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The House on Rocky Ridge Farm: Preserved, not Restored

May 26, 2016 By William Anderson
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Laura Ingalls Wilder was a teacher, seamstress, farmer’s wife, journalist, farm loan administrator, and an author. It was her role as writer of the Little House books that brought her lasting fame. And another job. She was the first, but unofficial, tour guide at her home on Rocky Ridge Farm near Mansfield, Missouri.

The House on Rocky Ridge Farm - A favorite Little House on the Prairie location.
Readers of the Little House books not only wrote fan letters, they often stopped at the Wilder home, hoping to meet the author. Laura graciously welcomed visitors, showing them through the rustic home where she did much of her writing. Imagine, getting a tour of Rocky Ridge farmhouse, from Laura herself.

The house still stands placidly on Rocky Ridge. It is surrounded by great, old trees, which create a green backdrop in spring and summer, and a panoply of color in autumn. The historic farmhouse where Laura and Almanzo Wilder spent most of their married life looks as it did during the 1930s and 1940s, the era when Laura wrote her books of pioneer life.

The House on Rocky Ridge Farm - Article about this historic Little House on the Prairie location - COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS HOME AND MUSEUM

COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER HISTORIC HOME AND MUSEUM IN MANSFIELD, MISSOURI.

The Wilders loved Rocky Ridge farmhouse. It began small, but grew from its 1895 start, until completion in 1913: a rambling ten-room house, with porches and windows placed to enjoy the landscape. Laura and Almanzo also valued the surrounding land — rugged, rolling; punctuated by a deep ravine and steep hillsides. They labored to make their land productive as a dairy, poultry, and fruit farm. At the same time, Laura honed her skill as a writer.

Almanzo died in 1949, and when Laura died in 1957 her Mansfield friends were moved to preserve the Wilder home. They knew of Mrs. Wilder’s fame, and the many letters and visits she received from readers. Her daughter, writer Rose Wilder Lane, pondered over the future of her parents’ house full of antiques and keepsakes. When Mansfield citizens, led by L.D. Lichty, proposed opening the Wilder home to visitors, Rose was agreeable. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association formed.

L.D. and Irene Lichty were the first curator team. Rose had a curators’ house constructed for them, so the property could be constantly supervised. For decades the Lichtys served with dedication. Following them was Connie Tidwell, who brought her own verve and passion. In 1993, Jean Coday, the current president of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association, stepped in.

Mrs. Jean Coday, Director

Mrs. Jean C. Coday, Director

Wilder Home tours started almost immediately. This was preservation, not a restoration; contents of the house were religiously left as they were when the Wilders lived there. Volunteers enabled the project; many still do today. Tours of the house start in the cozy kitchen; move into the dining room, bedroom, and Laura’s writing study. Most of the rooms seem diminutive. In the kitchen, the counters were purposely low, to accommodate Laura’s small stature. (She admitted to being 5’2″). The home’s finale is the big parlor and music room. These are all rooms with stories: of writing books, parties, candlelit dinners, dances and years of family life. It is a house of happy ghosts. Now, new memories are created as tourists from all over the world tour the house and experience the Wilder life.

The House on Rocky Ridge Farm - Laura's kitchen was a modest kitchen. COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER HISTORIC HOME AND MUSEUM

COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER HISTORIC HOME AND MUSEUM.

Visitors, numbering into the millions by now, are awed by the remaining Ingalls-Wilder artifacts. “There’s Pa’s fiddle” kids cry out, when they spy the familiar violin mentioned throughout the Little House books. The fiddle is perhaps the most reverenced relic. Laura’s penciled manuscripts, written on lined school tablets are a close second. Clothing, quilts, needlecraft, Blue Willow ware, the pump organ, Laura’s writing desk, Almanzo’s medicine chest all help to tell the story of the Wilders.

The House on Rocky Ridge Farm - Laura's writing desk COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS HOME AND MUSEUM

COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER HISTORIC HOME AND MUSEUM.

From the 1990s to the present, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association tackled pie-in-the sky projects. Each was achieved. Most of Rocky Ridge Farm has been re-purchased. The added acres include the 1928 Rock House, a gift from Rose to her parents, where they lived until 1937. It is now restored and part of the tour. (Laura and Almanzo enjoyed the Rock House, but eventually moved back “home” to the Farmhouse.) The Rocky Ridge apple orchard has also been re-booted.

The House on Rocky Ridge Farm - Inside the Wilder home COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER HISTORIC HOME AND MUSEUM

COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER HISTORIC HOME AND MUSEUM.

In 1971, a museum building was constructed next to the farmhouse. Convenient, but the location jarred purists. As did the curators’ house. Both encroached on the woodsy, rural setting of the Wilder home. Eventually both buildings will be razed. The plan is to return the site to its 1940s-1950s look.

This spring, a new state-of-the-art museum and visitor center opened, which are set down a hill below the farmhouse so as not to disturb its setting. The new museum is the result of years of planning and fundraising. (The Association receives no income or royalties, other than admission fees and donations.) Laura Ingalls Wilder’s words, invoked at the museum’s dedication, summarized the care and tending of her home place: “If enough people think of a thing and work hard enough at it, it’s pretty nearly bound to happen, wind and weather permitting.”

The House on Rocky Ridge Farm - Newly opened visitor center and museum. COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS HOME AND MUSEUM

COURTESY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER HISTORIC HOME AND MUSEUM.

Wind and weather permitting, Rocky Ridge Farm, home of the Wilders, will continue to welcome visitors just as Laura did. Plan a visit to the birthplace of the Little House books.

Contact Information, Admission and Hours of Operation:

The complex is one mile east of Mansfield, Missouri.
3060 Highway A
Mansfield, MO 65704

Admission: Adults, 18 & over: $14.00. Children, 6-17: $7.00. Under 6, free. Admission includes an orientation film, unlimited browsing in the museum, a guided tour of the Wilder Home and the Rock House. The grounds invite contemplation and walking to the ravine, apple orchard and an operating replica of a hen house. The Museum Store sells books, DVDS, Wilder-era clothing and memorabilia.

Hours of Operation: The Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum is open daily from 9-5, March 1-November 15. Sunday hours are 12:30-5. 

For more information about the museum and a complete list of mail order merchandise, visit the website at lauraingallswilderhome.com or call 1-877-924 7126.

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William Anderson
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William Anderson

William Anderson was introduced to the Wilder books in elementary school, as were millions of other American children. Later, his groundbreaking research on the Little House people and places resulted in a number of books published by HarperCollins, including Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography, Laura Ingalls Wilder Country, The Little House Guidebook, A Little House Sampler, and others. Anderson is a frequent speaker at conferences, libraries, schools and historical events. His home is in Michigan.
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Latest posts by William Anderson (see all)

  • The House on Rocky Ridge Farm: Preserved, not Restored - May 26, 2016
  • One More Visit to the Little House: The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder - March 4, 2016

Filed Under: History, Learning Tagged With: About Laura, Almanzo Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie, Mansfield Museum, Rocky Ridge, Rose Wilder, The Little House Books

« From “Unlearned Poet” to “Untutored Housewife”: Samuel Worthen Ingalls and Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie – Episode Guide – Season 6 »

Comments

  1. AvatarCarole larson says

    May 28, 2016 at 10:38 am

    Im coming in August, i cant wait!!!!

    Reply
    • Angela EnglandAngela England says

      May 28, 2016 at 2:40 pm

      How wonderful! What a great trip that will be.

      Reply
  2. AvatarRobin Zorn says

    October 14, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    I love watching little house on the prairie and what books I read.

    Reply
  3. AvatarChris says

    January 19, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    Is the original log cabin still standing?

    Reply
  4. AvatarChad says

    March 17, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    How much is handicap accessible?

    Reply
  5. AvatarSara Eckhardt says

    April 4, 2017 at 9:18 pm

    Where can I purchase the types of apple trees, peach trees, etc. that were grown at Rocky Ridge to plant at my own home?

    Reply
  6. Avatarautumn landru says

    April 27, 2017 at 10:58 am

    i relly want to go

    Reply
  7. AvatarJuanita says

    July 20, 2017 at 8:27 pm

    Last Oct/Nov my husband surprised me with a trip to Rocky Ridge. I absolutely loved seeing where they lived and learning about all the work they put into their place. I want to go again sometime.

    Reply
  8. AvatarRockinro says

    August 6, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    Anyone know a good hotel to stay at nearby??

    Reply
  9. AvatarAmelia Hume says

    August 17, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    I have been to Rocky Ridge twice, once in 1990 and the 2nd time in 2008. In spite of these trips, I had always forgotten to ask about and look at the ravine and the springs that are mentioned in many of LIW biographical books. i do not remember them being included in the tours including that of the Rock House which I saw in 2008.

    Are the springs still running and can a visitor view them? I would not mind making another visit to Mansfield even if I have to fly again to Kansas City and travel by car to Mansfield. i live in Southern California but I have grown up with LIW and been a fan for 56 years now. i am 66 years old. Thank you for any information you can share with me.

    Reply
  10. AvatarSubhadra Uddin (Janet) says

    September 21, 2017 at 6:19 am

    This is one of the places on my bucket list.. Hoping
    To visit soon. Always fascinated about the Ingalls..
    I still DVR and watch the Re- runs.. Will do some research before making this trip.

    Reply
  11. AvatarPatricia Enloe says

    March 22, 2018 at 3:38 pm

    I was lucky enough to visit the “farm” several years ago. I would love to go back but it won’t ever be possible due to health reasons. We even visited her grave site. Oh to have been lucky enough to meet her but she died when I was a freshman in high school. I have all the books and re-read them all the time.

    Reply
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