Missouri Vetoes Funds for Truman's Courthouse
By Hannah Lepow | Online Only | July 15, 2008
Harry S. Truman began his career in the Jackson County Courthouse in Independence, Mo.
Credit: City of Independence
Thanks to its connection with President Harry S. Truman, the Jackson County Courthouse in Independence, Mo., outside Kansas City, is a beloved local landmark. Although the 1836 courthouse's exterior restoration has been completed, the inside is still uninhabitable, and this summer a group is working to raise $2 million for immediate repairs.
On July 1, however, Gov. Matt Blunt vetoed a $500,000 line item in the state budget that was slated for the National Register-listed courthouse.
The Jackson County Historical Society is still focused on raising money for the restoration of the Georgian revival courthouse where Truman started his career in 1922 as a county judge.
"It has to be preserved; otherwise, it's just going to sit there, empty," says Chuck Foudree, co-chair of the Friends of the Courthouse Fundraising committee, which is overseeing the restoration. "I can't imagine Independence without the courthouse."
Three years ago, Jackson County, the City of Independence, and the State of Missouri provided $2 million to replace the courthouse's roof and deteriorated windows and repair its signature cupola and clock.
Only halfway to its fundraising goal, the group wants to repair water damage, waterproof the basement, redirect water away from the building, and shrink the size of the courtyard to the size Truman envisioned when he oversaw the building's renovation in 1933.
The group estimates it will cost another $8 million for the final phase of the restoration, which will turn the building into a visitors center and the archives of the county historical society.
"Truman gave the community a sense of identity," says Brian Snyder, a member of the steering committee. "Preserving [the courthouse] is not just about bricks and mortar; it's about community and values and identity."
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