May 22, 1867, 2:00 pm. twelve men arrived on the town square of Richmond, Missouri from different directions, congregating in front of the Hughes & Wasson Bank. Four men dismount and enter the bank while eight others waited and watched nervously.

This was a particularly brutal robbery. Mayor John B. Shaw was shot fatally in the chest, a young man Frank S. Griffin, shot in forehead, and B. G. Griffin shot in the head and again as he fell to his death while coming to the aid of his dying son.

The robbery is believed to have netted $ 4,000.00.

By David Blythe- Lawson Review- Lawson Missouri = 2004
Follow the trail of Missouri’s Largest Legend - Jesse James - through historic sites in northwest Missouri. We suggest you start your tour where it all began — the James Farm in Kearney. After that, travel north to St. Joseph, via I-35 to U.S. 36, to visit the home where Jesse was shot and killed by Bob Ford on April 3, 1882. After visiting the sites in St. Joseph, take U.S. 36 back to I-35 and drive north to M-6 east. Follow M-6 to Gallatin where Frank James was brought to trial for murder. Though suspected of committing the first daytime bank robbery in America, Frank and Jesse were not wanted criminals until a horse linked them to a murder in Gallatin.Ray County
From Gallatin, drive south on M-13 to Richmond where Frank and Jesse robbed the bank. (note: Hughes-Wasson Bank, Main Street, Richmond, Missouri )
Bob Ford’s gravesite is also located in Richmond’s City Cemetery. Ford was the man who killed Jesse James. (The Dirty Little Coward that Shot Mr. Howard.)Bloody Bill Anderson’s gravesite can be found in the Old City Cemetery. Jesse James rode with Anderson during the Civil War.We’ll finish up the tour by driving from Richmond toClay County
Liberty on M-210.

The Jesse James Bank Museum is located on the Historic Square in Liberty. The Liberty Bank was the site of the nation’s first successful daylight bank robbery during peacetime. While the villains were never caught, the crime was attributed to the James Gang.Kearney
Jesse James Farm and Museum at 21216 Jesse James Farm Road.
Here’s where you will find the largest collection of James family artifacts, Jesse’s original grave site, the family home and slave cabin. The home is open year-round.Jesse’s grave is in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in downtown Kearney. (816-628-6065)Watkins Woolen Mill
State Historic Site
Just down the road from the James Farm sits a National Landmark. The Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site. The site features daily tours of a 19th Century woolen mill and the Watkins home. Waltus Watkins was known to hire area farm boys to help break the mules and horses on his farm and though unconfirmed, the James boys didn’t live very far from the Bethany Plantation and like all Missouri boys in that day and age, they were good with horses. (816-580-3387)St. Joseph
Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules St., St. Joseph, The Buchanan County Courthouse is a rare example of courthouse design from the late 1800’s period of architectural history. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.Patee House and Museum/Jesse James Home. 12th and Penn streets.
The Patee House was built as an elegant 140-room hotel in 1858 to serve the expanding West. It is a National Historic Landmark for its role as headquarters for the Pony Express. The restored Pony Express office of Russell, Majors & Waddell is now among its exhibits. (816-232-8206)
Jesse James Home
Outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed in this house April 3, 1882, by fellow gang member, Bob Ford, to collect a $10,000 reward. Jesse lived here 100 days with his wife, Zee, and children, Jesse Jr. and Mary. The house, now furnished as it might have looked in 1881, includes exhibits on Jesse and his family and the legendary “bullet hole.”(816-232-8206)Missouri Valley Trust Building. 402 Felix Avenue, St. Joseph
Built in 1859, this stone and brick structure was the oldest building west of the Mississippi continuously in use for banking purposes. Jesse James is said to have “cased” the bank by cashing a $100 bill shortly before he was shot. The building, where the pioneers heading west banked, was used as a bank until the late 1970s. Visitors can tour the “bank” as it was in 1859 with its ornate carved oak woodwork, cast iron pillars, teller cages and a vault reinforced with railroad rails. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark since 1974.(816-232-8471)
Gallatin
Frank and Jesse James never had a bounty on their heads until Captain John Sheets was murdered during an 1869 robbery of the Savings Association office in Gallatin. Frank James stood trial in Gallatin in 1883, after Jesse’s death. He was acquitted.1889 Squirrel Cage Jail. 310 W. Jackson Street. The jail serves as a Visitor’s Center with prominence given to the most famous trial of the Old West — the Trial of Frank James. The Squirrel Cage Jail is one of only three of its kind in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Call 660-663-2154 or 660-663-2054 for hours of operation.Ray County- Richmond

Richmond Historic Bank in Richmond. McCalley Gorham & Bowman Building at 206 West Main Street. Formerly called Hughes/Wasson Bank
Now an office, the bank, which was robbed six times in 1866 and 1867, was robbed by the James Gang.
(For information on Richmond sites, contact the Richmond Chamber of Commerce at 816-776-6916)
Bob Ford’s Gravesite. Richmond Cemetery.
The man who killed Jesse James.
Bloody Bill Anderson’s Gravesite. Pioneer Cemetery or Old City Cemetery located on Intersection of North Thornton and Crispin Streets.Jesse James rode with Anderson during the Civil War.
MORE TO COME!!

Related Posts

• THIRD CHAPTER BY JUDGE THOMAS RILEY- JESSE JAMES
• SECOND IN THE SERIES BY T.R. Shouse ABOUT JESSE JAMES
• Eye-Witness Describes the Battle Albany-Captain Bill Anderson-5
• Personal Account of Jesse James- Judge T.R. Shouse
• ELMIRA, RAY COUNTY, MISSOURI (Lisbonville)

Related posts

• THIRD CHAPTER BY JUDGE THOMAS RILEY- JESSE JAMES (0)
• SECOND IN THE SERIES BY T.R. Shouse ABOUT JESSE JAMES (0)
• The Donner Party= Revisited (0)
• The Death of William T. Anderson (Bloody Bill) (3)
• Robert Ford (Bob) (0)

Tags: Albany Missouri, bloody bill anderson, Bob Ford, captain John Sheets, Cox, Gallatin, Hankins, Kearney, lawson missouri, Liberty, liberty bank, Missouri, northwest missouri, Old Albany, orrick, ray county, Shelby, St. Joseph, wasson, who killed jesse james, William T. Anderson