Take A Trip to the Past in Springfield, Missouri

June 18, 2011

Ah, the sweet sounds of summer time. I am so excited to be at the very first Music and Arts Festival in Springfield, Missouri, listening to some great talent. Last night it was David Nail, Gloriana, REO Speedwagon and Trace Adkins who took the main stage and put on one heck of a show. Outdoor music festivals are always a blast and bring to mind the good ol' days of Woodstock. Not that I was at Woodstock, mind you. In fact, I wasn't even born at the time, but these types of music events always make me think about how it must have been in that field 42 years ago. Only this time, everyone wasn't coming together to celebrate “peace" and “free love.” No, this event was mainly organized to help raise money for the tornado victims of Joplin. It was for a much better cause, was much more organized and the people were much better behaved...well, except for a few rowdy drunks who got escorted out
It's been a few years since I've been in Springfield, but I've always felt the town doesn't get it's share of media coverage. Lets face it, it lies in the shadow of Branson, where something is always going on, so you don't hear about Springfield very often and what this town has to offer. For example, you may be surprised to find that a very important battle during the Civil War took place here and you can actually visit several historic sights at the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation. Visitors can tour the museum and the park, visit the battlefield, and the house which was used as a Confederate field hospital is still standing as well. This house is where Union General Nathaniel Lyon's body was brought after the fighting, he was the first Union General to die in the war.
Springfield is also home to quite a few unique lodging places and we were lucky enough to stay at one of them. The Mansion at Elfindale definitely has an interesting past. Located just off busy Sunshine Street in Springfield, you'll be surprised to see a European-style castle in the distance, and as you travel down the secluded tree covered drive, it's like you are stepping back in time.
The mansion was built in 1890 by more than 50 stone masons commissioned from Germany, and it was to be the home of attorney John O'Day who was also the vice president for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, and one of the first millionaires of the area. The completed home was 27,000 square feet and contained 35 rooms and 7 baths. After Mr. O'Day and his second wife divorced, she changed the name of the structure from “Park Place” to “Elfindale” due to the elves she claimed to see playing in the mist above the nearby lake. In 1906 she sold it to a Catholic order of nuns from St. Louis, and the structure became the St. d'Chantel Academy for girls all the way up to 1964. During that time, the nuns built an ornate chapel with gold inlays and stained glass windows, which is now used as a wedding chapel.
In the 1970's the mansion was sold again, this time to Iranian business men who intended it to be used as a safe house for the Shah of Iran. It was finally purchased by Cornerstone Church, fully restored and renovated in 1989 and to this day is an elegant Victorian bed and breakfast where visitors can experience a taste of the by-gone days of the past. It's definitely a change from your everyday, ordinary hotel room and you should pay a visit if you get the opportunity.

Camille Nesler has written for several publications including The Saline Courier (where her column runs every Friday on the Opinion Page), the Batesville Guard, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Maumelle Living magazine and Livestrong. She also works full-time as a school nurse, which allows her summers off with her family and gives her the freedom to write, which is her favorite pastime. She's married with three children, a lazy bulldog and a psycho guinea pig, and she gets most of the material for her columns and blogs from them