Historic Gov. Lloyd Crow Stark House and Carriage House, Louisiana, Missouri.Photo bySmallbones, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Governor Lloyd Crow Stark House and Carriage House (Stark Mansion) was listed on the National Register of HIstoric Places on December 21, 1987, due to its association with architecture and politics. It's located at 1401 Georgia Street in Louisiana, Missouri (Pike County). Visit here to see interior images.

This two-story historic home was built in 1891. The house is designed in what was part of the Stick-Eastlake Movement architectural style. The Stick style was popular in the late 1800s. The house contains a decorative front porch and fishscale shingles. Governor Stark lived in this home from 1915 to 1940. Today, it's a private residence.

Stick–Eastlake is a style term that uses details from the Eastlake movement, started by Charles Eastlake, of decorative arts on stick-style buildings. It is sometimes referred to as Victorian stick, a variation of stick and Eastlake styles. Stick–Eastlake enjoyed modest popularity in the late 19th century, but there are relatively few surviving examples of the style when compared to other more popular styles of Victorian architecture. (Source.)

According to the Redfin real estate website, this home was last sold in June 2022.

The house has a full basement and attic. A cabinet maker named Albert Kuna, Sr., built the house. A native of Bohemia, Kuna came to Louisiana in 1890 and built a lot of houses in the area.

The house contains interesting windows, paneled doors, pocket doors, archway, and wall fixtures. The Carriage House has some similar exterior features as the main house.

Fireplaces on the main floor were modernized and the second floor fireplace is gas operated. A hot water heating system was installed in the 1940s. To lighten the interior, woodwork was painted an ivory shade.

Governor Lloyd Crow Stark

Stark was the 39th governor of Missouri. He lived in this historic home for 25 years. He bought the house from his Uncle William Pharr Stark to house his growing family. That was at a time when he came back to Louisiana to assist in managing the Stark Brothers Nursery.

During Stark's term as Governor ( 1937-1940), he had a role in smashing Tom Pendergast's corrupt boss machine in Kansas City. Stark is said to be one of the most important reform governors.

In 1914, Stark served as president of the Mississippi Valley Apple Growers Association. The Stark Brothers also developed the golden delicious apple that year. Stark's father, Clarence Stark, was the co-founder and first president of the Stark Bros. Nursery & Orchard Co., a company founded by Lloyd Stark's grandfather, Judge James Stark.

In 1917, Stark was appointed to serve on the Missouri Federal District Exemption Review Board for the draft, and he was elected president of the American Association of Nurserymen. When he was 25, he was the vice president and general manager of the Stark Brothers Nurseries.

Through the years of family leadership, Stark Brothers Nursery has become the largest nursery and mail-order service in the world, as well as the oldest in the United States. (Source.)

After World War I, in which Stark served as a major in the U.S. Army, he was director of the Bank of Louisiana in 1920. In 1925, he was the first president of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. From 1926-27, he was the president of the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce.

Stark served in so many capacities. If you had political ambition during the 1930s, you had to find a way to take on Tom Pendergast, Kansas City's political boss, who was also backing someone else for governor.

In December 1934, Stark at the age of 48, announced he was going to seek the democratic nomination for Governor of Missouri. Interestingly, with Pendergast's support, Stark was elected in 1936. While he moved into the governor's mansion in Jefferson City, he still kept his family home in Louisiana, Missouri.

Stark had a productive administration as Missouri's Governor and his term was going well until he refused to re-appoint corrupt Pendergast men to the Kansas City Election Board who were known to control state elections.

Finally, state superintendent of Fire Insurance, Emmet O'Malley and Pendergast were both indicted by a federal grand jury.

After 25 years, in Governor Stark's last months in office, he sold his Louisiana home to Tom W. Stark. Hoping to secure a role in Washington and to unseat Harry S. Truman in the U.S. Senate, Truman won with said influence of the Pendergast machine. Stark's term ended on February 26, 1941.

As Stark already sold their house in Louisiana, they returned to build a new home. Unfortunately, due to World War II, and shortage of supplies, that didn't occur. Stark and his family had two different homes before purchasing the Aberdeen Stock Farm in Eolia, Missouri. He spent his remaining years there breeding prize winning horses which was his hobby.

In 1962, Stark was honored by special appointment to the Missouri Academy of Squires. In 1971, he retired from being the chairman of the board of Stark Brothers, and died in the following year on September 17, 1972. He was almost 86.

Stark's first wife, Marjorie Stickney Stark, died on October 12, 1930, at age 41. According to Find-a-Grave records, there are two sons listed who have since passed.

Stark's second wife, Katherine Perkins Stark, died on April 19, 1993, at age 92. They lost a child at 9 days old.

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