesting and learn something about our faith."
Civil War and Old West buffs will want to visit the James County Mercantile, which sells anything needed for 19th century re-enactments. The Clay County Museum and Historical Society and the Clay County Archives also cater to history buffs.
And just south of the square is Bratcher's cooperage, where Doug Bratcher practices the old trade of making barrels, buckets, kegs and churns by hand.
Nearby is the Corbin Mill, which was built in 1889 near the spring around which the city began. Other shops at the site include a quilt shop, Old Mill Stitchery, a restaurant and a French antique and gift shop.
"When the women go into the quilt shop, we get their husbands," Bratcher said, adding that his shop is also a favorite stop for school groups and senior citizen tours.
After hitting all the historic sites or shopping, visitors can cool off at a custard store or dine at restaurants with their own particular character.
For casual dining, try The Fork 'n' Spoon or The Hardware Cafe, which is housed in a 100-year-old former hardware store and regionally famous for its desserts. For a slightly more upscale experience, there's Sherlock's Home, a combination bookstore and restaurant that offers lunch and an old English afternoon tea.
Visitors ready for a quieter time need to drive only a mile east of the square to the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, which offers hiking trails and an interpretive center.
"We all work together very hard to get people to enjoy Liberty," said Elder Thorpe, who has been in Liberty only since January. "We try to get them to go down to the square because there's a lot there."