Westport, Kansas City, Missouri
Encyclopedia : W : WE : WES : Westport, Kansas City, Missouri
Westport is a historic registered neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Originally its own town, it was annexed by Kansas City in 1897. Today, it is one of Kansas City's main entertainment districts.
Westport was first settled by Reverend Isaac McCoy and his family in 1831, along the Missouri River. It was platted three years later, and formally incorporated in February of 1857.
The community thrived during the mid-1800s as an outfitter for migrants traveling any of the four now-historic trails (Oregon, California, Santa Fe and Lewis & Clark) which went through the area.
During the Civil War, there were many skirmishes between pro- and anti-slavery groups in the area, and the Civil War's Battle of Westport was fought there in October of 1864.
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and the Civil War, Westport's role as the starting point for migrants slowly declined, even as nearby Kansas City grew. It was annexed by Kansas City in 1897.
Today, Westport is known as a center of entertainment and nightlife (including blues music) in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
See also
External links
- [Westport Historic Society]
- [Notebooks of James Gillespie Hamilton] (a Westport merchant), from the Library of Congress website
- [WestportKC.com] Guide to the Westport district of Kansas City.
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