Gardner House Museum

• Built in 1828, the Gardner House is a historic building located at the corner of Hamilton and Main Streets in Palmyra, Missouri.  Over the years, it was used as an inn and tavern, a stagecoach stop, a boarding house, a school, and a warehouse.  Restoration for use as a museum began in 1969, and in 1971 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

• The museum includes a variety of historic items and information.  Items of interest are either donated or on loan from the Marion County area. 

• Tours of the museums and historical city tours for groups and individuals are available by appointment.  

Click on the arrows below to see a presentation on the history of The Gardner House presented by Betsy Welty, the curator of the museum.  

• 1819.......The ground on which the Gardner House stands belonged to Obadiah Dickerson, who helped lay out the town of Palmyra in 1819.

• 1828 ......April 18--The property was transferred to William Duncan.

• 1828.......May 3--The property was sold to Samuel Morton.

• 1828-1830....Samuel Morton built a house and applied and obtained a license for a dram shop (tavern).

• 1830 to ?....The house was used as a stagecoach stop between St. Louis and Des Moines, Iowa.  An example of a stagecoach believed to be built in 1847 in Palmyra is located in the State Capitol Museum in Jefferson City, Missouri.  

• 1847....... Samuel Morton sold the house to John Devereaux who maintained it as a hotel until after the Civil War.  

• 1870...... Miss Sally Pryor and Miss Julia McGuire maintained a beginner's school for boys and girls in the house.

• 1870's....Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gartner moved to Palmyra from Quincy, Illinois, and engaged in the saddle and harness business.  He was also proprietor of the tavern operated in this building, said to be   one of the city's most popular places of entertainment.  At the time it was called the Gartner (later changed to Gardner) House, and that designation has remained.   

• 1889....... The house was sold to Mrs. Sarah Lauck.  Members of the Lauck family occupied it until 1959. 

• 1959.......The building was used as a warehouse for Charlie Brown Furniture.

• 1969.......The building was threatened with destruction because of its disrepair, and a group of concerned citizens took action to save the historic structure.   

• 1970....... The Heritage Seekers Organization was formed and applied for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1971......The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, making it eligible for the National Grant-In-Aid Program.

• 1972......Heritage Seekers purchased the house from the Palmyra Chamber of Commerce and began restoring it.      

• 1985......A generous gift provided funds to repair the exterior and paint it in accordance with research made by restoration expert.

• 1986....June 14th--The Gardner House was opened  to the public as The Gardner House Museum and Tourist Information Center. Adaline King was curator.