Bingham Waggoner Estate

What a hidden gem!!! My friend and I had the place all to ourselves with Steve, from the Historical Society. Steve was very informative and went out of his way to share the estate with us. Each room so nicely preserved. The chandeliers with gas and electric options were so cool. 90% of the furniture and items in the house are original to the house. A must see when visiting Independence!!

I came on a Monday mid-morning and pretty much had the whole place to myself. You go through the carriage house for your tickets, watch a 7 minute introductory film and then, with a tour guide in tow, head out to the house. My guide was Melody. When she first started talking to me she asked specifically if I had any time constraints to my visit. I wondered why she needed to know until she explained that some of the guides like to talk a bit more than others - I gathered she might be one of the ones who gives more lengthy tours, based on the amount of time she spent giving me a very good background on the house and grounds. She was thorough and interesting. I have to give her a special shout out because her knee was bound up and she was walking very stiffly but that sure didn't deter her from taking me all over two floors of the house. You could tell she loves guiding people through the house and talking about the interesting history of the two families who lived within those walls. This isn't the biggest mansion you'll ever tour but what I really liked was how Melody invited you to touch the fireplace tiles, feel the texture of the walls, take pictures of anything you liked, and just generally feel at home in the house. This is so different than some historical places where you feel like there is a secret firing squad waiting to shoot you on sight if you even look too hard at the priceless relics of antiquity. It was particularly fascinating to watch Melody handle things within the house. She demonstrated the unusual features of the chandeliers, lifted original rugs to show snaps underneath, picked up phones to pretend dial, demonstrated how a child's rocker could be transformed into a high chair, among other hands-on explanations. Again, I loved the attitude that held a good balance between respect for the past and a desire to show how that past really worked. The last family member to live in the house lived there until he died at age 83. As Melody told the story, he went to the hospital for an illness, never expecting not to return. Because of this unexpectedness of death, he left his house just as it was, filled with tons of artifacts dating back to the late 19th century. One of the more interesting recent finds, amidst a lot of other antique children's toys, was a Zimmer board baseball game. Apparently, only 10 of them exist in the world, most held privately and one at the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame museum. If you go to the Bingham Waggoner website, there's a link to the TV newscast from when the game was discovered in a crawl space at the house. The grounds of the estate are also beautiful, I had a nice stroll around the property and out into the area where wagon wheel swales are visible. Truthfully, I couldn't quite see what they were talking about but did thoroughly love being on that green trail on a fine autumn day. The price for touring the house and grounds is definitely reasonable - five dollars for senior citizens. There is a carriage house boutique as you first walk in, but it looked to have mostly stuff you could buy at any store - jewelry, scarves, and small trinkets. While the house will close for daily tours at the end of October, they will open up in November for special Christmas decorating tours. I plan to come back and see how it looks all gussied up for the holidays.

My cousin and I enjoy touring historic homes when we vacation and this was a fun time. Good example of the best of everything in Independence, Mo at the turn of the 20th century. Guide had extensive knowledge of the people/families who lived there, plus all the antiquities contained there. The house is unusual in that it contains all the original furnishings. When the last Waggoner died, he left the house in ruin. It was restored to its former glory in 1979 and has been a museum ever since.Our guide focused on the people/families who lived and visited there. Harry and Bess Truman were frequent dinner guests of the Waggoners. Bess was born down the street from the home. But there are other guides who have knowledge in other areas such as art contained in the home. Guides were all friendly, so if you call ahead and let them know of a particular interest, I am sure they would accommodate.The site also hosts luncheons, weddings and other gatherings. It would be a beautiful site for most any event.My only criticism is there are three floors of stairs as is typical with historical homes. No elevator. Most rooms have a portable air conditioner but each floor got progressively hotter. The third floor was optional but we were ok with the heat and wanted to see the servant's quarters and children's playroom. It's worth it if you can stand the heat.Great overall experience, plus there are other museums nearby, so you could make a day of exploring.

I went here for the Independence Uncorked Wine Festival. The sight is beautiful and fancy. I loved walking around the property and admiring the beauty and the history!

Had a baby shower here and it was a perfect size for our 40 people. We were able to bring in food/drink. It's reasonably priced. Really nice and helpful staff.

The estate grounds are beautiful and the interior of the mansion is in wonderful condition, with some parts original and others restored.Whether you just like to look and admire the antiques and decor or you prefer the history, you will enjoy taking the tour. I was told the tour would be approximately 1-1.5 hours long, depending on how many questions the group had, and that proved true. It didn't feel long at all, I was so caught up in taking it all in. Our group was comprised of four people and that felt perfect for the size of the house and so we weren't rushed.Our tour guide was Barbara. She did a wonderful job and was very nice.

Loved this house and our tour guide. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to tour old homesteads. The unique thing about his house is that EVERYTHING that is in there is original to the home. It was all left in the home in storage and the has been restored for you to see. If you're in the area, take time to see this place for yourself.