Last updated: June 14, 2024
Place
Patee House Museum
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
1202 Penn St, Saint Joseph, MO 64503
Significance:
Served as the Eastern Headquarters for the Pony Express.
Designation:
National Historic Landmark
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Pony Express Missouri No. 2 "Eastern Headquarters" Home Station
The 140-room Patee House, built by John Patee in 1858, was recognized at that time as the most luxurious hotel west of the Mississippi River. In 1860, Russell, Majors, & Waddell established the St. Joseph offices of the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company on the first floor of the hotel.
Here, on April 3, 1860, Mayor M. Jeff Thompson gave a rousing address to the excited crowd before the first pony-rider headed west:
The mission of the Pony Express Historical Association is to interpret the early history and development of St. Joseph, from the days of the Pony Express and Jesse James to the 1920s, using authentic artifacts in the buildings where these events actually occurred.
The 140-room Patee House, built by John Patee in 1858, was recognized at that time as the most luxurious hotel west of the Mississippi River. In 1860, Russell, Majors, & Waddell established the St. Joseph offices of the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company on the first floor of the hotel.
Here, on April 3, 1860, Mayor M. Jeff Thompson gave a rousing address to the excited crowd before the first pony-rider headed west:
The original four-story brick structure, now 140 years old, still stands at the corner of 12th and Penn Streets and houses a museum of communications and transportation, which includes the restored Pony Express office.
"This is a great day in the history of St. Joseph. For more than a decade she has been the portal through which passed the wagon trains for the great west. . . .Now she is to become the connecting link between the extremes of the continents. For the first time in the history of America, mail will go by an overland route from east to west. . . . Citizens of St. Joseph, I bid you three cheers for the Pony Express!"
The mission of the Pony Express Historical Association is to interpret the early history and development of St. Joseph, from the days of the Pony Express and Jesse James to the 1920s, using authentic artifacts in the buildings where these events actually occurred.
Site Information
Location (1202 Penn St, Saint Joseph, MO 64503)