By Anne JohnsonPhotographs byNigh Johnson
Driving up behind the St. Joseph Law Enforcement Center you come to a large Beaux Arts, red brick house at 520 North 5th Street. There it stands, high on a hill overlooking the Missouri River and the surrounding areas of the city. Its flat roof is surrounded by an elaborate balustrade. The quoins on the corners of this four square building are sure to catch your eye. The symmetrical front is topped, above the center second floor window, by what appears to be a white stone block with the carved letters “U S W B”. The U and S are intertwined and the W and B share a common line. It is not obvious but the roof, balustrade and decorations are all white painted pressed tin; not stone, after all. Surely there is a story to go with this striking symbol of a by-gone era.
A few years ago, in May of 2004, Steve Doty of the National Climatic Services in Washington, D.C. contacted Nigh Johnson of St. Joseph. Mr. Johnson is the owner of the Guardian Angel Preservation Planners and serves on the executive board of the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation. He was also president of the St. Joseph Preservation, Inc. Mr. Doty proposed a visit to St. Joseph to view the old Weather Bureau building and the present facility at Rosecrans Airport. Could Mr. Johnson help? A date was set for the first week in June.
On June 3rd the two men met and proceeded to the house on North 5th Street where Judith Majors, the present owner, graciously showed them through the entire house. The following is a bit of history gleaned from this visit. Between 1900 and 1920 the United States Weather Bureau built some 24 buildings from this blueprint. At that time only three remained standing; one was condemned and was demolished during the summer of ‘04. Of the other two one is in Austin, Texas and the remaining edifice is here in St. Joe. In 1945 the USWB abandoned the building which then stood empty until 1956 when it was purchased by the Majors family who have lived there and maintained it ever since.
Ms Majors took the men throughout the house, even taking them up to the roof and down into the basement. In the basement there are still numerous boxes (maybe 100 or more) of records and papers. Mr. Doty made arrangements to borrow these records so that they might be imaged into a national database. Some ten million records from documents of weather patterns, etc. from 150 cities throughout the US have already been imaged. These records are currently private but one can obtain a password and gain access simply by applying for it.
The trip to the roof was as exciting as the rest of the historical site. When built it was considered ‘the highest point in the city’ to assist the weathermen in spotting and warning the general population of approaching dangerous storms. The view of Downtown, the Mighty Mo and beyond into Kansas is simply breath taking. One has to go to the top of the Corby Building (now the Fountains) to enjoy a similar vista.
According to fragile records held in the National Weather Archives, the first St. Joseph weatherman was E. B. Neely. He went on to become the city’s first Superintendent of Schools and served in that capacity from 1862 until 1904, approximately forty-two years, longer than any successive superintendent. Neely Elementary School at 1909 South 12th Street is named in his honor.
The second weatherman in St. Joseph was Henry Bullard. He resided a short distance away, at 611 North 11th Street in what is now the Historic Cathedral Hill District. The house still stands and a new owner has undertaken the rehabilitation of this property that has its own claim to fame. Presumably Mr. Bullard preformed his weatherman duties from this house.
Mr. Bullard’s mother, Annie, was widowed at a young age and had to raise the boys own her own. She knew she would need income to feed her children, so using an insurance settlement; she invested the outrageous sum of $5.50 to purchase the city block on which her home anchored the Northwest corner. Annie then set about selling the rest of the parcels of land to wealthy professionals.
Growing up with an entrepreneurial gift, Henry inspired to help the people of Northwest Missouri. He became the minister at the newly formed Westminster Presbyterian Church. At that time the church was located on 6th Street in Downtown.
Breaking away from a Southern sympathizer church, the ever-growing congregation soon needed a larger place to worship. They purchased a lot in the newly platted Harris Addition at 21st and Jule Streets and were anxious to build.
Having left the weather bureau in 1867, Rev. Bullard embarked on a trip with his good friend, Sam to visit Europe and the Holy Land. For Mr. Bullard the trip was a fundraiser to get money for the building of the new church and was sponsored by his flock. Sam had no such ties. He contacted a friend with the San Francisco Chronicle. The daily newspaper agreed to cover Sam’s expenses in exchange for a twice-weekly column about the duo’s adventures.
Upon their return Rev. Bullard oversaw the construction of the new church. Sam retired to his home in Eastern Missouri to edit the 58 letters he had written on his trip. These were published as his second, and best selling book, “Innocents Abroad.” Sam, of course, is better known as Mark Twain.
Our special thanks go to Mary Ann Stinson, historian and former member of Westminster for the insights and background concerning Henry and Sam’s trip.