Day 3: September 17, 2026 The Miner's Drive Comment via blog

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Patsy Kay's might not look like a diner on the outside, but on the inside it 100% is. And I had a fine breakfast there.

The Miner's Drive Sociability Caravan participants gathered at the Cass County Library in Harrisonville, MO.

Our first stop was a brief one in Archie. This is near the midpoint of the Jefferson Highway, and the caravan posed with a sign marking that.

The stop in Butler was significantly longer. We were served lunch here after roaming throughout the Bates County Museum in a former Poor House. There was a Jefferson Highway sign in a room near the entrance and another in a wall mounted display of highway related items. The pictured chair is believed by many to have been used by Lincoln. A picture of Dr. Elliot Pyle's home hangs on the wall. He purchased this piano in 1877. The beautifully restored Steinway is often played during events at the museum.

Before leaving Butler, we stopped at this good looking mural downtown.

The Bushwhacker Museum in Nevada, MO, has some outstanding exhibits on the region's history but I found myself attracted to some medical devices. The Wagner Mica-Plate Static Machine was once used "to cure ailments". I'm sure glad the the tonsillectomy chair was retired before I had mine removed in the 1950s. The Apostle Saul Clock from Switzerland also caught my eye.

We next made our way to Fort Scott, KS.

We had about half an hour to explore the fort before it closed, but with 100 degree temperature that was more than enough for me. I checked out the hospital upstairs in the same building as the visitor center and an infantry barracks next door. I considered walking over to the officers quarters across the way but the heat talked me out of it.

Before leaving Fort Scott, we cruised through Gunn Park, which had been home to a tourist camp during the Jefferson Highway period.

This is for the "pictures or it didn't happen" crowd.

We finished off the drive with some real Jefferson Highway and a couple of old bridges.

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