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Photo Credit: Wornall/Majors House Museums

The Wornall House is not only one of Brookside’s oldest homes, but it is also one of the few pre-Civil War buildings left in Kansas City. The home was built in 1858 for the John Wornall family on 500 acres of land that stretched from modern-day Main St. to State Line and 59th St. to 67th St. The land was purchased by John’s father, Richard, in 1843 after they moved from Kentucky to Missouri. The family lived in a four-room cabin and farmed the property until Richard and his wife died, after which ownership passed to John and his brother Thomas. Thomas left the farm for new opportunities in the west but died from cholera on the Oregon Trail in 1849, leaving the farm the sole property of John.

Eliza Wornall

In 1851, John married his first wife, Matilda, whose untimely death occurred later that same year. A few years later, John remarried, this time to Eliza Johnson, the daughter of Rev. Thomas Johnson, for whom Johnson County is named. During their marriage, Eliza gave birth to seven children, only two of whom survived past the age of three, not altogether unusual in the mid-19th century.

Shortly after settling into their new home, the Civil War drove the Wornall family out, forcing them to flee to safer living quarters closer to the city. The historic Battle of Westport took place only a few blocks away in the area that is now Loose Park, and the home was used as an emergency hospital for both Union and Confederate troops. Eliza never returned to the house. In 1865, she gave birth to her seventh child and died one week later. John remarried for a third time in 1866, this time to Eliza’s first cousin, Roma.

“Battle of Westport” by Newell Convers Wyeth

In 1874, John, Roma, and the children moved back into the Wornall house. John died in 1892, leaving the home to Roma, who lived there until her death in 1933. Roma had three children, two of whom survived. Interestingly, Roma is believed to be the first woman to own a car in Kansas City.

Ghosts?

 

Photo Credit: Wornall/Majors House Museums

As with many historic buildings, there are a number of ghosts believed to haunt the halls and grounds. The most notable one, Eliza, was mentioned in Anne Kniggendorf’s book Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. There have been reports dating as far back as 1974, when the museum opened, from pregnant staff members and guests describing a mysterious protective presence around them while inside the building, presumably the spirit of Eliza seeking to spare other women the heartache she had known, herself.

 

As a Civil War hospital, the house was very likely the site of many deaths, and witnesses report seeing the ghosts of those soldiers guarding doorways and patrolling the rooms and balconies. Some have even told of rooms suddenly filling with the smell of tobacco.

Visiting the Wornall House

The Wornall House is now a museum that guests can visit Wednesday through Saturday and take guided or self-guided tours. These tours do not discuss the ghosts of the Wornall House, but for those interested in a more paranormal experience, the museum does offer ghost programming in October.