The Snelson Brinker Foundation

The Snelson-Brinker House historic reconstruction and preservation

The historic Snelson-Brinker house, was located in south central Missouri and originally built in 1834. The site speaks of early pioneer history that converged with southern Missouri's greatest industry in the 1830s - the Maramec Iron Works.  The house was also the early Crawford county courthouse. The original owner, Levi Lane Snelson, sold it to the Brinker family and shortly after tragedy struck in the death of their young daughter. The alleged crime led all the way to Jefferson City and the Missouri Supreme Court and brought further tragedy in the execution of Mary, their slave. In this same time frame, the Snelson Brinker home was witness to a far greater tragedy. Multiple groups of Cherokee people camped on and around the cabin site as they made their journey down the Trail of Tears.

The site is one of the more prominent, if not the most noteworthy, documented Missouri way-stops of the Cherokee as they passed through the Ozarks on the Trail of Tears. Preserving the Snelson-Brinker property allows historic tourism and education of visitors from across the state and nation to better understand this tragic event. 

Preserving the unique historic events that unfolded at the Snelson-Brinker site gives us the opportunity to provide a place for future generations to come and see, touch and understand these early Missouri events that shaped the state and nation for a century; from life soon after statehood, through the Civil War, to the dawn of industrialism and our world today.

On July 4th, 2017, the cabin burned. Arson is suspected. The Snelson-Brinker Foundation was formed to reconstruct the cabin on the original location to a faithful representation of early 1830's and conserve it and the historic site.

The Snelson-Brinker Foundation is dedicated to the successful restoration of the structures and preservation of the site. The foundation is seeking tax-exempt donations from organizations, corporations, and private funding sources committed to preserving early American history and heritage.