Jamesport Mo.
Step back in time in state’s largest Amish community

The closer you get to Jamesport, the further into the past you travel. Your car seems out of place as you pass carriages pulled by horses and farmers tilling their land with horse-drawn machinery. And when you enter shops lit only by the glow of lanterns, you complete the historical journey.

The Old Order Amish who live in the rolling hills of the northwest corner of Missouri have maintained a lifestyle similar to that of 19th-century pioneers since immigrating to the area in the early 1950s. Seeking separation from society on their rural farms, they focus on utilizing the land, raising close-knit families and adhering to strict religious traditions that date to the 1600s. The Amish community surrounding Jamesport, the largest in the state, consists of about 150 families.

In addition to Jamesport, the region is home to several other historic towns, including Gallatin, where gunman Frank James stood trial, and Hamilton, home of one of America’s greatest merchants, J.C. Penney.

Shop till you drop

To begin a day tour of the region from the Kansas City area, head north on Interstate 35 about 53 miles to Highway 6, and follow it east about 23 miles to Jamesport. For maps and other tourist information, stop in any business in town. For additional information before your trip, call the Jamesport Community Association at (660) 684-6146, or visit the Web site www.jamesport-mo.com.

The town is a shopper’s delight, with more than three dozen craft, specialty and antique shops. You’ll find glassware, furniture, wreaths, dolls, quilts, and more. Most of the shops in downtown Jamesport are within walking distance of each other, and at some you can see demonstrations.

Stop in at Pastime & Carlyle’s and peruse the primitive furniture crafted by Carlin Sperry. Sherwood Quilts offers hand-made quilts and crafts. Old Firehouse Antiques and Rustic Decor features a collection of cowboy antiques and western memorabilia. And the H&M Country Store has bulk foods, kitchenware, spices and more for sale.

Plus there are two touring services to help explore the countryside. And when you’re ready to recharge yourself for more shopping and sightseeing, there are several restaurants to choose from, including the Gingerich Dutch Pantry & Bakery. And if you’d like to stay a while, there are several cottages and bed-and-breakfast inns in the area.

If you’d like to purchase produce from Amish growers, the Northern Missouri Produce Auction is held in Jamesport on Tuesday and Thursday in September and October, and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from June–August.

Exploring Amish country

Apart from the delightful stores in town, visit the Amish shops located on the farms that surround Jamesport. Maps provided at the stores in town detail the location of the farms, where Amish sell beautifully made quilts, homemade candy and bread, crafts, furniture, clothing and fresh produce and eggs. All Amish stores are closed on Sundays, and some also are closed on Thursdays.

As you travel from farm to farm, you can come to understand the Amish way of life. But on the roads, drive carefully because the Amish use horse-drawn carriages to get around. They consider cars, electricity and other such modern conveniences and inventions to be too “worldly.” They use horse-drawn implements to plant and harvest their crops, and they cook with kerosene and wood-burning stoves.

The Old Order Amish are descendants of the Mennonite Anabaptist, a group that was formed in Germany and Switzerland during the late 1600s. The Amish felt that the Mennonites were too casual in their religious observance, and they began immigrating to America in the 1720s. Today there are Amish settlements in at least 19 states and Canada.

The Amish believe the Bible teaches a separation between the church and society, and they feel a church cannot maintain its values if members associate too freely with those who think and worship differently. Therefore, they have not accepted many cultural changes that have been introduced with the progress of society.

While touring the Amish community, do not take photographs of the people. Amish consider the reproduction of a person’s features in a photograph or even on a doll to be a “graven image” and therefore unholy.

Jamesport attracts tourists year-round, but several festivals offer great times to experience the area’s charm. The May Days Festival is held over Mother’s Day weekend; the Summer Festival and the Junior Livestock Show, Fair, Flea Market and Parade is the last full weekend in July; Heritage Days featuring old-time craft demonstrations is the fourth Saturday in September; the Amish Country Quilt Auction and Show is held the second weekend in October; and the “Step Back in Time” Christmas festival is held the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Robbers and retailers

In nearby Gallatin, you’ll find another glimpse of rural small-town life and culture. The town square is dotted with several antique stores, and in the center is the Daviess County Courthouse where Frank James, older brother of Jesse James, was tried for allegedly participating in a train robbery near Winston, Mo. However, he was acquitted of the charges.

Roughly 13 miles south on Highway 13, stop in Hamilton to see the home of retail magnate James Cash Penney, who was born in 1875 on a farm about about 2 1/2 miles east of town. The values that Penney learned while growing up in Hamilton became the foundation for his business and personal life. When he opened a dry goods and clothing store called The Golden Rule in 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyo., he launched the department store chain that now bears his name and is one of the most successful in the world.

The J.C. Penney Museum in Hamilton on the east side of Highway 13 displays photos and mementos that detail Penney’s life. The museum is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 8 a.m.–noon on Saturday. Also, the modest, four-room farmhouse where Penney was born has been moved into Hamilton one block south of the museum. To tour the home, which contains period furnishings, visit the museum first. Call (816) 583-2168 for more details.

To commemorate Penney’s contributions to the town, Hamilton hosts J.C. Penney Days each fall featuring a carnival, antique and craft show and children’s contests. Another popular event is the Steam and Gas Engine Show, which is held the third full weekend in August with a parade, antique tractor pulls and steam threshing demonstrations.

The entire region provides a relaxing getaway from the fast pace of modern society. Visitors can experience the disciplined life of the Amish, the quiet beauty of rural Missouri and the simple charm of bygone eras.

To return to Kansas City from Hamilton, take Highway 36 about 12 miles west to Interstate 35, and head south about 46 miles. The approximate round-trip mileage is 157 miles.

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