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Tipton’s 168-year-old Maclay Home remains largely intact, preserved by volunteers.Tipton’s 168-year-old Maclay Home remains largely intact, preserved by volunteers As America prepares for its 250th birthday, we're shining a light on the places that make Missouri special.Filled with historical artifacts in all 17 of its rooms, the Maclay Home allows visitors to experience furnished parlors, original family belongings, and period decor—it's like stepping into a time machine.In the Moniteau County town of Tipton, you'll find the Maclay Home—a place capturing what life was like in rural Missouri over a hundred years ago.KRCG met with "the Friends of the Maclay Home," the organization overseeing the home, and shows us the features that make the Maclay home one of the most unique buildings in central Missouri.Opened in 1858, the Maclay Home is one of the oldest surviving structures in central Missouri.Its history offers plenty of unique stories to discover."Well, the house was started in 1858 as a girls' school, which closed with the beginning of the Civil War.It was used as the Union Army's headquarters for most of the Civil War," explained Gloria Knipp, Secretary for the Friends of the Maclay Home.After the war, the structure was sold and converted into a private residence.It was purchased by John Gleim, a local businessman and banker, who lived there with several generations of the Gleim family.The home became associated with the Maclay name when one of the Gleim sisters married a Maclay.What really makes the home stand out is how well it has been preserved through the years.Rather than selling off many common household items or undergoing a major remodel, the home has remained original, now over 168 years old."All of the rooms contain original furnishings, pretty much everything else was originally here," Knipp said.From diaries and clothing to common household items, these preservation efforts are what draw visitors to the home."They came up to visit here from the South, and they said they had been to several of the old southern mansions.And their comment was I cannot believe how many original pieces you have, because when we go to the mansions down in the south, they might have one, two, or three pieces that are original," explained Susan Langston, family representative for Friends of the Maclay Home.Today, the Friends of the Maclay Home continue to oversee the home's preservation."It's totally run on donations and volunteer work," said Tena Potts, Vice President for the Friends of the Maclay Home.Preserving a structure over 160 years old, with dozens of artifacts throughout 17 rooms, is no small task.Many members of the Tipton community recognize the home's historical importance and have volunteered their time to preservation efforts."We have had a lot of people volunteer their time and their energy; they know the importance of keeping it alive.And keeping it so that people can enjoy it, so we are very blessed that we have people who will actually do something to preserve it,” Potts adds.A local piece of history with artifacts hard to find anywhere else."For generations to come, they can enjoy it, explore, and look around," Langston said.