John Roe House

In 1958 one of the most imposing landmarks in northern Johnson County fell victim to the wrecking ball. The large Victorian frame house at the northwest corner of Roe Avenue and Johnson Drive had been home to members of the John Roe family for 67 years. Postwar development finally caught up with the structure, and it was demolished to make way for an interchange from Roe boulevard to Highway 50, now called Shawnee Mission Parkway.

The impressive dwelling had been built for John Roe, an Irish immigrant who had arrived in the country around 1860. By 1880 he had built up landholdings of about 1600 acres and had established a cattle business in Saline County, Missouri. In 1883 and 1884, Roe purchased about 270 acres of land in Johnson County. Years later, one of Roe’s daughters recalled that when the family arrived, the area was occupied only by the faintly marked route of the Santa Fe Trail and two farm houses on the land which is now Mission. John Roe bought his land for $150 an acre. After several years, he arranged for construction of a fine new house. A year and a half in the making, the 16-room two-story frame structure was completed in October 1891. It became home to John Roe, his wife, their four daughters and two sons, an uncle and two nieces.

Roe was in the business of raising cattle and fine horses, but the Roes also loved people. According to Johnson County historian Elizabeth Barnes,

the place became the center of social gatherings for miles about. Never a dull moment have those old walls looked down upon. Could they talk, they would be telling of the laughter, music, and tread of dancing feet they have witnessed, and the spirit of hospitality that pervaded the home…. The yard was a riot of bloom from the beginning to the end of the season. The wide sweep of shaded lawn was the pride of the household, and was the scene of many a garden party of a summer evening.

John Roe believed strongly in progress and modernization. He helped finance the Strang line, brought the first gas lines into the county, and financed construction of the first hard-surfaced roads in the community. He and later his daughters donated land for the Roeland School, the Roeland Park city swimming pool, and St. Agnes parish. In the early 20s, the siblings sold some of the property, as housing developments began to push into northern Johnson County. The largest sale was to Charles E. Vawter, developer of Roeland Park.

Isabella and Margaret Roe, two of John’s daughters, continued to live in the house until 1958, when the pressure of development finally became too much. The sisters moved to a home at 3608 West 53^rd Street in 1958, shortly before the large family house was destroyed to make way for road construction. Margaret died in 1959 at age 90, and Isabella in 1962 at 106.

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