Discover 7 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Maryville (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Nodaway County Historical Society Museum, Missouri State Arboretum, and Nodaway County Courthouse. Also, be sure to include Thomas Gaunt House in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Maryville (Missouri).
Table of Contents
Nodaway County Historical Society Museum
Museum in Maryville, Missouri. The Nodaway County Historical Society Museum is a museum in Maryville, Missouri telling the history of Nodaway County, Missouri, United States.
The museum contains memorabilia from county residents Dale Carnegie, Homer Croy, Smiley Burnette, Lynne Overman, Sarah Caldwell, Alma Nash, Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones and Albert P. Morehouse.
It has one of the biggest collections of horse racing memorabilia from Calumet Farm and Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing Citation (horse) because of trainer Jimmy Jones.
The museum acquired the Caleb Burns House in 1977.[1]
Address: 110 N Walnut St, 64468-2251 Maryville
Missouri State Arboretum
Botanical garden in Maryville, Missouri. The Missouri State Arboretum is on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri and contains more than 111 species of trees.
Northwest has long billed itself as the "most beautiful state university campus" in the state of Missouri thanks to its landscaped tree-lined campus. The campus design was inspired by the Forest Park design for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair which evolved into the campus for Washington University.
In 1993, the state legislature designated Northwest the official Missouri State Arboretum.
Thomas Gaunt first started planting trees on the campus when he moved to Maryville in 1857. Gaunt's house has served as the home of all presidents of the university and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is in a direct line with the university's landmark Administration Building. The route was lined with hundreds of trees -- most famously birches.
Many of the trees date to grounds keeper J. R. Brink, who was known to have planted 300 trees a year starting in 1915. During this period Brink planted a dense forest on practically all land that did not have buildings. The Brink forest has been whittled away with new buildings and memorials.
In the 1960s most of the campus elms were felled by Dutch elm disease. In the 1970s the bronze birch borer began killing the birches with the last of the original birches dying in 1997. Johanne Wynne Fairchild in 1979 began a process of cataloging the trees and setting up the trails.
Northwest has enhanced the tree experience by designating three trails through the campus trees:
- The Gaunt Trail - It begins at Hudson Hall and passes more than 39 species
- The Tower Trail - It starts at Roberta Hall and passes more than 32 species
- The Chatauqua Trail - The area by the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts just west of Bearcat Stadium. It contains 31 species. It derives its name for the original Maryville Park on the location.
According to the Missouri Arboretum Virtual Map there are 792 recorded trees.[2]
Nodaway County Courthouse
Courthouse in Maryville, Missouri. Nodaway County Courthouse, is a historic courthouse located at Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri. It was designed by the architectural firm Eckel & Mann. Construction began in 1882, but it was not completed and ready for occupancy until the spring of 1883. It is a two-story, High Victorian Italianate style rectangular brick building. It measures approximately 111 feet, 6 inches, long and 76 feet wide. It has a truncated hipped roof with massive cornice. It features a tower, recessed portico, and ornamental stonework.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[3]
Address: 305 N Main St Rm 204, Maryville
Thomas Gaunt House
Thomas Gaunt House, also known as The President's Home, is a historic home located at Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri. It was built about 1865, and is a two-story, modified "L"-plan, brick dwelling in the late Greek Revival style. It has a shallow pitched hipped roof with a broad cornice. It features Neoclassical porches supported by grouped Tuscan order columns. It is owned by Northwest Missouri State University, and is occupied by the president of the university.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[4]
Caleb Burns House
Caleb Burns House is a historic home located at Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri. It was built about 1846, and is a two-story, rectangular frame dwelling with Greek Revival style detailing. It has a one-story rear ell and sits on a brick foundation. It is the oldest surviving home in Maryville. The Nodaway County Historical Society acquired the property in 1977.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[5]
Big Pump
Big Pump, also known as Maryville Oil Co., was a historic service station located at Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri. It was built in 1937, and was a 21-foot high, Art Deco style structure. It had wood framing and sheet metal siding shaped to resemble a gasoline pump of the 1937 period.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[6]
Northwest Wesley Student Center
Student center
Address: 549 W 4th St, Maryville