From the President

          By now most of you have heard about or seen the RALHS film “Ours to Give.”  If you have not seen this film dedicated to the legacy of R. A. Long, I would encourage you to send a check to Barbara Newcom to order your own personal copy.  I would like to thank the Board of RALHS for their time and energy on this very rewarding project.  This film will enable us to go out into the community, and other parts of the country where Mr. Long touched many lives.  It will also provide educational opportunities to preserve this history.  We have given 100 copies of “Ours to Give” to schools and libraries in the Kansas City area to further this education.

          As we enter a new year, I would like to take this time to report that we are closing in on our 150th member.  The next project that the Board is so excited about will be the traveling museum.  This will enable us to take the story to schools, retirement homes, community meetings, and other public events.  As your President, I would like your feedback on this project.  You may email me with your comments and ideas at:

          As 2007 comes to an end, I would like to remind every member that Robert A. Long Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization, and that we rely on YOUR financial support to keep the history alive.  Keep in mind, all donations are tax deductible.

From the Vice President

          Growing up in Northeast Kansas City just a few blocks away from Corinthian Hall (the Kansas City Museum) in the 1960’s, when the gold room was furnished, the living room had all of the original walls exposed with some furnishings, you could sit in the sun room and look at the amazing stained glass windows, the dining room in it’s original condition with display cases in the center for exhibits, the 3rd floor with it’s one-of-a-kind Indian exhibits, the two skeletons in baskets and no one could possibly forget the Igloo, which at that time was the only place in the neighborhood to sit in an air-conditioned room.

          These are my memories of Corinthian Hall but the one that stands out the most was the special black-tie, formal events that Mrs. Combs would have to raise money for the Museum.  She would bring out her unique Brewster carriages, with Gladstone Boulevard being shut down so the carriages could pull into the side entrance and give people a ride around The Boulevard.  Folks could have a look at the past, the same way I’m sure Mrs. Combs had remembered it when she was a young lady growing up there.

          Sitting across from this view at Scarritt Point, watching these horse-drawn carriages pulling in and out of the house at that time, I would have never thought that when I grew up I would be doing the same thing!  Promoting the Hackney horse and pulling carriages of my own.  This is the way I prefer to remember Corinthian Hall.

          But all of this was lost with the passing of Loula Long Combs in the early 1970’s.  It seems like this gave the powers-to-be to do what ever they wanted.  Corinthian Hall cannot be a world class museum.  There is not enough space or parking to accommodate something of that magnitude.  But, it can tell the story of the way things were in the late 1800’s early 1900’s when the Longs helped make Kansas City, along with the stories of other key Kansas City families such as the Armours and the Russell Stovers of that time.  Bring it back to the mansion it was, the carriage house restored, Loula Long Comb’s carriages back in the carriage house and her show career told.

          This is what Mrs. Combs wanted and most of all, this is how her Will and Testament reads.  Anyone should be able to understand donating a landmark mansion of Kansas City and expecting your wishes to be followed.

          The R. A. Long Historical Society is dedicated to telling this family’s story.  Please tell us your stories because this is also an important part of Kansas City’s history.

          PS: Maid is waiting.  And so are we!  She is getting bigger and bigger, but there is still time to guess the birth date for this Hackney horse foal, the first born in Kansas City for decades.  We are really getting excited!  Call in your guess to me to win two free driving lessons.  (816-779-4100)

Linda Mason

          I came from a farm in Iowa to Independence, Missouri in the winter of 1984.  I first saw Longview Farm in the spring of 1985.  It was love at first sight.  I wanted to learn all I could about the farm and the Long history.  I had never seen a farm of this magnitude ... even in my dreams.

          Mom (Barb Newcom) went with me to the Kansas City Library to research this legendary farm.  The only book we could find was “My Revelation” which couldn’t even be checked out because all their other copies had “disappeared.”  I spoke to the Longview Farm groundskeeper who had worked for the farm for fifty years.  He gave me names of several people to talk to and one name led to another.  I started interviewing people who lived and worked on the farm.  It was all to satisfy my own desire to learn but the Kansas City librarian suggested I put the interviews into a book to help preserve the farm’s history.  A good idea, but at the time I wasn’t sure anyone else was interested in the farm but I decided to pursue it.

          Forty-seven interviews later, in 1990, I self-published and self-marketed “The Longview We Remember.”  The book is in their own words and covers all facets of the farm life including recipes, poems and 133 original pictures.  More than one employee has said living on Longview was like living in Paradise.  It was also Paradise for Mr. and Mrs. Combs.  Longview Farm was the fulfillment of many people’s dreams ... Mr. Long’s, Mrs. Combs’ and the employees’.  And now, once again, it is only a dream.

          I am involved with this group because I love the R. A. Long history and desire to help preserve it.  I have talked to many people that have the “Long Connection.”  I am still learning and want to do all I can to educate and inform.  This history should NEVER be lost.

Mary Ann James

          Hello - My name is Mary Ann James.

          I am the new Recording Secretary of the R. A. Long Historical Society.  I live with my husband, Bob, in Olathe, Kansas.  We are both retired and very involved in buying and selling railroad collectibles.  We are members of the Railroad Collectors Association (RCAI) of which I also serve as Secretary.  My interest in the Long family, especially Loula and her horses, began as a young girl when I saw Loula show at the American Royal Horse Show.  I have always been fascinated by horses and have raised and shown American Saddlebreds.

Barbara Newcom

          I have always been amazed by this man, Robert A. Long.  He had a faith and desire to help the common man as he built his business.  He was a man with such incredible vision and never-ending generosity and yet he was humble.  He always had a new dream and his employees benefited.

          My exposure began as a child because my dad managed the Kansas City office of the Northern Pacific Railroad as General Freight and Passenger Agent.  He routed many lumber freight cars from Washington State and surrounding areas.

          In the 1950’s, my husband came home from a job interview at Universal Underwriters Insurance Company, which was the former R. A. Long office building (now UMB Bank).  His interview had been in the former office of Mr. Long.  He was raving about the architecture and had never seen such beauty in the wood.  The wood was, of course, the best and most expensive because it was from Long-Bell Lumber.

          When we returned to Independence, MO in the 1980’s after being out-of-state for many years, Linda and I were researching Longview Farm.  I found myself reading and copying articles I found in magazines and the Kansas City Star about R. A. Long which were written at the turn of the century.

          Mr. Long was a man ahead of his time and too soon forgotten.  He is the reason for my interest in his legacy.

Scott Coryell

          Being fairly new to the Kansas City area I was not at all familiar with the Long’s history.  That changed in 2003 when my wife (fiancée at the time) and I were looking for a new home.  We came across New Longview and immediately fell in love with the neighborhood and the history.  During the process of planning the construction of our new home I was also given the opportunity, as an architect, to work on the renovation of the R. A. Long Building at 928 Grand in downtown Kansas City (now owned by UMB Bank).  During demolition of the 1940’s “modernization” we were fortunate to uncover the original ceiling to Mr. Long’s office.  Due to the generosity of UMB, we were able to complete a partial restoration of Mr. Long’s office.  This included mahogany paneling throughout, restoration of the murals, period replica lighting, and construction of a faux fireplace where the original was.  In May of 2005 we were married at the Longview Chapel and had our reception at the Longview Mansion.  Two months later we moved into our new home just blocks away.  We have since become very excited about preserving the history of the Long family and passing it on to future generations.

Interested in joining the
R. A. Long Historical Society?
Contact Tim Sullivan, (913.706.9628) or
CLICK HERE

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