Twenty minutes from downtown, in Independence, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum tells the story of the plain-spoken Missourian who went from a failed Kansas City haberdashery to the most powerful office on earth.
After a top-to-bottom renovation, the museum immerses visitors in Truman’s whirlwind presidency: the end of World War II, the decision on the atomic bomb, the founding of the United Nations and NATO, the Berlin Airlift and the firing of General MacArthur — all presented with the artifacts, films and candor Truman himself demanded.
Highlights include a full-scale replica of his Oval Office, his famous “The Buck Stops Here” desk sign’s legacy, and the quiet courtyard where Harry and Bess Truman are buried side by side.
Pair it with a stroll around Independence Square and the Truman home neighborhood for a perfect Kansas City history day.
