Jesse James Bank Museum

I'm at work and I casually reference Jesse James to a co-worker and he asks - "Who is Jesse James?". I couldn't believe that anyone didn't know about JJ, but growing up in Samoa without a TV left my friend out of the loop. I immediately told him - "Saturday we are educating you on a local legend that became internationally renown". My friend, his wife and I arrived at noon on a Saturday and paid $6 each for the bank museum tour. The guide was very friendly and laid a deep explanation of what Clay County and the James family were experiencing during and right after the Civil War. The weather the day of the robbery, the layout of the Liberty square, the medical and mental state of Jesse, who the bankers were and their reactions and actions all told while you see the clock set to the exact time and date of the event, hear the old wooden floor creak beneath you and are surrounded by artifacts or replica's of the items originally inside the bank; the description makes you feel that you are a witness to America's 1st daylight bank robbery.My friend and his wife are now sold on the legend of The James Family and want to see the house museums in Kearney and St. Joe now. A great inexpensive way to spend an hour or so and relive some of the areas infamous past. They also have a backroom with family and area artifacts. The gift shop is free to enter and shouldn't be missed by anyone traveling thru even if you don't have time for the tour.

The Jesse James Bank Museum is pretty darn cool. It was the site of the first daytime bank robbery, which was executed by members of the James gang. I had read about this robbery in a book, I believe, and now I was able to stand in the old bank building itself, which was really cool. They have restored it to the way it would have looked back in those days, and it's a great little stop to soak in some history of the area in and around Liberty. The woman who gave the tour was extremely friendly and enthusiastic about answering questions and talking about the history of the place. It made us want to further explore the James sites in the area, in Kearney and around Clay County. Having read about Jesse James and his terrorist gangs and how he came of age participating in the hatred, violence and strife during the Civil War and the period following, it's really interesting to physically be in the area and see some of these landmarks with your own eyes. Jesse James was not a hero, even though he's now somewhat romanticized as such. There is a lot of information in the back room of the museum, which displays some really great photos, documents and trinkets from the era. Up front is a gift shop and then there is the main bank room, with its vault open. You can really get a sense of place when you're here, and it's easy to imagine two bushwackers coming in and threatening the lives of the unarmed bankers. Bank robberies are a dime a dozen in movies, but when you see something like this in person it's very arresting. It's a cool experience.I would recommend the Jesse James Bank Museum to anyone with an interest in Missouri or American history. It's very affordable ($6 for adults, $3.50 for kids) and a pleasant and informative way to spend an hour or two. This location is a nationally registered historic place, so pitch in and help keep it going.

I wish this museum was bigger, but there's not much we can do about that. So the lady working there, I'm so sorry I forget her name, is super knowledgeable. She loves history and has worked at the museum for a very long time. She knows everything about the bank robbery and the James Gang, and even other history that has nothing to do with this place. The bank room is pretty small. It's mostly original besides a few things here and there they had to use other restored pieces or look-alikes. The desks and shelves have all sorts of neat period odds and ends, books, and artifacts on them. The vault is open so you can see inside. It's pretty much what I expected from an old bank vault, it's not horribly exciting. But imagining that very vault being robbed by Jesse James....That's pretty exciting.The back room has all sorts of interesting pictures, documents, and other historical things. It's a great place to sit down for an hour or so and browse. The gift shop is pretty gimicky but that's to be expected. If you're in Liberty you might as well stop by and check the museum out for a little while.

Really enjoyed going here! I came with two other people on a Saturday, and we were the only one's in the place, so we had the chance to really check things out and enjoy it. It's been restored to how it looked back in the day. The lady working there gave us the tour (it's just one room, so not a HUGE tour), and she gave us the history of the bank and the robbery, then let us check it out by ourselves. There's a tiny gift shop as well. Admission is $6, and well worth it! If you're in the area you really should check it out. This was the first part of our day trip, we went to his farm in Kearney after this.

Loved the story behind robbery. Michelle was captivating. Museum is small but it's a great next stop after visiting the James farm. Neat town.

This was a fun and interesting place to tour. It is family friendly. You start with a guided tour of the bank in which the history is provided by the tour guide of what happened the day of the robbery. Then you visit another room of the back to look at historical artifacts, there's a gift shop at the end of the tour with reasonable prices. The tour itself is pretty inexpensive, a must see when your in the area.