The Caleb Burns House
Memory and Recognition
In Nodaway County, it is easy for the shadows of slavery to be forgotten unless there is an initiative to remember that history. The structure and makeup of Nodaway County have evolved over the years, and it can be harder today to picture what Nodaway County looked like in the 19th century. The founding of the region by white settlers is more frequently recognized and celebrated, but it also is important to acknowledge and honor the contributions that enslaved people made to this county. Their labor helped to establish the communities in Nodaway County and create the wealth held by other people. Without recognition, the history of slavery and emancipation, the segregation the still existed after the Civil War, and the perseverance of Black citizens in the area are at risk of being lost.
History Still Standing
The Caleb Burns house in Maryville, Missouri, is one of the oldest buildings that is still standing in Nodaway County. The two-story, Greek-style home is a snapshot of life in the 19th century, from the typewriter in the sitting room to the portraits of Civil War soldiers in the bedrooms. The table is always set, the beds always made, and the kitchen fully stocked with historically appropriate goods. While additions were added to the house during the 1970s, the Nodaway County Historical Society has taken steps to restore the house with period-appropriate siding and maintaining the classic, midwestern charm. Tours are given through the house regularly, and tour guides take visitors through the different rooms and set the scene for what life was like in the late 19th century for the occupants of the house -- at least almost all the occupants. There is an important piece of the house’s history that is not always visible when you visit this home: the slaves the Burns family owned.
Clues in the Records
The 1860 US Census Slave Schedule from Nodaway County shows that Caleb Burns, among other prominent founding fathers, owned slaves. While information about the work the Burns' slaves did and where they lived is unknown, we can infer from Sarah Graves' WPA Slave Narrative that describes her experience as a slave elsewhere in the county that they most likely lived in a separate building on the Burns' property. The female slave they owned probably worked inside the house alongside Caleb's wife Jerusha, while the men would work on the farmland. During the Civil War, Caleb moved his family to Texas. The fate of the enslaved people who worked for the Burns family is unknown.
The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; United States Slave Schedule, 1860;
1900 United States Federal Census
The census records taken after Missouri ended slavery shows how the landscape of Nodaway County changed once people became free. By 1900, Sarah Graves and her future husband, along with their eleven-year-old son Arza, owned their own land. Sarah's mother, Virginia (Jennie), and a boarder lived on the farm with them. Going through the census reveals that their neighbors were all white, but Sarah and her mother were still able to find work as servants. Virginia Barber, who took her second husband's last name once she was free, was the only one in the household who could not read or write.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Monroe, Nodaway, Missouri; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 0113; FHL microfilm: 1240878