Patee House Museum — Attraction in Saint Joseph

We visited the Patee House, but the museum turned off all lights on us well before closing, (20+ minutes before closing) and left us in a very dangerous circumstance on an upper floor in pitch black darkness. They were very well aware we were there in the museum, we spoke to them at the 30 minute and 20 minute mark when they told us they would be closing in 30, then 20 minutes and cheerfully responded that was no problem and we would ensure we were done and headed out on time. But they had zero regard for safety or patron enjoyment or experience. It is a beautiful museum but certainly do not get there within a few hours of closing. My children were scared and left having not enjoyed or learned about the experience as intended.

Unfortunately, after reading other reviews on various platforms it is an extremely common theme that the staff is incredibly rude to patrons. We visit an incredible amount of museums per year and I have never taken the time to write a poor review, despite having been through all kinds of different sizes and levels of maintenance. I usually just feel that the intention to preserve history is nice and leave it at that. I took time to call the fire department I was so appalled by the extreme nature of what occurred, and the danger it posed. Forget the fact we wasted money for...

It is a very interesting museum - you couldn't spend just one day and read everything in the Patee House. They try to cover a wide range of topics that touch life in the West - outlaws, lawmen, how justice was dispensed, Buffalo Soldiers, the Pony Express and a myriad of objects of everyday life including rooms of toys, trains, and a lovely merry-go-round. One floor of the museum preserves the way the old hotel looked. The Jesse James Home was small, crammed full of items that outlined the history of the house as well as Jesse James (including the exhumation of his body to verify it was really Jesse James that was buried).

As interesting as the museum was, it was discouraging that there was no social distancing signs up and masks were not required by staff or guests. There were four or five groups touring when my group was there and not a mask was in sight. In light of the pandemic, I would definitely not recommend this place for anyone who has any health concerns, or anyone over 50. The Pony Express museum down the street was much more actively aware of social distancing, had hand sanitizer available and...

What a wonderful stroll through time! Enjoyed the beautiful carousel as well. This is well worth the small fee for entrance. I also had a strange experience (a haunting?) on the third floor yesterday. It was my first visit and I was walking down the third floor hallway and peeking into the beautifully restored rooms. As I approached a tiny room on the left, I felt dizzy. To my knowledge, I have never had a 'dizzy spell'. It lasted only a few seconds, but I grabbed the nearby door frame. I attributed it to the heat, because there is a noticeable difference in temperature from the downstairs and upstairs. After steadying myself and looking into the room, I noticed the plaque beside it. It stated that the room was the living quarters of one of the workers who had a dizzy spell, fell off the balcony, and died. I told my husband about it who was further up the hallway (he felt fine), and he laughed it off. Just an odd moment. I don't know what it was. I didn't feel any hostile presence, just a little bit of dizziness. I wonder if any of the other guests have experienced...