The Lawless House
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The Restoration of the Lawless House

The Lawless House, also, The Restoration of the Lawless House. . , The Lawless House, D Lawless and his wife Martha Anne Dawson Lawless built this Queen Anne style farmhouse in 1903. They had been raising their family of eleven girls and one son in the log home of his father, Burton Lawless, just south of Arrow Rock. , The Lawless family is an important one to the Arrow Rock community. In 1829, D's parents. Burton and Nancy Lawless, and John and Mary Bingham each gave 50 acres to town commissioners for the purpose of establishing the town of Philadelphia, Missouri, which in 1833 officially became Arrow Rock. Additional Lawless land ran south of the village along the Missouri River bluffs, now the Arrow Rock State Historic Site and the site of this house. , The farmstead represents the transition from a southern plantation culture where hemp was king to the beginnings of diversified farming of the 20th century. D Lawless grew wheat, oats and corn, which instead of being big cash crops, were utilized more for livestock feed or for grinding into flour or meal at the gristmill. He was also known for breeding fine road horses and workhorses. , D and Martha moved to Marshall in 1918. The Brewe family purchased the property and added the room on the west side of the house where they boarded local preachers. , In 1946 Mr. and Mrs. J. Edwin Barger purchased the property. Mr. Barger introduced newer crops like alfalfa and lespedeza and developed a herd of over 100 purebred Angus cattle. The property remained in the Barger family until sold to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 1991. , The Restoration of the Lawless House , A Gift of Gladys Moehle Thomas, "Hello, all you wonderful people who have come to visit this farmstead…I like to say this is the second home of a progressive frontier farmer, who provided well for his large family of eleven daughters, and finally, somewhere along the line, a son., This home, for its day, had many comforts: an ice house, carbide as well as electric lights. Grandpa always had the latest (Durant) cars to meet the grandchildren who arrived on the train at Blackwater, a piano, victrola and plenty of games, books, and puzzles for the grandchildren. He was proud he had hired help; none of his daughters had to work in the fields. He sent his children to the Academy in Arrow Rock. My mother took her music lessons at the Old Tavern. They were good people…, This has been a happy project for me, a granddaughter of pioneer Missourians, bringing this house back to life. Enjoy your time here." , , Gladys Moehle Thomas , 93 years plus and still holding , September 21, 2003, The Friends of Arrow Rock are grateful to Gladys Thomas for the financial gift enabling the restoration of the Lawless house and to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for a long-term lease on the property.