The Stephenson family orchards began in 1890. Loyd and Les Stephenson, twin grandsons of the founders, opened the Stephenson’s Apple Farm Restaurant in 1946 in a one-room, stone building at the corner of U.S. 40 Highway and Lee’s Summit Road. It served 38 people.
Over time, the restaurant grew to 5 rooms, a lobby with a country store, a cocktail lounge and a large upstairs banquet room to serve as many as 300 local patrons and those driving to and from Kansas City on 40 Highway. Harry and Bess Truman were among its many famous patrons.
The signature entree was baked chicken. “Hickory smoked” chicken, brisket and ribs were also served long before mainstream eateries offered them as “barbecue.” Each diner received a complimentary 2-piece serving of their famous apple fritters dusted with powdered sugar.
Stephenson’s received many awards in 61 years; two stand out: their 1964 listing in Better Homes and Gardens Famous Foods from Famous Places, and the 1972 Ivy Award from Institutions Magazine that placed the Stephenson brothers among the top six restauranteurs in the country.
The original Stephenson’s neon sign was designed and built by Thomas C. Jones, Jr, father of LUMI board member, Patty Bowen. The apple and simmering pot from the sign are missing. The leaf from the sign was found in the basement of the 1859 Jail Museum in Independence.
In its last 15 to 20 years of business, the neon did not light. The sign went dark and the restaurant closed just prior to Valentines’ Day in February 2007.
LUMI historian and founding member Steve Noll worked at Stephenson’s as a teenager in 1969. Now a retired Executive Director of the Jackson County Historical Society (JCHS), Steve was instrumental in rescuing the sign in 2012, and for its donation to LUMI by the JCHS in 2018.
In 2023, Steve and Marianne Noll joined Lisa Stephenson, Marilyn Thomas, John “Steve” Stephenson, Sharon Stephenson Butts and Norman and Sandra Stephenson to underwrite the restoration and installation of the sign.
The Stephenson family orchards began in 1890. Loyd and Les Stephenson, twin grandsons of the founders, opened the Stephenson’s Apple Farm Restaurant in 1946 in a one-room, stone building at the corner of U.S. 40 Highway and Lee’s Summit Road. It served 38 people.
Over time, the restaurant grew to 5 rooms, a lobby with a country store, a cocktail lounge and a large upstairs banquet room to serve as many as 300 local patrons and those driving to and from Kansas City on 40 Highway. Harry and Bess Truman were among its many famous patrons.
The signature entree was baked chicken. “Hickory smoked” chicken, brisket and ribs were also served long before mainstream eateries offered them as “barbecue.” Each diner received a complimentary 2-piece serving of their famous apple fritters dusted with powdered sugar.
Stephenson’s received many awards in 61 years; two stand out: their 1964 listing in Better Homes and Gardens Famous Foods from Famous Places, and the 1972 Ivy Award from Institutions Magazine that placed the Stephenson brothers among the top six restauranteurs in the country.
The original Stephenson’s neon sign was designed and built by Thomas C. Jones, Jr, father of LUMI board member, Patty Bowen. The apple and simmering pot from the sign are missing. The leaf from the sign was found in the basement of the 1859 Jail Museum in Independence.
In its last 15 to 20 years of business, the neon did not light. The sign went dark and the restaurant closed just prior to Valentines’ Day in February 2007.
LUMI historian and founding member Steve Noll worked at Stephenson’s as a teenager in 1969. Now a retired Executive Director of the Jackson County Historical Society (JCHS), Steve was instrumental in rescuing the sign in 2012, and for its donation to LUMI by the JCHS in 2018.
In 2023, Steve and Marianne Noll joined Lisa Stephenson, Marilyn Thomas, John “Steve” Stephenson, Sharon Stephenson Butts and Norman and Sandra Stephenson to underwrite the restoration and installation of the sign.
