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Saturday, June 16, 2007 -
This morning we were up and out early. Our first stop was Independence, MO, the home of Harry S. Truman National Historic Site and the Truman Presidential Library. We started at the Visitors Center and scheduled a ranger-led tour of the home, which was a 5 block walk from the Center. The Truman home was actually the childhood home of Truman's wife Bess. Truman lived in Independence for a while and then moved away with his family. He met Bess when visiting his aunt and uncle who lived across the street from Bess. He was immediately smitten with her and made many trips to Independence afterwards until his family moved back. We saw a short movie on Truman's early life and then followed the Junior Ranger trail through Independence stopping at Clinton's drugstore where Truman first worked as a youth. The kids completed the Junior Ranger activities and were sworn in as Truman Junior Rangers.
From the National Historic Park we headed over to the Library. It was a wonderful library with great exhibits. We spent a good deal of time going through it. On the bottom floor there were so many interactive exhibits that held the kids interest. We also had the opportunity to see the grave sites of Harry and Bess Truman. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States and took over the office during WWII when FDR died of a stroke in 1945. Truman made the tough decision about whether to end the war by using the atomic bomb on the two cities in Japan that were manufacturing war munitions, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both sides of the story are represented at the library allowing the visitor to research and then decided for himself whether or not it was a good decision. Truman is credited with helping form the United Nations. We really enjoyed the library and were delighted with the town of Independence.
From Independence, we headed back into Kansas City to tour the Hallmark Visitors Center. As it turns out, it stands right next to The National WWI Museum which we had visited the day before. The Hallmark Visitors Center takes the guest through various exhibits to show how Hallmark came to be the company it is today. From humble beginnings in 1910 with the founder "Mr. J.C." Hall to the creation of the world-famous Hallmark greeting cards and Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments to the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame television series, guests can see it all. Passports are given to the kids for extra fun and a stamp is received at each exhibit. We learned how plates are made to print the cards, how the foil to certain cards is affixed, and saw the machine that makes bows. We learned that it takes 42 feet of ribbon to make a single bow! It was a really neat experience to visit the Hallmark Visitors Center.
After a long day of excitement, we headed east to begin our journey back home. We drove about 6 hours to Marion, Illinois to spend the night; and then finished the journey home on Sunday for another 6-7 hours. It was a wonderful, fun-filled, and educational experience for our family!
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