ravenswood

We took a tour several years ago. It was really fascinating. The place is really run down a and such a shame. Would like to go back again. The owner has left things as they were in years past. I do wish it could be fixed up. The date of the visit is noted as November 2013, there was not an option for an earlier date. We went several years ago.

We stopped by on a Sunday morning and found the front gate open. We decided not to bother anyone since it was Sunday morning. What we did see was once a beautiful home. What a shame. We could see the curtains that are deteriorating in the windows. Not only the house but the out buildings are in dire need of repair. It is obvious that the place is just being lived in until it is gone. Doing more research, I found it interesting what I saw doing a Google Earth satalite. Back behind the trees is pretty new looking concrete surrounding a swimming pool. No matter, I want to go back and take a tour. Take in the history before it is gone.

You have to drive 10-15 minutes south on Route 5 from I-70 to find this house. Don't despair. Look for the house on the left soon after entering Bel Aire. You'll see an old peeling sign on your left with the driveway soon after. I would love to give this review five stars but it pains me to see such a wonderful home falling into disrepair. We were lucky that someone was there the day we "came back" to tour the home. This is my fourth time at Ravenswood, but only my second time in the house so you have a 50-50 chance of someone being there to let you in. There is so much history to this place built by and still owned by the Leonard family. In the library, there is a framed photo of the farm in its heyday and what a place it was. Much of the money came from farming the surrounding 2000 acres which is still in the family and from short horn cattle. Just recently, the Leonards have reintroduced the short horn so be careful walking from your car to the front door! Ravenswood is our modern day version of the Mary Celeste. You walk through the house looking at furniture, photos, fading letters, portraits and dresses that have been untouched since the mid-late 1800s. The crystal in the cabinets. Family portraits in the entry. Perfume/medicine bottles. Mrs. Leonard's side saddle. It's as if the family suddenly left, leaving everything the way it was. This is the sad part. All of this history is left exposed. Hand written letters and show ribbons bleached by the sunlight. A mid-1800s wedding dress, literally hanging on for dear life. Wall paper peeling off the walls, Looking past the house and remembering the picture of the farm in the library, you can see what's left of the bull, mule and the Tally Ho barns. Inside the Tally Ho, there are 4 antique buggies the insides of some now the home to scores of mud daubers. Ah, the mud daubers. Our tour guide took us into the attic. Needless to say, only two of us actually went into the attic. They are the summer residents of Ravenswood with their mud nests nearly covering the attic walls. I would have loved to have gone down into the basement after hearing about the 1800s style "man cave" that was narrowly built so as not to allow a lady's hoop skirt to fit through, but who knows what's down there.The money collected from the tours apparently is used to "fix up" the house, but it's going to take a lot of money to bring this house back to what it once was. The family did "fix up" the downstairs dining room and Mrs. Leonard's upstairs bedroom, but I'm guessing they are not too concerned about keeping it as close as possible to mid-1800 design. An old photo of the dining room shows beautiful wallpaper. Now, the walls are painted a deep red. Mrs. Leonard's bedroom's walls are now painted blue after the family was forced to fix up the room after the roof caved in. The back part of the house is now occupied by the present day Mr. Leonard who seems content letting 90% of this great house cave in around him. He also seems to be a cat person as the smell of cat has long replaced the smell of any French perfume Mrs. Leonard may have brought with her from their European vacations. This is the perfect house for anything paranormal, and yes, there are ghost stories. The unexplained playing of Mrs. Leonard's music box. Doors opening and closing. One of the tour guides goes around with her divining rod asking questions which require only yes and no answers from the ghosts. We didn't have her, but maybe, you will.... P.S. Go to Diner 87 after for lunch. Look for the Amish family selling homemade baskets at the gas station next door.

Ravenswood is an interesting preserved 1880 home south of Boonville, Missouri on Highway 5. It has been in the same family for five generations. The home holds a 100-year old collection of furniture, clothing, china, glassware and photographs. My favorite room was the library. Its walls are lined with very old books of all types. We enjoyed touring the home with a current family member. Don't expect one of those completely restored homes -- this one is a work in progress, but very interesting. The tour fee is $7 per person.

This was a magnificent 19th century showpiece. Alas, the 20th century heirs have neglected it, and it can make historic preservationists cringe at the amount of capital it would take to make it presentable. Just waiting for the right Angel to come along, and persuade the absentee trustees that it's worth the effort. We're talking millions.The resident hosts are kindly and accommodating. One gets a lot of touring time (and local lore) for the $5 suggested contribution.But the overall impression can be one of profound sadness.

You'll rarely find a place like this, and it can't last forever. If you truly love authentic old houses filled with the original furnishings and the little things of daily life, this is it. It hasn't been renovated or redone, or sanitized to museum standards - it's just a very old place, still owned by its same family, falling gently and naturally to ruin. Things are where they've stood for over a century, and piles of stuff are untouched since long-dead hands left them there. Wow, the atmosphere is amazing. I know the family is trying to keep it up and I wish them success, but I'm sure the costs and work needed are overwhelming. The woman who gave us our tour was very friendly and incredibly knowledgeable about the family and the house. She had a lot of good stories to tell, especially about the ghosts. Get here while you still can.

During my undergraduate days at Mizzou in the 1950s I often drove past Ravenswood from my original home in Sedalia. It was not until I was in graduate school in the 1960s that I met Jamie Leonard who was also studying history. Through Jamie I came to know his parents and spent many happy times at Ravenswood and often joined Jamie's father, Charles, as he conducted tours. I always found the house fascinating but even more interesting was the Leonard family. I recall meeting Mrs. Leonard's mother who was then residing in one of the out homes and remember her telling how she kept wearing out the dresses she had bought to wear at her funeral. Unfortunately, one of my last visits to Ravenswood was for Jamie's funeral and his burial across the road in the family plot. It was winter and they had to use a team of horses to take the coffin to the plot as the ground was so muddy. I one regret is that I did not get back in the later years after Mrs. Leonard had passed to visit once more with Mr. Leonard. My favorite story of Mr Leonard is when the government bought a small chuck of land on Highway 5 on his property to put in a guided missile silo, Mr. Leonard would drive his "farm" car, a Lincoln, across his property to watch the progress of installation. Once, they tried to get him off the site but he informed them that until the government paid him for the land it was still his property. I often reflect on those quiet and serene days amongst a fine old Missouri family. Note: I was requited to put a date for my visit(s) but clearly that in not correct.

House has lots of interesting history and stuff on display, but needs a good cleaning.

We could've spent hours going through all the stuff in the house. It was kind of like someone left there 100 years ago & never came back... but so neat.

This home is in need of some serious renovation! The family is doing their best but they are in over their heads with this one! The period clothes are in tatters because they aren't kept in a climate controlled environment. The gentleman that guided out tour was very nice and knowledgeable. This would be an excellent museum if it was completely restored and ran by people who could help preserve it the way it should be.

Although Ravenswood is a bit of local history,anyone that is expecting a tour of a restored,well maintained house and grounds will be disappointed.The house looks nothing like it's displayed on it's web site.I understand that it's a work in progress,but it really needs a good cleaning,in spite of the fact that while we were there some kids were going around dusting some of the furniture.You only get to see part of the house because the other part is private residense and there were lots of things just laying around that shouldn't have been there for historical accuracy,like power tools and tv sets and just piles of what looked to be junk.There was a $7 fee per person to take the tour and it lasted about 45 minutes,also it was hotter than blazes the day we were there and there's no air conditioning or even any fans running.I really wish them well getting that place restored because from the looks of it,that's going to be a huge job.

The house does have an interesting history, and it has many interesting artifacts, but the house itself is fairly rundown, and the presentation leaves a lot to be desired. Even with the condition of the house as is, it would make a worthwhile trip if it were just cleaned up, dusted and organized, and if they would add some signs here and there discussing some of the interesting history of the house. As it is though, I can't recommend the trip and the $7 fee.

This is one of my favorite places on earth!(I have visited many historic places) Every time I go to Missouri to visit my family I try and visit Ravenswood. It is frozen in time. The house is in the middle of the countryside. The house is three stories with big columns in the front and a widows walk, inside it has a suspended staircase,and about 10 rooms, you get to tour most of the house the third story is an attic, there is also a basement with a vaulted door in it but they don't usually show this, and some of the house has been turned into living quarters. The house also has a summer kitchen, servants quarters also turned into living quarters, and barn where there is a couple of old carriages. If you want to romance the idea of being back in time Ravenswood is a perfect place to visit. Call ahead before going and make sure you can get a tour, the last time I went it took a long time to find someone.

I've toured a lot of old mansions, but Ravenswood was the most unusual and fascinating. It's as if you found an old abandoned mansion, went in and everything was still there, like it was back in the 1880s. The clothes, the dishes, the furniture--everything. The g-g-g-g-grandson of the original owner gave us a tour and patiently answered all our questions: "Where do you go to college?" "Did you ever live in this house?" "How much time do you spend giving tours?" "Can we see the attic?" The most extraordinary thing about the house was that it was not like a museum. I felt like I really was in somebody's house in the 1880s. And I was. Amazing!