Podcast #84 - Living History Presentation with Zelarda James, Mother of Jesse James

Hello. Each spring the city of Liberty has a festival. This spring it was renamed the "Liberty Heritage Festival" to help celebrate our local history. There are historical presentations, funnel cakes, crafts, etc. One of the presentations was by Dianne Moran who gave living history presentations as Zerelda James Samuels, the mother of Jesse James. The James family lived near Liberty and is part of our local history. She did an excellent job of bringing Zerelda to life. The podcast is her presentation as Zerelda James Samuels and a short interview. Special thanks to Dianne for an excellent presentation and allowing me to share it with the Speaking of History audience.

Direct link to Podcast #84 - Living History Presentation with Zerelda James Samuels - Mother of Jesse James - MP3 Format - 19:36 minutes

Show Notes for Podcast #84:

- Dianne Moran Living History website

- email Dianne Moran

- Zerelda James Samuels - article describing her life at the time of her death

- Friends of the James Farm site

- Liberty Heritage Festival

Funny Jesse James Historical Sign in Liberty, Missouri

Hello. I had to post this picture - it cracks me up every time I see it in the local Godfather's Pizza place in Liberty. Our area has quite a few Jesse James landmarks. The location of the first daylight bank robbery in the history of the United States is a bank on our town square that still stands today and is currently the Jesse James Bank Museum.

The sign is posted on the wall next to the pizza buffet and every time I'm there to eat I tell myselft that I should take a picture - so I did last time. I asked the owner about it and he said he couldn't remember exactly here he bought it - somewhere in Missouri. He's had it up for several years. Funny stuff.

Podcast #26 - Jesse James Gang Bank Robbery Re-enactment at Liberty, Missouri

Hello. Today I have a podcast with content from our local "Spring on the Square" festival here in Liberty, Missouri. Liberty is the county seat for Clay County and we have a historic town square with the old courthouse in the middle and many historic buildings downtown. Each May the community has a celebration on the square that includes games for kids, craft tents, games, food, etc. On one corner of the square sits a historic bank. On February 13, 1866 a group of local men (thought to be the Jesse James Gang but it is still debated today whether or not Jesse James was present since he might have been at home nursing an injury) robbed the bank and took off with $60,000 in the first daylight bank robbery in the United States. A local teenager was shot and killed as the men escaped. Each year during Spring on the Square a local group of re-enacters and their horses play out the events of the robbery at the site of the bank which is now a musuem.

I recorded the audio narration of event and have included some photographs from the re-enactment. I do hope to devote an entire podcast later this summer on the Jesse James Bank Museum here in Liberty.

If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com It is always great to hear from listeners. Since November of 2005 we have had visitors from 83 different countries at this site. I welcome any feedback you may have about the show.

Direct link to Podcast #26 - Jesse James Gang Bank Robbery Re-enactment at Liberty, Missouri - MP3 format (10:17 minutes)

Podcast #26 Shownotes:

• Jesse James biography on Wikipedia
• James Bank Museum
• Liberty's Spring on the Square Festival