James Brothers' House and Farm, also known as the Birthplace of Jesse James, is a historic home and farm complex located near Kearney,

Clay County, Missouri Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liber ...

. The original log section of the

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 33 active chapters and four associate ch ...

was built about 1822; it was later enlarged with a wood-frame addition to form a "T"-plan dwelling. The James Brothers' House is significant as the birthplace of

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

and

Frank James Alexander Franklin James (January 10, 1843 – February 18, 1915) was a Confederate soldier and guerrilla; in the post-Civil War period, he was an outlaw. The older brother of outlaw Jesse James, Frank was also part of the James–Younger ...

and has been selected as the most important site related to the James Brothers in Missouri. In 1974

, bought it. The county operates the site as a house museum and historic site. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972, with a boundary increase in 1978.

References

Historic house museums in Missouri Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Houses completed in 1822 Museums in Clay County, Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Clay County, Missouri {{ClayCountyMO-NRHP-stub