Harrisonville, founded in 1837, is one of the oldest towns in western Missouri. Situated just south of Kansas City, it served Cass County as the center of government, commerce, and cultural life for over 150 years. Its geographic proximity to the Kansas border brought conflict and bloodshed during the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War eras, from 1854 to 1865, as jayhawkers and bushwhackers raided, looted, and terrified local citizens. After the war, four railroads brought new settlers and business opportunities. The town flourished as the center of a rich agricultural region and touted...