Historic Independence Square near Kansas City, Mo is the town's way of showing the importance Independence has had to history. Independence, which is the county seat of Jackson County, MO, is three miles south of the Missouri River. In the 1800s, it was the meeting place for the majority of the trading of the overland merchants going to the mountains or New Mexico. It was the final stop to most of the expeditions going west as well. Some of the famous people that have lived in Independence are Harry S. Truman, Jesse James, Emily Fisher, Wild Bill Hickock and Ginger Rogers to name a few.
The town is proud of their Historical Society, which is located in the old Courthouse in the Square. The mission of the Historical Society is to promote and preserve the heritage of the county and help others learn and interpret the regional and local history of the town.
The Historic Independence Square, which once had four hotels, a few merchant stores, many blacksmiths and a red courthouse, now is lined with some of the finest shops. You'll find antique shops, curios shops, eateries, boutiques and more on the Square, which is the highpoint of Historic Independence. Bookstores, clothing stores, specialty shops and bridal shops are just a few of the many shops you'll find on the Square.
The entire family will enjoy the Game café. You can sit and snack while the kids play XBOX, Nintendo or LAN. They also have card and board games and a snack café. They make some great birthday packages, too.
You won't want to leave the square without checking out the Keepsake Fudge & Finery. This is a family-owned business that knows how to make fudge in 120 different flavors. They'll let you sample their kettle drawn fudge before you buy so you know you're getting what you want. They also have some small collectibles, jewelry, handbags and miscellaneous.
