By Savannah Lore

My name is Savannah Lore, and I am a graduate student in the Public History program. During the summer semester, I will be doing my internship with the Wornall-Majors House Museums. My time will be spent conducting the weekend tours at the home and building a tour script for the Alexander Majors House. For a little historical background on Majors, he was nationally known for his part in the large freighting firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell in the 1850s and 1860s. His other main contribution to history was starting the Pony Express in 1860. With this history in mind, I am trying to create a script that can tell this story but not leave out the story of his life in this home.

Majors’ story is obviously a national story that deals with Westward Expansion, but we also have a house that tells a great story about life in Missouri during the 1850s and 1860s. I know that one of the issues I will have to take into account and wrestle with in my tour script is trying to balance out the stories to create a solid narrative. One of the reasons I wanted to do this project was to understand and experience writing in this way. Also, I wanted to dig up some great stories and answer questions I already have about Majors and this house. For the next few weeks, I will also try to find the balance in my posts to discuss not only my progress with my tour script but also my experiences working with the public at the Majors House. Trust me, giving tours are an experience. I do not want to deprive you of the stories I have about tours and the things I have learned giving them. I experience a new question, a new perspective or a new challenge from visitors every time I open those doors.