Rocky Ridge Farm

Hello sweet friends, today I am taking you on a tour of Rocky Ridge Farm, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Ozark home located in Mansfield, MO.

Rocky Ridge Farm

Laura, Almanzo and Rose Wilder left DeSmet, South Dakota and moved to Mansfield, Missouri in 1894. They purchased a forty-acre farm with a one-room log cabin near a spring and ravine.

(Laura shown in the ravine in 1900.)

In the spring of 1895 they built a room onto the cabin. The following year they rolled the room, on logs, to its present location. It became the kitchen. A second room was added with an attic to create a two-room house. Rose slept in the attic bedroom. 

As the farm prospered, they acquired an additional 60 acres of land. During this time they also planted one thousand apple trees. Laura also raised prized winning chickens, to include the Brown Leghorn breed.

They bought and bred other livestock to include hogs, Durham cattle and Almanzo’s beloved Morgan horses.

The crown jewel was the 12-room farmhouse. With the help of a local builder, the work on the home was completed sometime in late 1913 or early 1914. 

The image below shows the home in 1915. The chimney includes fossils and stones collected on the farm.

During the construction phase they lived in a small house in the town of Mansfield from about 1898- 1911.

(Laura in 1910. This home has now been beautifully restored.)

Friends and Family At The Farm

Today the home remains much the same as it was left after Laura’s passing on February 10, 1957. 

(My darling daughter in law, Megan, on her first visit to Rocky Ridge Farm.)

I recently had invited my sweet friends Sara Gonzales (Ensembles of the Past) Justine Rayfield (Early American) and Ronald Rayfield (Frontier Patriot) to tour the home during Wilder Days.

Rocky Ridge Farm Interiors 

The tour of the farmhouse starts in the kitchen which is located at the back of the house.

Because truly back door guests are best.

Visitors often remark how low the countertops are in the sunny yellow kitchen which were custom made by Almanzo. 

In the corner, near the pass thru, stands a life size cutout of Laura who stood at just 4’11” tall. 

When you visit: take a closer look at Laura’s lovely blue willow dishes and what month/year is featured on the kitchen calendar. 

The kitchen truly is a lovely time capsule. Here it is shown in 1925.

Laura often sat in the warm kitchen in her beloved rocking chair. 

The Dining Area

The Wilder’s cleverly included a pass thru window from the kitchen into the dining room. Sara pretends to show how it made setting the table a breeze. 

This image gives an overall view of the cozy dining room. 

When you visit: you’ll notice a huge Westinghouse heater that was installed in the 1930s to heat the home. Also, be sure to look at the glorious corner clock!

You can also see how the dining area leads into the downstairs bedroom. 

The Downstairs Bedroom

This bedroom is so charming! I adore the kelly green walls. 

The amazing linoleum is original to the home.

When you visit: be sure to take time to view all the small lovely artifacts in the  room. 

It does have an ensuite bathroom but it is roped off to the public. 

The museum, from time to time, offers behind the scenes tours for fundraising efforts. 

Laura’s Writing Desk

In between the bedroom and living room is a small office area. Here sits Laura’s writing desk. 

When you visit: make sure to note Laura’s thinking spot in the room which features a lovely fainting couch placed in front of a pretty picture window. 

Living Room

The living room is an absolutely treasure trove! It contains so many lovely glimpses into who the Wilder’s were and how they liked to live. 

I love the colors in this hooked area rug created by Almanzo. 

On the hearth sits a wonderful portrait taken of the Wilder’s in 1943. I have recreated this dress and you can see it in this post. 

Almanzo was quite the needleworker as he also created my favorite pillow in the room. 

When you visit: please note that the antimacassar set on the back of the armchair and chair arms also features horses. The man of the place definitely had a favorite decorating scheme.  

The beams in the room as well as the floorboards, mantel, bookshelves, window seats and staircase were all made from oak harvested from the farm’s woodlot. 

The fireplace surround is made of great stone slabs that Laura found on the property. Almanzo and the builders hefted them into place only after some persuading and tears on Laura’s part.

When you visit: look for where the organ has been moved. 

When you visit: please note a lovely table, made by Almanzo, now sits in this corner of the living room. 

Hospitality Inspired By Caroline Ingalls

After the tour, I had invited my friends to share a picnic on Laura’s lawn. 

You may recognize the name of Sara’s store as several of her fabrics and ribbons were featured in the costumes made for the new Little House on the Prairie show on Netflix. 

The Rayfield’s are YouTube superstars with close to two million followers on their various social media platforms. Justine is an AMAZING cook who specializes in Colonial era open hearth cooking. Their darling son, seen below, often steals the show. 

(Photo courtesy of Ron Rayfield.)

Now, it’s no secret that I can make a decent meal. I have shared hundreds of recipes on this website over the past 18 years. 

But to offer Justine a meal made me pause for a moment. 

Then I thought about chef Ina Garten who has mentioned that she is rarely invited to dinner by others. She says that it is not the food is not important. It is instead the joy felt in the gathering of friends. 

I also thought about Ma whipping up a memorable holiday at a moments notice when the Boasts unexpectedly arrived on Christmas eve in By The Shores of Silver Lake. 

Given that I had nowhere to cook anything I simply served all store bought deli meats, cheeses, cider, maple cookies as well as some seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Everyone had such a wonderful time. It truly was more about the conversation as captured by Ron in the image below. 

Next week on the website we will visit the Wilder’s Rock House and I will share all the sewing details of the dress I am wearing in the photo above.

See you Friday!

Laura

Rocky Ridge Farm

3060 Highway A, Mansfield, Missouri 65704