Daniel Boone Home Tour

On Wednesday, September 21st, five of LCARSP members set out to tour the Daniel Boone Home in Defiance Missouri.

Daniel Boone was a pioneer, frontiersman, and survivor. Boone also discovered, early in life, that he possessed skills as a hunter and trapper, making a living as a market hunter.

Daniel moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina where he met his wife, Rebecca.

Being intrigued by talk of a new frontier, Boone and friends set off for this new frontier, Kentucky, and eventually settled there along what is now known as Boone’s Trace.

Daniel, and several of his children and grandchildren made the move to Missouri in 1799.

Daniel’s original piece of property was about 850 acres, five miles from the site of the home we visited. Daniel never developed his land and divided his time between living with Nathan, who built the home visitors tour, daughter Jemima, and son Daniel Morgan. Daniel Boone died at “home” in what is now the Historic Daniel Boone Home.

Daniel Boone left behind a line of descendants that still visit the last place Boone called “home”. Our guide showed us a copy of the family tree for Daniel Boone. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but it goes something like this: Daniel Boone had 10+ children, all of whom had 10+ children, all of whom had 10+ children and so on. The guide reports a known lineage of at least 369+ blood relatives of Daniel Boone, many of whom are still in the area.

Rooms visited in the historic home include: the parlor, the sitting room, Daniel Boone’s bedroom (where he passed away on September 26, 1820 [see pic with blue bedspread]), Nathan & Olive’s bedroom, the dining room, and the kitchen.

The Village surrounding the home is comprised of more than a dozen buildings that have been moved to the property from within 50 miles of the site. Each building dates back to the 1800s. Collectively, the buildings represent a pioneer village of that time period.

These buildings include the Squire Boone home (brother to Daniel) relocated from Old Monroe Missouri; Mount Hope School relocated from St. Paul Missouri; Sappington-Dressel House relocated from Gravois Road in St. Louis Missouri; Milliner and Dressmaker House relocated from St. Charles Missouri; Pottery Shop; Carpenter Shop relocated from Flint Hill Missouri; Old Peace Chapel relocated from New Melle Missouri; Stake House relocated from a half mile away from the Boone home; Detached kitchen, formerly a portion of the Benedict Warmbrodt Home located on Lemay Ferry Road in South St. Louis County Missouri; Ingledew & Hays-Coshow House relocated from Robertsville Missouri; Blacksmith Shop; Gunsmith Shop; Surveyor Shop relocated from Schluersburg Missouri; General Store relocated from Schluersburg Missouri; Grist Mill relocated from Warren County Missouri; Callaway House relocated from Marthasville Missouri; Newton Howell House; and Daniel Boone Hays Home at Matson Hill Park, located 2 miles down Highway F at 3572 Stub Road.

In all my years as a native St. Louisan, I have never been to the Daniel Boone historic site. Great tour.

Terry E.

LCARSP 1st Vice President