Delightful, Historic Fulton, Missouri!
Beautiful Fulton, Missouri has a charming downtown with shopping opportunities, history galore, and tons of fun things to do. This town with a population of around 14,000 has had some pretty famous visitors, from Winston Churchill to past Presidents! The National Winston Churchill Museum stands in a 17th century church in next to Westminster College. There is also an amazing sculpture that includes actual parts of the Berlin Wall! only part of the original
This was the second leg of a fun girl’s getaway that had been a long time in the making. After traveling to the relaxing Lake of the Ozarks, area on a hosted trip, my friend Rose Hammitt and I headed for downtown Fulton. While Lake of the Ozarks was a kick back, relax, and get outdoors type of travel, Fulton was a sophisticated trip that we loved equally, but with a totally different vibe!
Brooklyn Pizza in downtown Fulton, Missouri
It was around noon when we arrived in Fulton, Missouri. Our friend, and hostess, Jo Duncan met us at Brooklyn Pizza with Renee Graham, the Director of Tourism for the City of Fulton, and Callaway County! Located at 501 Court St., Brooklyn Pizza has been open for a decade. Owner Brian Atkins moved to the area from New York, and they offer authentic New York pizza and calzones!
Jo and Renee said we couldn’t go wrong with anything we ordered. I opted for a veggie calzone, and Rose chose spaghetti. My calzone was amazing, but it was the crust that made it so delectable.
Renee took the time to share a bit of the history of the town that she grew up in, before we set out to see the sites.
The Green Meadow Barn Company
Thankfully Renee led the way to what was Rose’s favorite visit in the Fulton, MO area, Carolyn Linton’s Green Meadow Barn. Her shop is in rural Millersburg, in the show barn that she tore down and built up again! Building beautiful wooden furniture for over 30 years, Carolyn shared that when she was a little girl growing up on the farm that she would make toys for her and her brother. Today, everything that she builds she shares, “Was once part of an old barn or house.”
While she has always been delving in building, she shared that before this, she worked as both a teacher and a contractor before she started building full-time.
What makes each piece especially wonderful is the fact that each item she creates has a pewter medallion with an ink sketch of the original building that the wood once came from.
She includes the history, date, and origin of the wood so the buyer knows the story behind the furniture, or box that they buy. A woman of faith, we loved everything about Carolyn, her story, her work ethic, and most of all, the lovely items she makes! You can only reach Carolyn by appointment so check out her website and plan to visit her sometime soon.
The Loganberry Inn
After our amazing visit with Carolyn, Renee took us to the beautiful and historic Loganberry Inn to check in. Nanette King and her husband own the Inn which was built in 1899. She greeted us, and escorted us to our lovely room, one of five available. Each room has a private bath, and they all are quite lovely with a down comforter, fireplace, and the Kings even offer robes and slippers.
The stained-glass windows, and lovely furniture made our girl’s getaway. The home was originally built for the Marquess family, a professor at Westminster College. It passed through several families before eventually being bought by the Logan’s who established the home as the “Loganberry Inn” in the early 1990’s. Then the McGeorges bought the house and hosted then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She was attending the anniversary celebration of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” (Sinews of Peace) speech. They then later sold the home to the Kings in 2022. Today, this young couple is providing a wonderful stay, and delectable food for the morning breakfast.
We learned that Nanette is a chef, and it showed in her carefully crafted meal! Breakfast was in the dining room with amazing food!
The National Churchill Museum
Who would ever guess that Winston Churchill visited a small town in Missouri not long after World War II? The National Churchill Museum a fascinating place was our next stop, and Rose and I were blown away by the history here. I really can’t encapsulate the story in a short blog. You just have to go there yourself to learn all the stories within the stories.
We received a wonderful tour and learned that Winston Churchill delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech on March 5, 1946. He was accompanied by President Truman. Besides that, amazing fact, the National Churchill Museum is located below the Saint Mary the Virgin Aldermanbury Church, a 900-year-old parish redesigned by Christopher Warren in 1670. The church was then destroyed during the London bombings in 1940. However, when looking for a way to thank Churchill for his speech, the Dean of Westminster college decided as a tribute to Winston Churchill they would reconstruct this church in Fulton stone by stone. With cooperation between Great Britian and the US, this feat was accomplished.
Outside of the museum and church is another amazing piece of history! Rose and I loved the chance to pose at the sculpture, “Breakthrough” which includes a large piece of the original Berlin Wall. The piece was sculpted by Churchill’s granddaughter, Edwina Sandys, and measures 11 feet tall by 32 feet long.
The parts of the wall are eight wall sections. These stood near the Brandenburg Gate. On the east side the wall is plain. The west side has colorful graffiti showed the difference between the freedom, or lack of.
Beks dining experience
Beks is a wonderful American gastropub in the historic Brick District of downtown Fulton. Part of the local restaurant guide, Garry Vaught and his wife run this diner that opened in 2005 and began as a coffee and wine bar. Today a full-service restaurant, the building is housed in a former dry goods store. The two buildings that comprise Beks is on the historic registry and was designed by famous Missouri architect Morris Frederick Bell.
We met Renee for dinner and while at the table had the chance to meet the Garry the owner. He and his wife work together also on community events like the Morels & Microbrews Festival that was held this past May. Wish I had been there! My meal was fantastic. I had a beef filet with garlic mashed potatoes. Yum!
The Brick District, in historic Fulton, Missouri
Rose and I loved the historic Brick District of downtown Fulton. This charming area is home to over 100 independent businesses! We toured the area and were excited to see Saults Drug, an old-fashioned Drug Store, and GoPo Gourmet Popcorn to name a few of the fun businesses. The Brick District Playhouse has been saved and now offers entertainment and dining!
I sampled some of GoPo’s delectable popcorn and met owner Brooke Bartlett. She gave me some popcorn that fit my diabetic diet. I also loved the history museum about Fulton, Missouri and Callaway County as well as the beautiful buildings, brick streets and more. We enjoyed shopping in the downtown district.
Auto World Museum outside Fulton, Missouri
Rose is an antique car enthusiast, and I love old machines, so the Auto World Museum located on the edge of town, was a great stop for us. Tom Jones took us on a wonderful whirlwind tour. This museum features an array of vehicles from the late 1800’s, to the 1980’s. Tom Jones who has experience in the movie industry has arranged vehicles in beautiful settings sharing the history of Callaway County.
The story behind the museum belongs to the late William E. Backer. Owner of the wonderful Baker Potato Chip Company located nearby; he was fascinated by old cars. On the website they share that his memories, “were of old country roads and two-lane highways.”
He collected cars from his childhood memories, and many of the cars on display belonged to him. We were charmed by the vintage beauties, and you will find a car of your dreams for sure!
Cranes Country Store
Our last stop of the trip was the fun Crane’s Country Store in Williamsburg, Missouri. This hardware, general and everything else store was a step back in time. You can find most anything here. I love their slogan, “We sell boots, bullets, britches and bologna—just like our slogan says.”
Rose and I had a blast winding up our Girl’s Getaway in Fulton, Missouri and Callaway County. It was as my mom says, “The Cat’s Meow!”
