KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
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The first hotel in Blue Springs, the city's oldest business building, now sits at 1506 W. Main Street.
But the Chicago and Alton House has been empty and falling apart for decades.
Members of the Blue Springs Historical Society are raising money to restore the building, with hopes to turn the structure into a space for events and tours.
Kay Burrus, president of the historical society, said she estimates it will take around $200,000.
"It's never had electricity, it's never had water, so those are the first things we need to do," Burrus said. "And then, we have to go in and actually rebuild it from floors up. ... It's gonna cost us quite a bit of money to do that."
She gave a brief history lesson on the Chicago and Alton House.
It was built in the late 1870s by JK and Isabel Parr, the first residents of Blue Springs.
Named after the passenger rail line that went through town, Burrus said the hotel was where people would stay before settling in town.
Burrus and the historical society don't want to lose Blue Springs' history.
"I think we need to remember that a lot of towns have lost their history, and we don't want to lose ours," she said. "We want our children and we want our children's children to be able to come ... we'd love to have that open for people to see and kind of show them what it was like living back then."
To donate to the cause, you can visit the historical society's website or Facebook page.
Ghost tours will pick back up in December to raise money as well.
