The 1858 Wornall farmhouse served as both a Confederate and Union field hospital during the Battle of Westport in October 1864 — the largest Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi.
6115 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64113
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Museum admission approximately $8/adult; seasonal ghost tours separately ticketed. Check wornallmajors.org for current schedule.
Access
Limited Access
1858 Italianate farmhouse with original floors and stairs.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1858 · Battle of Westport, October 23, 1864 — largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River · Served as Confederate and then Union field hospital on the same day · 1858 Italianate brick farmhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places
John Bristow Wornall came to the western border of Missouri in the 1840s, acquiring farmland that placed him at the edge of Kansas City's expansion. The house he built in 1858 reflects his prosperity: a two-story Italianate brick structure with a formal parlor, dining room, and multiple bedrooms, set on a working farm. He and his wife Eliza would have eight children, though Eliza died at age 29, not long after a childbirth.
The Battle of Westport unfolded across a wide arc of terrain southwest of Kansas City on October 23, 1864. Union Major General Samuel Curtis commanded the Army of the Border against Confederate Major General Sterling Price, who was attempting to seize Missouri for the Confederacy in what became his last major campaign. With approximately 30,000 soldiers engaged over a day's fighting, Westport is documented as the largest Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River.
The Wornall house sat directly in the battle's path. Confederate forces arrived first and converted the farmhouse into a field hospital, with surgeons working on the ground floor. Later in the day, as Union forces pushed the Confederates back, the house changed hands. Union medical personnel continued using the building. The Wornall family — including the children — sheltered in the upper floors throughout. Casualties were laid on the floors; some died in the house.
The property is administered today by the Wornall/Majors House Museums organization, which also manages the nearby Alexander Majors House. The John Wornall House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum offers regular guided tours and seasonal ghost tours, and has hosted paranormal investigation groups.
Sources
The John Wornall House produces a range of accounts consistent with a building that absorbed intense, lethal activity in a single day. The phenomena are not all clustered around the battle; some appear tied to the family's longer occupation of the house.
The most dramatic reported phenomena involve soldier apparitions. Multiple visitor accounts and staff observations describe full-bodied figures in period military dress seen in doorways, near the exterior doors, and on the balconies — positions consistent with the building's use as a hospital where sentries would have been posted. The guns displayed in the museum have been reported by more than one observer to have moved between visits, with their muzzles oriented toward the front door in a position no staff member had set.
Eliza Wornall, who died at 29 in this house shortly after childbirth, is associated with the hallway accounts — a female figure seen moving through the interior without interacting with visitors. The tobacco smell, reported in several rooms, has no obvious material explanation in a nonsmoking museum.
KC Ghosts, a Kansas City walking tour operator, lists the Wornall House as a primary stop and documents the soldier and Eliza accounts with multiple independent sources. The Wornall/Majors organization has offered ghost tours seasonally through artskcgo.com and similar event platforms. The building's history is well-documented enough that the paranormal accounts can be assessed against specific events — which is less common than with many haunted house claims.
Notable Entities
Guided tour of the 1858 Italianate farmhouse where the Wornall family sheltered while Confederate and then Union surgeons worked on the ground floor during the Battle of Westport. Docents cover both the family's experience of the battle and the broader context of 30,000 troops fighting around the property.
Seasonal ghost tours of the Wornall House, offered through the Wornall-Majors House Museum organization. Tours cover reported apparitions including soldier figures on the balconies and the spirit of Eliza Wornall, who died young shortly after childbirth.
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