IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION congratulating the Rice-Tremonti Historic Farm Home on the occasion of its 175th Anniversary celebration, to be held September 15, 2019.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 20248, September 9, 2019
INTRODUCED BY Theresa Galvin, Dan Tarwater III, Jalen Anderson, Crystal Williams, Tony Miller, Scott Burnett, Ronald E. Finley, Charlie Franklin, and Jeanie Lauer, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, the Rice-Tremonti Historic Farm Home located in Raytown, MO, was built in 1844 by Archibald Rice and his family as a 160-acre farm; and,
WHEREAS, the Rice family sold barrels of corn and grain to hundreds of travelers to feed their mules and oxen on the first leg of the journey west on the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails; and,
WHEREAS, after Archibald’s death in 1849, his son Elihu Coffee Rice, wife Catherine, and Sophie White, a slave, moved to the property, with “Aunt Sophie” taking up residence in the cabin nearest the main house; and,
WHEREAS, despite tensions and border warfare that forced the family to flee their home, the original wood frame Gothic Revival house still remains at the property, one of only seven houses in Jackson County built prior to the Civil War; and,
WHEREAS, in 1866 the Rice family returned to their farm until 1903 when Elihu Coffee Rice died and the home was sold; and,
WHEREAS, in 1935, Dr. Louis G. Tremonti and his wife Gloria purchased and restored the old house, continuing to reside there until 1987 when the not-for-profit Friends of the Rice-Tremonti Home purchased the property to preserve one of the few remaining pioneer homes in the Kansas City area; and,
WHEREAS, Roberta Bonnewitz, a founding member of the Raytown Historical Society, was instrumental in the preservation of the Rice-Tremonti Home up until her death in 2016 at the age of 105; and,
WHEREAS, through Mrs. Bonnewitz’s generosity, the Friends of Rice-Tremonti have been able to construct a path and other accessible features so visitors can also tour Aunt Sophie’s cabin, which is still preserved on the property; and,
WHEREAS, the Rice-Tremonti Home will celebrate its 175th Anniversary on Sunday, September 15, 2019, with an afternoon of live music, vendors, birthday cake, ice cream, and house tours; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Legislature hereby recognizes the Rice-Tremonti Farm Home on the occasion of its 175th Anniversary and expresses its best wishes for the continued preservation of this historic property.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________ ______________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 20248 of September 9, 2019, was duly passed on September 9, 2019 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas ______8_________ Nays ______0________
Abstaining ____0_____ Absent _____1______
________________________ ____________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature