Wornall House & The Little House Project

    About The Little House Project: As a child, the very first "chapter books" I read were "The Little House Books." I remember watching the television series and falling in love with the history of pioneers through the Ingalls family. I wanted to share the stories with my own girls (we have three, just like the Ingalls) and I wanted the stories to jump off the pages and capture their imaginations just as they had mine. With Little House on the Prairie: The Musical coming to Starlight Theatre in Kansas City (June 22-27, 2010), I decided it was time to dust off the beloved books and introduce Little House to my girls. The "My First Little House" picture book series was a wonderful introduction for my young girls, and my oldest loves the original chapter books... but each book introduces new vocabulary and concepts unfamiliar to my 21st century kids. As we read about churning butter, trundle beds, covered wagons, ox yokes, and log cabins images of Kansas City's wonderful historic sites and museums came to my mind and thus the idea for The Little House Project was born. My girls and I are embarking on Day Trips in Kansas City exploring what life was like for Laura and her family through the wonderful museums and sites across our metro. This is just the beginning.... we encourage you to read along and journey with us as we escape to the 1800s with the Ingalls for the next six weeks in anticipation of Little House on the Prairie: The Musical in Kansas City! ~ Kristina Light

The Wornall House: Day-to-Day Life on the Prairie

    The John Wornall House Museum is certainly not a "Little House," but it does depict life in the 1850s... the home was built by John Wornall, one of the original citizens of Jackson County Missouri, who later served as a State Senator. Wornall Road is named for John Wornall, and his home was the centerpiece of early Kansas City history when it was used as a field hospital during the Civil War Battle of Westport.

    The Wornall family was extremely wealthy, perhaps closer to the Oleson family than the Ingalls, but many artifacts in the home knew no economic barrier. Everyone had to eat, sleep, and wash up at night. How can we depict that to our children? The new Touch and Feel Tour  at the Wornall House brings the 1800s to life in a way no other Kansas City museum does.

Touch and Feel History at the John Wornall House

John Wornall House Museum 1858:

Admission: $6.00 for adults (13-60), $5.00 for seniors (60+), $5.00 for children (5-12), Free for children under 5

Note: You do not need to call ahead for a tour, but I do recommend calling to make sure staff is on duty to conduct a special Touch and Feel tour for your family if you're bringing young children.

Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10-4, Sun. 1-4

Camp Wornall: June 21-25, July 12-16, August 9-13. Camp Wornall is a fun and educational camp for children ages 6 – 12. Activities include candle dipping, ink making, Underground Railroad, old time dances, music, art, and a lot of other activities designed to teach Missouri/Kansas history. This camp is all hands on and children can even dress in period clothing while learning about childhood in the 1800’s. Full Days 8:30 to 4:30. Half Days 8:30 to 12:00 noon. Cost $160 for full days, $80 for half days.

Our Day at the Wornall House: In the Little House books, Laura describes trundle beds, hearth cooking, and the daily life of pioneers. I knew that many of the objects and furnishings referenced in the story were housed at the Wornall House, but I wanted the museum to come to life for my kids. The Wornall House holds a special place in my heart (I served both as a volunteer and member of the staff for nearly twenty years... it was my home away from home), so it was important to me that the girls realize it wasn't "just an old house," but a lot more. That's when I decided to take the girls on a Touch and Feel Tour. 

   Our tour began in the formal Parlor where we played the square grand piano and learned about 1800s manners and etiquette... children weren't allowed in the Parlor as it was reserved only for adults, special visitors, and holidays. Speaking of visitors, in the hall the girls learned about "calling cards," a Victorian tradition of bringing a calling card when you came to visit and folding a corner to relay messages to the hostess.

   It was in the Sitting Room (equivalent to modern family rooms) where the girls explored the medical bag of a pioneer doctor and learned about "house calls," weighing medicine, original stethoscopes, leaches,amputation, and other equally gruesome things... all reminding me once again just how thankful I am for modern medicine. The Sitting Room was also home to toys, a sewing kit, Godey's Lady's Book (as referenced in Little House in the Big Woods) and a hunting rifle.

   Can you imagine a world where children were to be "seen and not heard" (as referenced in Little House in the Big Woods)? We learned the rules of mealtime and the luxury of sugar in the Dining Room. In the books, Laura tells just how special and rare it was to have sugar. Although the Wornall family was wealthy and could afford sugar, they still reserved it for special occasions and kept it under lock and key!

   The kitchen was the heart of the home and perhaps the most fun! Mrs. Wornall cooked on an open hearth, just as Ma Ingalls did. On our tour, the girls tried to guess the purpose behind each gadget. The toaster, apple peeler, coffee grinder, cherry pitter, fly catcher, and butter churn were just a few fascinating objects. We were also reminded regularly that pioneer children worked hard, hauling water in to the "dry sink" (dry due to lack of faucet), bringing in wood for the fire (year-round necessity for cooking), cleaning, rolling dough, and sweeping.

   We then went upstairs to visit the two bedrooms, one for the children and another for the parents (separate rooms being another luxury enjoyed by the Wornalls). In the children's room, the girls loved the pioneer toys, the trundle bed (just like Laura's), the story of "Sleep Tight, Don't let the Bed Bugs Bite," learning about Frozen Charlotte dolls (I'll save the story for you to discover on your tour of the Wornall House), and most of all learning about the one room missing from the house... the bathroom! They smelled tooth powder, felt a pioneer toothbrush, and learned all about personal hygiene... another improvement of modern life that we love.

   Special events at the Wornall House are great fun for the family, and Candlelight will always be a tradition in our home, but I strongly recommend taking your family on a private tour for the best one-on-one information, the opportunity to ask questions, and giving children time to really explore and learn without crowds.

More on The Little House Project

The Little House Project continues through the end of June 2010! We'll be embarking on Day Trips across Kansas City to explore life as Laura lived for the next several weeks. To follow the newest installments subscribe to the KCParent.com eNewsletter!

The Little House Project Articles

• Guide to The Little House Project on KCParent.com
• Independence Missouri: Going West & Log Cabins
• Missouri Town 1858: Remembering Walnut Grove
• Shoal Creek: Childhood on the Prairie