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131 East Farmer Street

Image of the Post World War II Modern-style Vietta Garr House.

Resource 592 131 East Farmer Street (in 2011) Classification: Contributing. Historic Name: Vietta Garr House. Architectural Style: Post World War II Modern. Construction Date: 1953. Period 5 of Harry S Truman's Life: Serving as Elder Statesman, 1953-1971. Tax Identification: 26-220-25-067. Legal Description: Johnson First Addition, part of lot 11. Description: A one-story, gabled roof post-World War II residence. The gabled roof is clad with composition shingles and has no eaves. Foundation is concrete with a full basement. House has exterior aluminum siding. A six-foot high wood stockade fence runs along the rear property line and a small wood frame tool shed stands within the fence line. A four-foot high wrought iron fence extends along the sidewalk in front of the property. • Alterations: The house has new siding, a new roof, and some new vinyl windows. Aluminum awnings have been installed on the windows on the north, east, and west sides. The front porch (north side) entry has an aluminum flat porch roof with a canopy added. There is a glassed-in addition along the entire back width of the house with a flat sloping roof to the rear. History/Significance: This house was built for Vietta Garr in 1953, with financial assistance provided by Harry and Bess Truman. Vietta Garr served as cook and housekeeper for the Trumans and also cared for their daughter, Margaret. Garr went to work for the Trumans in 1928 and remained with them until the 1960s, except for a two-year break in employment. From 1943 to 1945, Ms. Garr managed the Kansas City Crown Drug Store lunch counter. Back with the Trumans in 1945, Vietta Garr accompanied the family to the White House. Upon her retirement in 1967, the Trumans established a trust fund that paid Vietta Garr $20 per week for five years; they also helped her finance this house on Farmer Street. Ione Vietta Garr was born to Benjamin Garr and Emma Jamison in March of 1896. Vietta attended Young School, then situated at the corner of Farmer and Noland streets, and also completed high school. Ms. Garr was active in both the Second Baptist Church and the Knights of Tabor. The Knights of Tabor was a social/religious organization created for the purpose of promoting the Christian religion. The local chapter of the Knights of Tabor had twenty-seven members (all women) in 1927 and Vietta Garr was elected "High Priestess" of them all. Garr also played piano and sang in the choir of the Second Baptist Church that was at the time located on White Oak Street in Independence. Ms. Garr died on December 31, 1973, after being hospitalized for several weeks as the result of burns she suffered in a fire. Note: The 2011 nomination does not list this tool shed as a separate resource. Also, the building that housed the Young School was still standing in 2011, but is outside the district. The Second Baptist Church, outside the district, was still an active church in 2011.

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Image

Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, Code: HSTR

131 East Farmer Street, Independence, Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, Jackson County, Missouri
Latitude: 38.9012985229492, Longitude: -94.5307006835938

NPS.gov Collection

05/01/2011 | Dates are approximate. All photographs were taken during May 2011.

01/01/0001

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Thursday, September 23, 2021 7:16:36 AM

Thursday, September 23, 2021 7:25:47 AM

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Scenic