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Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Harris-Kearney House serves as a public museum as well as the office headquarters for the Westport Historical Society.
The Col John Harris family migrated from Kentucky in 1832 and settled in the West Port area. Their first home consisted of a four room log house on a farmstead located on the site of present day 39th Street and Gillham Road. John prospered and became the proprietor of The Harris House Hotel in West Port. In 1855, John and his wife Henrietta built a two-story, all brick, Greek revival house "on a ridge just east of town." The grand home was known as the "Mansion House." The bricks for the mansion were made on the premises. Originally, Col. Harris' mansion stood on 5 acres of land at the southwest corner of the intersection of present day Westport Road and Main Street. The mansion house faced northwest overlooking the Santa Fe Road. After Col. Harris' death in 1873, his son-in-law, Col. Charles E. Kearney, moved his family into the house so his wife, Josephine (Harris) Kearney, could care for her mother, Henrietta. The ell or back wing of the house was built in 1872 to accommodate the Kearney’s five children. Mrs. Harris lived in her "mansion house" until her death in 1881. The Kearney family lived in the house for the next twenty-eight years. In 1922, the house was moved in two sections to its current location which was, in later years, part of the Gottfried Homung’s vineyard. The Westport Historical Society acquired the home in 1976 and restored the original 1855 portion of the house as a house museum. The ell now houses the Westport Society headquarters and a visitor’s center.
Today a new and exciting life has begun for the historic Harris-Kearney House. In October, 2006, the Westport Historical Society launched a major fund raising campaign for the restoration and stabilization of the historic mansion. Projects include new wall paper and interior paint, restoration of the original woodwork, roof repair, front porch and back veranda repair and stabilization, exterior restoration and paint, updating the library and research room, expansion of the visitor’s center, installation of a wrought iron security fence to surround the house and property, and refurbishing the 1841 pianoforte.
When the restoration is complete, Kansas City’s oldest brick home will once again convey its 1855 grandeur. The Westport Historical Society is pleased to welcome visitors of all ages to tour the mansion museum and experience a part of history. Please call us at (816) 561-1821 for our current Museum hours and for appointments for individuals or groups. |
