The Wornall House Museums Community Service Committee (MWHM) has partnered with the Board of the Wornall-Majors House Museums this past year to return the tombstones of  Alexander Majors’ grandparents to Kentucky. The gravestones of Alexander and Catherine Majors are now re-installed at the Farmer’s Cemetery near the town of Franklin. 

On October 5, in conjunction with the 199th birthday of Majors, the State of Kentucky will dedicate a historic marker commemorating his life. The historic marker will be located near Majors' 1814 birthplace on a farmstead near Franklin in what is now Simpson County.  I will journey to Kentucky with my wife Louise for the marker dedication. As a re-enactor of Alexander Majors, I have been asked to speak as ‘Mr. Majors’ at the marker dedication ceremony.

By recognizing Majors as a favorite son from the State of Kentucky, he joins the ranks of Lincoln, Boone, Bowie, and the countless emigrants who went west across the Mississippi River in the 1800s.

Wornall House closed for structural repair

Following an extensive engineering evaluation of a structural failure of the foundation at the southwest corner of the house, repairs have begun to stabilize and mitigate the damaged conditions. The foundation failure created a large crack in the brick of the two-story structure. This crack  extended through the entire thickness of the wall, requiring repairs on the interior of the building.  Artifacts have been removed and protected during the repair process scheduled for completion in November of this year. To accommodate the repairs, the Wornall House has been closed, with all scheduled summer camps and other programs relocated to the Majors House location.

Alexander Majors House

Operations at the Majors site have certainly been enhanced with its acquisition by the former Wornall House Board of Directors.  All of the windows for the house have been repaired or restored.  The house interior has been greatly enhanced with newly acquired period furnishings, including draperies. The kitchen within the barn has been upgraded to the quality of a caterer’s kitchen.  Artifacts have been inventoried and the site is once again available for access by the public on the weekends. Substantial financial support from area benefactors assures the continued preservation of the Majors site as a national treasure.

On November 23, NSDKC member Bruce Prince-Joseph will perform a benefit piano recital at the Majors barn on its restored 1800s piano.  Prince-Joseph has spent several years on the piano’s restoration, with significant funding for the restoration provided by NSDKC members. Contact Anna Marie Tutera, Executive Director of Wornall-Majors Museums, Inc., if interested in attending this memorable piano recital.

David Baumgartner, member of the MWHM committee and Board member of the Wornall-Majors House Museums, Inc., has created a new committee to assess the grounds, lawn conditions and facility exteriors of the Majors site.  Although the drive entry and exit have been greatly improved, the grounds show extreme distress from the elements and lack of attention. We compliment Baumgartner for his longstanding commitment to the preservation and care of the Majors site.  Please contact him if interested in assisting with this vital effort.

The Majors site participated in various regional Civil War sesquicentennial events, including one on August 27,  which included the reading of the historic Order No. 11.

On Saturday, October 26, NSDKC has a great program and picnic scheduled at the site, where  Majors ‘himself’ will address attendees.

Gary L. Hicks, chair, Majors & Wornall House Museums Community Service Committee