Every year, for as long as I can remember, I’ve gone to the Heritage Festival at Nifong Park with my mom or my sister. There are so many beautiful and intriguing things there that make for amazing photographs. It’s nice to be reminded of where we came from and what Missouri used to be.
When I got to the Heritage Festival, this was the first thing I went to go see, because I haven’t gotten to watch the tribal dancers since I was a little kid. Each of the members shared with us their stories of what the colors and pieces of their regalia represent to them. It was fascinating to hear and comforting to know that the history is still present in what they do today.
The Easley Country Store served as a general supply store, a post office and a stockyard from the 1890’s until the early 2000’s. It sat on the banks of the Missouri River until it was moved to Nifong Park in 2006. It was remodeled to look like it would have in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
The McQuitty Shotgun House is known as such because of the “shotgun” style of architecture frequently used in the Deep South. Shotgun houses were long and narrow with doors connecting one room to the next and no hallway. It was said that a shot fired from a shotgun at the front door could reach the back door without ever touching a wall.
