National Historic Landmark · house · Mansfield, Missouri

Laura Ingalls Wilder House

Historic house in Missouri. Added to the National Register in 1970, and a National Historic Landmark.

LauraIngallsWilder-RockyRidgeFarm-MansfieldMOLIW Hs ChimneyLIW Hs Kids posing with cutout of LIW herselfLIW Hs Pathway to Rock House 1
Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 6 in the Commons category

What it is

The Laura Ingalls Wilder House is a historic house museum at 3060 Highway A in Mansfield, Missouri. Also known as Rocky Ridge Farm, it was the home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder from 1896 until her death in 1957. The author of the Little House on the Prairie series, Wilder began writing the series while living there. The house, together with the nearby Rock Cottage on the same property, represents one of the few surviving places where she resided. Shortly after her death local residents initiated legal steps to acquire the house through the incorporation of a non-profit organization to preserve her legacy. Owned by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association, the house is open to the public for tours. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Register nameWilder, Laura Ingalls, House
Property typeBuilding
Address1 mi. E of Mansfield on U.S. Business 60, Mansfield vicinity, MO
CountyWright County
ListedMay 19, 1970
Listed forLiterature
Level of significanceNational
Also known asRocky Ridge Farm
Reference number70000353
ArchitectAlmanzo Wilder
Type of placehouse
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark
Contributing resources1 building

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Address1 mi. E of Mansfield on U.S. Business 60, Mansfield, MO
Websitelauraingallswilderhome.com ↗
Coordinates37.0995° N, 92.5563° W · Directions ↗
Nearest national park unitWilson's Creek National Battlefield · 47 miles · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearbyNoblett Lake 29 miles · Cobb Ridge 33 miles · Theodosia Park 37 miles
This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

Explore

Map

Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Missouri

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Laura Ingalls Wilder House listed on the National Register?

May 19, 1970. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

Who designed Laura Ingalls Wilder House?

Almanzo Wilder.

Source: Wikidata

Can I visit Laura Ingalls Wilder House?

Yes. Laura Ingalls Wilder House is recorded as open to the public, and hours are on the official website.

Source: Official website

Where is Laura Ingalls Wilder House?

1 mi. E of Mansfield on U.S. Business 60, Mansfield vicinity, Wright County, Missouri. The nearest national park unit is Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, 47 miles away.

Source: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Where is the nomination form for Laura Ingalls Wilder House?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Are there campgrounds near Laura Ingalls Wilder House?

Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Noblett Lake, 29 miles away. Cobb Ridge is 33 miles away, and Theodosia Park is 37 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Is there cell service at Laura Ingalls Wilder House?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 4G LTE at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 70000353. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.