After Walt’s prompting, the Johnson’s daughter Kaye later applied for a career at Disneyland which she held for many years. The Johnsons continued to open their home to the Disneys, and Walt even had the opportunity to return the generosity by personally welcoming and hosting the Johnsons in his magic kingdom. The current ownership and gentle care of the house owes itself to the healthy friendship that developed between the Johnsons and Disneys over the years. “Once again she was lived in and taken care of” It was on this trip (during 1956), that Walt first vocalized his interests in a top-secret Marceline project. The couple extended hospitality to the Disneys by hosting Walt, Lillian, Roy, and Edna in their air-conditioned house). It was in 1956 during the dedication of Walt Disney Swimming Pool, that he struck up a friendship with two of Marceline’s prominent residents - Rush and Inez Johnson. Over the years, Walt managed to make a couple of trips back to Marceline. Though Walt was busy building an entertainment empire over the next two decades, he longed for the people and pace of his beloved hometown. After creating many memories over the course of five years, Walt’s time on the farm came to an abrupt end when his father purchased a paper route in Kansas City and the entire family was moved during the summer of 1911. When they weren’t attending class, Walt and Ruth shared many adventures around the farmhouse, their “Dreaming tree”, the barn, the swimming hole and the cotton fields. My first impression of it was that it had a beautiful front yard.” Just one passing glimpse of the unchanging property today confirms Walt’s observation made more than a hundred years ago! Coffman met us in his wagon, and we rode out to our house in the country just outside city limits. Walt recollected: “I went with my family to live in Marceline when I was four years old…I clearly remember the day we arrived there on the train. Elias paid $3000 in installments for the 40-acre farm and house (previously owned by a Civil War veteran named William Crane). The matter was decided, and Elias and Flora soon heeded Robert’s advice and purchased their 40-acre farmstead only a few miles away from his own original property. Elias was deeply interested in protecting his family from certain negative influences, as well as teaching his children the value of hard work and living a simple life. When his brother Elias shared the news that his family would be moving from their crime infested neighborhood of Chicago in 1905, it was Robert who suggested the newly formed Santa Fe division point as a potential destination to set up house. Robert was also a land speculator, and amongst his holdings was a parcel of land just outside the city line of Marceline, Missouri. Just how did Elias, Flora and their family come to reside in such a small, recently established farm community so far out in the middle of the country? It just so happened that Walt’s uncle Robert Disney owned a successful ‘flour, feed, and poultry’ business in Marceline. Your personal tour of the Marceline Disney Family Home begins HERE! “Once upon a time there was a Little House way out in the country…” Now let’s explore the former Disney abode and a few tales associated with its residents. Some of the stories you will hear today were passed along by the Disneys to Rush and Inez, who in turn shared them with their daughter (who currently owns this historic house). Though we don’t have time to examine each one, I would like you to know that many of the possessions were donated sometime after 1998 by individuals like Walt’s sister Ruth Beecher (while others are family heirlooms of the current caretaker and owner). As we tour the residence today, you’ll note many antiques throughout the home. Please step this way as we head to the quaint town of Marceline, Missouri and explore a rarely seen historic location - the former Disney family home (1906 - 1911)! Walt Disney spent the formative years of his childhood here, continuing to carry with him the fond memories of this farmhouse and the community it was nestled in.
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