Laura’s homesites are precious to me. Each of them has its own charm, its own pleasant remembrances of a time long ago when our beloved Laura lived there.
But there is something about Rocky Ridge Farm* that fills me with a sense of nostalgic awe like none of the others. I love that old house and the grounds surrounding it. It feels like home.
One might say it’s become a bit of an obsession for me. When in Mansfield, a simple visit and tour of the home isn’t nearly enough to satisfy me. I simply cannot be so near that home and not see it. I’ve driven over to see it in the blackness of night. I’ve come by to see the sun rise from its grounds, and also to watch it set. I’ve even gone over to say goodbye to it in the wee hours of the morning, when the fog was so thick it blanketed the house entirely so it wasn’t even visible. Simply knowing it was there was enough. I just love that old house.
Plans have been in the works for years to build an archival museum away from the home, tearing down the current museum and restoring the grounds as closely as possible to the way they looked when Laura and Almanzo were still living. I’ve spent hours poring over the architectural drawings available at the current museum building, trying to envision how the farm looked in the past, as well as what it will look like when the renovations are completed. I’ve long dreamed of the day when all of this will come to pass, but funding such an extensive project isn’t easy.
So I was very pleased to hear of the latest boost to the fundraising drive, including the news that former First Lady Laura Bush has agreed to serve as honorary chairman of the campaign. Check out Springfield’s local newspaper for more details.
* Rocky Ridge Farm was the final home of Laura and Almanzo Wilder, in Mansfield, Missouri.