What a hidden jewel this home and museum is. We are so glad we ventured passed Hannibal to a little town of Palyma Missouri. The large Victorian Homes lines the street and are a sight to see. The Gardner House was built in 1828 and at one time was a stagecoach stop. The historical artifacts there are amazing, and one that really was an intrest was an old shoe. Yes, and old button up shoe(1800) that was found in the town"s courthouse wall in 2007. It seems it was a custom to put a shoe in the wall to ward off evil spirits. I didn't know that, did you? There are civil war, items, but also a tribute to a very famous actress from there. Her stage name was Jane Darwel and she played Ma Joad in the classic, "Grapes Of Wrath. Our tour guide, Theresa Kindhart and the new director, (Sara I think was her name) were very knowleable of the history and extremely nice ladies. We saw some amazing artifacts there and highly recommend taking the time to visit this wonderful attraction