The Gardener House 1828 NRHP

A famous hotel and stage coach stop between St. Louis and Des Moines. It also served as a “Dram Shop” (tavern), school and residence with combination of Federal and Greek Revival styles. The building now serves as a visitor information center and museum.
The First Baptist Church 1871
Romanesque-Gothic style with massive stone foundation giving an impressive height.
Eastlake Style
Interesting tin front restored in 1986 for insurance office. 305 S. Main
City Hall 1920
This colonial revival former bank building has fine detailing, including garland wreath ornamentation. Palmyra was named in honor of the famous ancient city of Syria, the Tadmore of Scripture, built by King Solomon, “in the wilderness.” 301 S. Main
Palmyra Spectator
Oldest weekly newspaper in continuous publication west of the Mississippi River. Founded by Jacob Sosey in 1839. 304 S. Main
Italianate Bank Building 1850
Now a barber shop. Unusual cast iron pillars with Corinthian capitals. 300 S. Main
Three Story Italianate 1850
Fine arched windows and the classic Italianate bracketed parapet. Masonic symbol from 1850 on third floor facade. 224 S. Main
Main Street (West Side)
Sloped-roof Federal buildings mixed with the later Italianates. 200 Block S. Main
Main Street (East Side)
Particularly well preserved examples of Italianate commercial buildings. Ken’s Barber Shop has been continuously operated as a barber shop at this location since 1854. 200 Block S. Main
Marion County Courthouse 1900
This Romanesque style building is the third courthouse on the site (first in 1835, second in 1855). Heavy stone foundation, carved arched stone entrance and clock tower. Statue commemorating the victims of the Palmyra Massacre dedicated in 1902. Marion County is named for Revolutionary War General, Francis Marion, “The Swamp Fox.” 100 Block S. Main
Main Street (across from courthouse)
Part of this block was leveled by a devastating tornado on April 12, 1945. The corner building had been a two-story Italianate. A spring dance had been scheduled for that night, but canceled due to the death of President Roosevelt that day, thus saving the lives of many people. The other buildings on this block were probably always taverns, inns and hotels as the 1850 census records hotel guests there. 100 Block S. Main
St. Joseph Catholic Church 1899
Gothic Style architecture. 411 S. Lane St.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 1880-81
The second oldest Episcopal Church in Missouri. 120 E. Olive
First Christian Church 1888
The Classical Gothic Style. 202 E. Olive
P. J. Sower House 1855 NRHP
Transitional Greek Revival and Italianate ante-bellum mansion. William Russell died here in 1872, while staying with his son. Open for tours by appointment. Admission charged. 221 E. Main Cross
Hanley Opera House 1857
Greek Revival. William Jennings Bryan and Champ Clark were among the politically prominent who lectured here. 202 E. Main Cross
The Old Calaboose
Former City jail built in 1875. 100 Block N. Lane
St. Paul’s Episcopal College 1848
Gothic Style. President’s house and former dormitory remain. One of several educational institutions associated with early Palmyra. Others were Marion College (1829); Baptist Male and Female Seminary; Palmyra Female Academy; Locust Grove School (1852; Centenary College (1884). These institutions were partly responsible for the large migration from the eat to this country called “The Eastern Run.” 323 N. Lane St.
Big Spring
Site of the first log cabin built in 1819 by Benjamin Vanlandingham. Chief Black Hawk visited here in 1818 and 1821. There has been a Palmyra tradition that “he who drinks of the water of the Big Spring shall return to drink again.” The first white settler in the area was Frenchman Maturin Bouvet in 1795. Spring and Main Cross Streets.
Marion County Jail 1858
Greek Revival building used as a Federal Prison during Civil War. The 1- Confederate prisoners were held here for execution in the “Palmyra Massacre.” 210 W. Lafayette
Zion Lutheran Church 1900
Romanesque style with painted glass windows and a fine pipe organ. Spring and Lafayette Streets
United Methodist Church 1917
Oldest established church in Palmyra. Olive and Dickerson Streets.
Strachan House 1845
Federal style house which served as Civil War headquarters for Provost Marshall William R. Strachan. It was here Mrs. Humphrey pleaded for the life of her husband and resulted in Hiram Smith being substituted in the “Massacre.” 121 W. Olive
Methodist Church Building 1830
Now a private residence. The first church building in Palmyra. 304 W. Church
First Presbyterian Church 1834
Recently installed the last 1870’s Joseph Gratian pipe organ in existence. Church and Dickerson Streets.
The Spiegel House 1850 NRHP
Beautifully restored Italianate home with reconstructed porch and floor length shutters. 406 S. Dickerson
Overton-Metcalf-Rinehart House 1845
This house was built by a southern aristocrat who was killed in a duel over a romance. The Greek Revival Style with Italianate porches has unusual two-story servant’s house behind the main house. 124 W. Hamilton.
McPheeters-Luckenbaugh Home 1850-56
This lovely Italianate home was beautifully restored in 1981 and is now a dental office. 522 S. Dickerson
The Davis Community Center 1824
Between 1824 and 1858 well over 3 million acres of federal land were sold through the land office housed in this building. It was the most land sold in the state.
The Jane Darwell house 1860 NRHP
Italianate childhood home of academy award winning actress Jane Darwell, who portrayed “Ma Joad” in “The Grapes of Wrath” and the “Bird Lady” in “Mary Poppins.”
Mackey House 1915
Prairie Style mansion made popular by Architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 1515 S. Main
The Old Fairgrounds
The site of the Palmyra Massacre. The 10 condemned Confederates, all local boys, left the Marion County Jail seated on their coffins in three wagons, paraded south on Main Street then east to the grounds. They unloaded their coffins and without blindfolds faced 30 muskets of the Second Missouri State Militia. The executioners’ initial 30 shots killed only three outright, with one prisoner not hit at all. A second squad had to be called to finish the bloody murders with their pistols. No other fairs were held on this site.
The Culbertson-Head House 1854
Greek Revival italianate with magnificent fluted lonic columns. Built by James Culbertson, a colonel in the Mexican War.
Railroad Junction
Junction of Hannibal-St. Joseph and Palmyra-Quincy railroad. Later known as Burlington Route and now Burlington Northern. It was here, mail for the Pony Express started its journey to St. Joseph on the famous locomotive, “The Missouri,” Addison Clark was engineer. The trip covered 192 miles in 4 hours and 15 minutes.
Flower City Park
Palmyra Jaycees established the park in 1964. It is the site of the annual Palmyra Fall Festival and Marion County Junior Fair, and community swimming pool.
Bicentennial Liberty Tree
Growth started approximately 1688. Diameter of the oak tree is 48.3 inches, 60 foot spread, 55 feet high. Dedicated by the Missouri Bicentennial Commission in June of 1976.
Burial Place of Peg Leg Shannon
George Shannon, age 16, led the Lewis and Clark Expedition from St. Louis in 1804 and returned in 1806. His grave lies on a hillside one mile north of Palmyra. (Inaccessible)
Marion City
Located 5 miles east of Palmyra. Col. Wm. Muldrow selected the site on the banks of the Mississippi in 1835 for what would have been “The Gateway to the West” and “The Golden City.” Hundreds of settlers, a booming city and plans for the first railroad to the Pacific were lost when the floods of 1844 and 1851 completely washed the town away.