A 20-Acre Missouri Property Is Perfect For Fans Of The Pioneer Era
It's not every day that a 20-acre piece of history goes on the market for only $295,000. Just outside the small town of Warsaw, Missouri, there is an old pioneer theme park that opened in the 1960s and closed in 1997, as per Love Property. At least 20 separate structures were erected on the property, two of which are authentic cabins from the 1830s. Arranged in a village-like setting, the park has gone mostly untouched since the 90s, and it is in need of some loving renovations.
Marion Shipman is the present owner. He is the son of Con and Hazel Shipman, who built and ran the theme park many years ago. Shipman lives in the single-bedroom home on the property for now as he looks for a buyer. Most of the buildings on the grounds are built from 1800s lumber acquired by the Shipman family, who constructed many of the village's landmarks from scratch. Lots of love turned this lot into a functioning piece of American history. Hopefully, the family can find a passionate historian with the means to turn this place back into the attraction it once was.
History of the pioneer-era ghost town
A pioneer-era property like this one has many layers of history supporting it. Buildings, tools, and machinery on the land date far back into the 19th century, says Love Property. It is truly a living time capsule that logs history from the early 1800s to the late 1990s when it closed.
The pioneer theme park got its start when the Shipman family first moved the authentic 1830s cabins from the nearby town of Warsaw to their land. To do this, they had to tear apart the cabins log by log, numbering them as they went. Once the cabins were deconstructed, they transported the lumber a few miles back to the 20-acre property and rebuilt them. From there, the Shipmans designed more buildings to create the antique village, complete with a jail, a schoolhouse, an old mill, and more. They purchased old furniture, tools, and accessories to outfit the structures, and by the 1960s, they had a popular tourist destination complete with a gift shop. Visitors could pay a small fee to explore the grounds, purchase cookies at the mercantile, play traditional pioneer children's games, watch blacksmithing demonstrations, and more.
The vast theme park landscape
This replica of an early American village is located nearby Lake of the Ozarks and the Truman Reservoir in Western Missouri, according to Messy Nessy Chic. The land is green but somewhat neglected like other areas of the property. Several types of lush trees line the pioneer-style settlement, which gives it quite a bit of privacy from the rest of the modern world. This is distinctly helpful in making sure that tourists feel like they are being transported back in time during their visit.
The village is also without roads or paths, the land is overrun with green grass and fallen foliage that meanders across the property in no particular direction, as seen in the listing photos by Realtor. This large piece of land is far from full. New owners will have plenty of space to add additional dwellings for on-site living or more 1800s-style attractions for tourists.
Several antique structures for learning
The only livable structure on the park's grounds is an 800-square-foot cabin that features one bedroom and one bathroom. This is where the current owner is living until the property sells. It, as well as most other buildings on site, will need some renovations, but the small cottage is livable.
Among the 20 other structures on-site, there is a tavern, a blacksmith's shop, a post office, a woodshop, a cook shack, and a wagon shop, as told by Realtor. Each building, constructed in the past 50 years or so, is accurate to the 19th century time period. Most of the shops have just one room accessed by one or more doors. Though, there are a few larger buildings, such as the Schiffmann's Mill and the J.E. Hogle general store. One of the most interesting structures in the ghost town is the schoolhouse. The tiny house includes several wooden desks, a large chalkboard, a lantern hanging from the ceiling, and a framed portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Stepping into this antique learning hub is a unique reminder of how much has changed in the last two centuries.