MANSFIELD TODAY

Mansfield is located in Wright County, Missouri, about 50 miles east of Springfield. It is 75 miles from Mansfield to Branson, Missouri, traveling through Springfield, although it is possible to travel south through Ava and continue on state roads southwest of Highway 5. Wolf Creek is part of the Gasconade River watershed and is north of Mansfield. Fry Creek flows through former parts of Rocky Ridge Farm.

Rocky Ridge Farm is located on the south side of County Road A (called Business 60 through town), about one mile east of Mansfield. The white farmhouse was left almost exactly as it was when Laura Ingalls Wilder died; her February 1957 calendar still hangs in the kitchen. The Rock House, built in 1928, stands over the ridge to the east and is a short drive away. Both the Farmhouse and Rock House are open for tours in season (admission charged). The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum  is adjacent to the farmhouse and fans can spend hours looking at the many displays. The Museum Bookstore is located in the former curator's house; it also provides a mail-order service.

The Mansfield Cemetery is the final resting place of Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) and Almanzo Wilder (1857-1949), and it contains a marker commemorating the life of Rose Wilder Lane (1886-1968). Also buried here is Frank M. Cooley, mentioned in On the Way Home. The cemetery is located west of town at the end of Lincoln Street.

The Mansfield United Methodist Church is on Lincoln Street. This is not the sanctuary known by the Wilders, as it was built in 1965 (the original church was torn down). One of the pews in the new church was donated by George and Paul Cooley and dedicated to the memory of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cooley (see On the Way Home). Originally the Mansfield Methodist Church, in 1968 the Methodists joined with the United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Library is located on the east side of Highway 5 (the Hartville Road) in the block north of the town square. Laura Ingalls Wilder was instrumental in starting lending libraries in Hartville and other towns in Wright County, and the Mansfield Branch of the Wright County Library was renamed for her in 1951. Laura was a frequent visitor to the library; she enjoyed reading westerns!

 The town of Mansfield lies south of Highway 60. County Road 5 runs into town at the Town Square, where a bronze bust of Laura Ingalls Wilder (dedicated in 1993) is on display. When the Wilders lived in Mansfield, the square was a busy place, with stores and businesses surrounding it on three sides and the Depot (no longer standing) to the south at the railroad tracks. Look for the Bank of Mansfield and the former Farmers and Merchants Bank building on Commercial Street. The Bank of Mansfield is the oldest continuous business in town, established in 1892.

The Mansfield Cemetery is a short distance from the center of town; follow the signs to the graves of Laura and Almanzo Wilder.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Public Library features a cabinet display of items of interest to Wilder fans, including a set of character dolls mentioned on the recording "Laura Ingalls Wilder Speaks," sold at the Wilder Museum Bookstore.

The Wilders' home on Commercial Street is owned by the Wilder Association but is not open to the public. The former Cooley home is two doors closer to the town square on the same side of Commercial Street; it was used as a gas station in recent years.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum is a mile east of town on County Road A. Parking is to the north of the road. The Rock House is a short drive away on Stewart Drive; the Wilders once owned the land between the two homes and traveled between the two via shortcut across the hill property.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum

3068 Highway A

Mansfield, Missouri 65704 USA

phone: (417) 924-3626 or toll free: (877) 924-7126

web: www.lauraingallswilderhome.com

email: info@lauraingallswilderhome.com

Following Laura Ingalls Wilder's death, friends and residents in Mansfield set out to preserve the farmhouse on Rocky Ridge Farm as a memorial to Mrs. Wilder. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum was incorporated as a non-profit organization, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association, on October 24, 1957. The Wilders had sold Rocky Ridge Farm on a life-lease in the 1940s, and four acres and the farmhouse were purchased for preservation. Furniture and family items were donated by Rose Wilder Lane, and many volunteers worked tirelessly to open the historic home to visitors from all over the world. Following Rose Wilder Lane's death in 1968, a museum was built next to the farm home. The museum houses artifacts from the Ingallses, Wilders, as well as from the estate of Rose Wilder Lane. Among its treasures are original manuscripts for some of the "Little House"® books, Pa's fiddle, items of Laura's clothing, china, and needlework.

In the 1990s, the Association purchased the Rock House, a modern rock cottage built by Rose Wilder Lane in 1928 as a gift to her parents. Laura and Almanzo lived here during the writing of the first four "Little House"® books. Located a short drive from Rocky Ridge on Stewart Drive, the Rock House is now restored and open to visitors. The Wilder Association is planning to build a new museum in the future!

The Ozark Mountain Players present a pageant based on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder each year. Performance dates in 2011 are August 26 and 27, September 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 (Wilder Festival), 23, 24, 30, and October 1. Mansfield's Wilder Festival is September 16 and 17 this year. Call the Mansfield Chamber of Commerce for more information: (417) 924-3525. The pageant is held at Mansfield City Park; pre-performance activities begin at 8 o'clock p.m. Mansfield City Park is located west of Mansfield. See www.laurasmemories.com for more information.

Copyright © 2011 by Nancy Cleaveland - All Rights Reserved.