Pressure Washing
Liberty
MO

That makes Liberty the second-oldest incorporated town west of the Mississippi River. The name comes from the American concept. The Liberty Tribune, founded on the square in 1846, is the second-oldest continually published newspaper west of the Mississippi.

The square is where most of Liberty's history happened. The Clay County Savings Bank building, built in 1858, was the site of what's generally considered the first successful daylight bank robbery in peacetime US history — February 13, 1866, allegedly by the James-Younger Gang. The robbers were never caught. Today it houses the Jesse James Bank Museum, the oldest building still on the square. Two blocks away stands Liberty Jail, built in 1833, famous for holding Mormon prophet Joseph Smith Jr. through the winter of 1839. East of the square, William Jewell College — founded 1849 with a $10,000 donation from Dr. William Jewell of Columbia, Missouri — anchors downtown with picturesque turn-of-the-century buildings on the Quad.

About 30,000 people live in Liberty today across 29 square miles, six miles north of the Missouri River along I-35. The historic preservation here is serious. Five local historic districts, seven properties on the National Register, eighteen designated local landmarks, and a Century Project that recognizes nearly 250 buildings over 100 years old. The Jewell-Lightburne District alone contains 236 contributing buildings developed between 1852 and 1946.

Walk those streets and you find Greek Revival from the 1840s, Queen Anne towers and wraparound porches from the 1880s, Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s — all side by side on tree-lined blocks. Lightburne Hall, an 1852 mansion built as a wedding present, is the showpiece. The mature oaks and maples shading these historic blocks drop a tremendous load every fall, and the limestone, brick, and original wood siding on these 100-plus-year-old homes need specialized care that newer construction simply doesn't require.

Outside the historic core, Liberty has plenty of contemporary single-family neighborhoods, twelve community parks, the Liberty Trails System winding through paved walkways, and the corporate headquarters of B&B Theatres in town. Family Circle named Liberty one of the "10 Best Towns for Families" in 2011. Whether your home was built in 1852 or last year, Liberty homeowners take real pride in how their property looks — and that's something we appreciate as much as they do.