William Oliver Anderson, a hemp grower and rope maker, newspaperman, and sheriff of Lafayette County, built this stately home on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River in 1853, but only lived in it eight years.

Historic Anderson House

During the Civil War, the house was taken over by the Union Forces and used as a hospital. Anderson and his sons were imprisoned as southern sympathizers. He was never able to re-establish his business in Lexington and moved back to Kentucky. In 1868 the lawyer Tilton Davis bought the house and lived in it with his family for 50 years. He practiced before the Supreme Court in St. Louis and after a successful case would either throw a dance in the hallway, with the band on the landing, or he would bring back elegant purchases. One of these is the massive bedroom suite in the first room on the left, upstairs. The Anderson house is now open for public tours as part of the Missouri State Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Historic Preservation. Please visit their website for information on park hours and tour times.