SELMO PARK
BY
ICIE F. JOHNSON for
The Kansas City Star, 1948
A MANSION OF THE 1860’S NOW A COLLEGIATE CENTER
Students at Central Missouri State College in Warrensburg delight in showing visitors through Selmo Park, a post-bellum home, now occupied by the school’s President.
Few landmarks have had the good fortune to be preserved for other generations, except as they have become the property of landmark societies or other groups for the safeguarding of the past. But Selmo Park, now the residence of the President of Central Missouri State College in Warrensburg has been one of those rare landmarks preserved for the youth of future generations, and the young people of Missouri are enjoying this beautiful old home. Built in 1866 by Major Edmond A. Nickerson, one of the writers of the 1875 Missouri Constitution, the large rambling colonial house has domiciled the great of its generation and is now attracting the youth of another generation.
On September 29, 1926 the Board of Regents of the College purchased the ten-acre tract of land and the stately old Nickerson home from members of the family. For more than half a century, Selmo Park had been a show place of the town. Now the old house is the center of campus life of the College. President and Mrs. George W. Diemer, formerly of Kansas City, have made it a home away from home for the college students, preserving the hospitality for which the old house was renowned.
Students Are Proud Of It
Hundreds of young men and women stroll through the large rooms and marvel at the beauty of the old house when the yearly fall reception of the President is held. Quietly, almost in awe, the new freshmen climb the long winding colonial stairway to the second floor which is equally as interesting as the first. And many of the upperclassmen proudly show off the house to new students. Often they stand and study the beautiful fireplaces, still as they were when the house was built, or marvel at the unusual floor of the old dining room, now used as the President’s study. Sometime after the house was completed a cabinet maker laid the floor of old seasoned black walnut and dark oak which was cut by hand. The pattern is diagonal with the back walnut and dark oak intermingled.
The original chandeliers, which still hang from the high ceilings of the front parlor and music room, are similar to those found in the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City. Like all southern families, the family portraits had an important place in the Nickerson home. The candelabra with beautiful crystals catching the soft light enhance the attractiveness of the rambling house with its large rooms. The woodwork was enameled white when the house was constructed and that has never been changed. The only exception is the finishing of the woodwork is the black walnut bannisters of the stairway and the black mantles in the old home are colonial design, and attract much attention from visitors who wander through the rooms, admiring their southern atmosphere and beauty.
A Great Entertainer
Because of Major Nickerson’s prominence in the State, many of the nation’s greats shared his hospitality. Dr. W. Pope Yeaman, renowned Baptist minister was often a guest in those early years. Senator and Mrs. George Vest, remembered for his classic appeal for the old hound dog, Drum, and later a prominent lawyer and legislator of the State, were guests at Selmo Park as were Governor J. Hoge Tyler, of Virginia, a nephew of Mrs. Nickerson and Colonel Miner Meriwether of St. Louis and Memphis. Judges of the Supreme Court were often entertained by the Nickerson family. Madame Ernestine Schumann Haink sang for the family there. The list is long and many are forgotten who shared the pleasure and comfort of Selmo Park.
When Major Nickerson, who was born in Baltimore, came to Missouri in 1857, he settled in Union, where he practiced law. Right after the Civil War he came to Warrensburg and bought a large wooded tract of land south of the town. The brick and building materials had to be hauled over rough country roads and through the woods to the site of the new house. The walls of the house are of solid brick, also the inside walls. The side lights at the front door are made of ruby glass.
The Old Mansion Look
The big square brick house has large green shutters which give it the air of an old southern mansion as it sits far back from the busy noisy thoroughfare. Major and Mrs. Nickerson loved the out-of-doors and took pride in their home. They planted all kinds of trees that would live in this climate among the big forest trees already on their spacious grounds. They had a graceful circular driveway built in front of the house, and many people used to drive out just to see it. The driveway was laid out by the civil war engineers who surveyed the first railroad across Missouri. They were assisted by Louis Nickerson, a brother of Major Nickerson. The younger Nickerson later assisted in building the Eads Bridge across the Mississippi river. But the driveway was changed after the college purchased the estate to meet the demands of automobiles.
A few additions have been made and some changes, but the old house stands sturdy and still attractive in its original state. Unlike the seven day wonders of today, Selmo Park, which was built for generations to come, will stand as a constant reminder of that period in Missouri history when leisurely comfort and splendor made a man’s home his castle.
In memory of Emma Lou Diemer (1927 – 2024) and
Selmo Park (1866 – 2015)