Rice-Tremonti House


The Rice-Tremonti House in Raytown, Missouri is a building from 1844. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Archibald and Sally Rice had moved to Missouri from North Carolina and eventually built a house in this location around 1836. The current Gothic Revival frame farmhouse replaced the original log house in 1844. The farm was about eight miles south of Independence, MO along the Santa Fe Trail and became a popular stop for travelers. Archibald died in 1849 and his son Elihu Coffee Rice became the owner. In 1850 Elihu married Catherine "Kitty" Stoner White. Sophia White, Kitty's slave, accompanied her there and lived in a cabin near the home's back door. "Aunt Sophie" remained with the family until shortly before her death in 1896.
As slave holding southern sympathizers, Rice and his family moved to Texas during the Civil War. For unknown reasons, the house was not destroyed under General Order No. 11. It is believed to be the oldest surviving frame building remaining in Jackson County.
In 1929 the house was bought by Dr. Louis G. Tremonti and his wife Lois Gloria, who sold the house to the Friends of the Rice-Tremonti Home Association in 1988. The association has restored the home and holds open houses for visitors. The site includes several acres of land, the house, and a replica of a slave cabin referred to as Aunt Sophie's Cabin"