Friends or business associates coming to call on the Mahaffie family used the front door of the house. Stagecoach passengers and other travelers used the side door to reach the dining hall in the cellar, and had no need to enter the private, family areas of the house.
Most stagecoach travelers took meals only at the Mahaffie home - travelers' accounts seem to indicate that a stop near Paola, Kansas was more often used for overnight lodging.
All manner of travelers - not just stagecoach passengers - stopped here. Family stories also describe wagon trains camping several hundred yards west of the house, near a "draw" that is now drained by a culvert under Kansas City road. It is not unusual to find references to camping near inns and taverns in travelers' accounts. The chance to hear the latest news, get a meal of fresh food, and even the opportunity to sleep on a bed roll on the floor under a real roof, would be enticing to weary trail travelers.
This brief newspaper entry may be a clue that the Mahaffie home was a social center like many inns and taverns, rather than just a meal stop for stagecoaches. The party might have been a celebration of finishing the home late in 1865, or held to commemorate George Washington's birthday (a popular nineteenth century holiday.) Perhaps it was a little of both!
Do not forget the social party to be given this evening at J.B. Mahaffie's. A good time is expected by all, and we have not the slightest doubt but the anticipations will be fully realized.
Olathe Mirror - February 22, 1866
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