Stop 1 - Halfway House

Site of Halfway House and Stone Basement

From 1843 to 1851 this property was owned by German immigrant John Floersch. In 1849, the Weston to Platte City Toll Road was completed. Floersch operated the Halfway House and served as the toll collector. Later, pro-slavery owners operated a tavern and holding area for slaves. The remaining stone basement once displayed rings in the ceiling where slaves were chained.

Halfway House, Vaughn Lane (originally Toll Road between Platte City and Weston). Tavern and Hotel, owned by abolitionist German immigrant Johann Floersch from 1843-1851. William Tooms, a freedman, worked for Floersch for a wage. Floersch’s neighbor, proslaver Major Hall L.Wilkerson, died in an altercation for which Floersch was accused and died in prison. In a dramatic turn, the Halfway House, signed over to Wilkerson’s attorneys, became a holding house for the enslaved. The road now called Vaughn Lane is the remaining portion of the original Toll Road between Platte City and Weston.