July 28, 2011
“Today you can stand near the windmill over the original town well and close your eyes and step back in time. You can almost hear the steam whistle and smell the pungent coal smoke of the Missouri Pacific." - www.blackwater--mo.com
In my continuing quest of little towns in Missouri, the one-of-a-kind variety, I visited Blackwater, population 199, give or take.
I stopped by Blackwater on a Monday, and as it turns out, that's the day most shopkeepers take the day off. Not much was open. Went back on a Wednesday, and the town was bustling. From Tuesday through Sunday, I am told, the town is usually filled with tourists and locals.
Besides the windmill with flowers all around that sits in the center of downtown, the main focal point is the Iron Horse Hotel and Restaurant. You can't miss it.
I guess you could say that today the Iron Horse and much of the town that surrounds it is a living tribute to the pioneer spirit that originally built the settlement in 1887.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Blackwater was a coal and water stop for the Missouri Pacific Railroad between Kansas City and Jefferson City. Shipping and commerce abounded, and the town grew to 600 plus residents.
Times changed, however, as the world began moving faster and transportation needs evolved. The coal and water stop for the railroad was no longer needed.
Ryan Weekly, executive chef of the restaurant and proprietor of the Iron Horse Hotel, told me that Blackwater became a virtual ghost town for decades until the townspeople banded together and took action. Through private investments and grants, they began rebuilding the town approximately 10 years ago. A reformation that today is nothing short of astounding.
In 1992, restoration began on the Iron Horse, taking nine years to complete. In 2001, the Iron Horse Hotel and Restaurant opened with other shops and businesses joining them soon thereafter.
Among those is the Museum of Independent Telephone Pioneers. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and features a collection of telephone memorabilia including pieces dating to the days before direct-dial systems. It is open March through December.
It would be remiss not to mention the historic Blackwater playhouse, the West End Theatre, housed in a circa 1905 church with lovely stained glass windows and original pews, and happily, air conditioning.
Any trip to Blackwater should include the Bucksnort Trading Company, 1890s style store that epitomizes the "step back in time" spirit of Blackwater. One has the feeling that mountain men, Civil War soldiers, Native Americans and cowboys might walk in at any moment. Bucksnort is open every day, located on the east side of Main Street across from the Backroads Café, a favorite of locals, which means, of course that it must be good.
On the Monday when I first visited Blackwater, I saw a woman watering flowers in front of an insurance agency and two men standing in front of one of two, yes they have two banks in town. That was the sum total of folks I saw on Main Street that day, but afterall, it was a Monday.
I found the Iron Horse Hotel easily and when I walked into the lobby, I had the immediate sense that I indeed stepped back in time, straight into the 1880s. I called out but no one answered, so I wandered around the first floor. I did not venture upstairs because I didn't want to bother the guests or a resident ghost if there was one.
A period dining room with tables set for dinner was to the right and the parlor to the left. A large open staircase leading guests to their rooms was directly in the center.
The lobby reminded me of boarding houses of the day. In fact, I learned that in the early days of the town, Amanda Frady, a widow with five children, operated it as a boarding house for the men who built the railroad.
There is an old-fashioned upright piano in the parlor with a business card display that reads, "Ragtime Music by Bob Ault, daily entertainment in the parlor".
While visiting with chef and proprietor Ryan, I found out that the hotel is open every day of the week, even though Mondays are sometimes slow. Reservations would be nice, he says, but you can just walk in if you like.
Restaurant hours in the summer are from 5:30 to 8:30 on Friday and Saturday nights for dinner and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays for lunch. Reservations are preferred; call 660-846-2011. The restaurant is offering, back by popular demand according to its website, its signature Prime Rib on Saturday nights during the summer.
Yes, Blackwater makes my list as another surprising little town in Missouri.
Note: This weekend, July 29 and 30 th , the West End Theatre will present "A Tribute to Chautauqua", billed as a fast-paced slice of Americana, a tribute to Mark Twain and plenty of music. Performances: Friday at 8 and Saturday at 2:30 and 8 p.m. Call 660-888-2300 for reservations.
