A guide to the real stomping grounds that shaped Harry S. Truman into the man he became.
Harry S. Truman called Independence, Missouri, “the center of the universe,” and if you know how he moved about town, it’s easy to see why.
He could have lived anywhere after his presidency, and he chose to come home. This month, in honor of the man born on May 8, we put together a guide to the KC-area spots where Truman actually spent his time.
Clinton’s Soda Fountain (100 W. Maple Ave., Independence)
Before he was a politician, Truman swept floors and washed bottles for a drugstore then called Clinton’s. According to Samuel Rushay, supervisory archivist at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, Truman was around 14 years old at the time. The building still stands on Independence Square and operates today as Clinton’s Soda Fountain, where you can get ice cream and 12 flavors of Polly’s Soda Pop.
The Noland Home (216 N. Delaware St., Independence)
Young Harry had a crush on the girl across the street, Bess Wallace. His cousins, the Nolands, lived directly opposite her family’s home, giving Truman plenty of excuses to visit. “One night a cake plate had to be returned across the street to the Wallace home and Harry Truman volunteered to take the plate across the street,” Rushay says. “Who opened the door? Bess Wallace.” It was one of many small moments that kicked off their love story. The Noland Home offers tours today through the National Park Service.
Historic Truman Courthouse (112 W. Lexington Ave., Independence)
Truman served as a county judge on the Jackson County Court through the 1920s and ’30s. However, according to Rushay, the title’s a little misleading. Although Truman was called a judge, it was not a judicial position but rather an executive one. During his tenure, Truman pushed through roughly $10 million in voter-approved bond issues for roads and bridges. “You can actually see the office where he conducted business,” Rushay says. “It’s open for tours.”
The Savoy Grill (219 W. Ninth St., KCMO)
Before and after his presidency, Truman was a creature of habit and stayed close to home with his wife, Bess. But the Savoy Grill downtown was one of their exceptions. The historic restaurant closed after a 2014 fire and reopened as the Savoy at 21c Hotel. The original 1903 barroom was restored, including booth No. 4, Truman’s preferred seat. It’s now known as the President’s Booth, and you can wine and dine there in historic style today.
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum (216 N. Delaware St., Independence)
We’d be remiss not to mention this one. After his presidency, Truman drove himself here nearly every day. “He really had a mission to make the library the location for his papers, but also make it an educational facility so that young people especially [could] learn about democracy,” Rushay says. Truman helped establish the museum and library in 1957 and stayed closely involved throughout his life.
The Muehlebach Hotel (200 W. 12th St., KCMO)
Truman kept a suite of offices on the 11th floor of the Muehlebach for decades. “He spent election night up in Excelsior Springs at the Elms Hotel,” Rushay says, “but then when we found out he had won the election in 1948, he moved the party over to the Muehlebach Hotel, where he celebrated the victory.”
The Truman Library holds a table from that hotel, where plenty of history was made. Truman signed the Truman Doctrine on it, and President Johnson later used that same table at the Truman Library to sign the Medicare Act in 1965.
