The Ginger House Museum Opens in
Independence
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| The Ginger House Museum |
The Ginger House Museum at 100 W Moore Street, Independence,
Missouri, is the birthplace of famed actress and dancer Ginger Rogers. The
Museum opens to the public on August 21 after a 3:00 pm ribbon cutting ceremony
by the Independence Chamber of Commerce, and will celebrate the grand opening until August 31.
Marge and Gene Padgitt with Three
Trails Cottages, Inc. own the property and have been restoring it since they
purchased it in February of 2016. The Padgitt’s own several businesses including
HearthMasters, which is a chimney and fireplace restoration company, and Three
Trails Properties, which is a real estate investment company. Gene Padgitt is
the general contractor for the Ginger House Museum project. The interior has
been restored to as close to original as possible with the addition of museum
displays which include photos, posters, clothing and items that Ginger Rogers
owned, and her family history. The exterior of the home and landscaping will be
completed in the spring of 2019.
The home was designated as an Historic
Landmark Property by the City of Independence in 1994 when Ginger Rogers
visited for her birthday celebration.
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| Ribbon Cutting with the Independence Chamber |
Audrey Elder, author of “Guide to
Selling Historic Properties for Real Estate Agents” and 29 historic property
books including “100 W Moore Street,” was recently hired to manage the Ginger
House Museum. Audrey is the co-owner of Past to Present Research LLC. Past to
Present specializes in historic research, education and sustainability
consultation. After recently leaving a twelve-year career in real estate,
Audrey now teaches continued education on working with historic properties for
realtors in Missouri and Kansas as well as training presentations specific to
historic preservation and sustainable community building in historic districts.
Audrey served three years on the City of Independence Missouri Heritage
Commission, is a member of many local historic societies, Missouri Main Street
member, founder of sustainability community group Meaningful Living and
Co-Chair of Education Outreach for the Oregon California Trails Association.
Museum hours are 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday – Saturday and 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm on Sunday from April 1 to September
30. From October through March the Museum will be open for private group tours
by appointment. Prices are $8 for ages 13 and over, $6 for seniors and military, and $4 for ages
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| Grand Opening Cake |
5 - 12. The museum is seeking volunteer docents to work part time on their own schedule. For more information visit www.thegingerhouse.org or call 816-833-1602.
