EMMETT BREEN'S
RED CROWN TAVERN
The Red Crown Tavern, a red-brick and tile structure, was constructed and owned by
Emmett Breen, a Parkville banker and developer. The main building, which generally
faced the west, housed a service station and a combination fountain and restaurant.
A screened porch, near the rear of the building, was only a few yards from a smaller
brick structure which comprised two motel units, separated by a two car garage.
Directly across the highway was "Slim's Castle," a combination service station and
cafe constructed by Charles (Slim) Myers. Bridget Breen's great uncle, Emmett Breen,
was the owner of the Red Crown at the time that the Barrow Gang had graced his
establishment with their presence. E.J. Breen obtained several items from the cabins
rented by Bonnie and Clyde and had passed down a couple of those items to Bridget,
that the Platte County sheriff's department let him keep. Among these items, were a
hypodermic syringe, two syringe needles, a vial that's labeled "Atropine Sulphate",
and a vial labeled "20 hypodermic tablets - morphine sulphate." In addition to these
medical needs, Barrow had also left behind, a pair of binoculars which carries the
inscription "Signal Corps. U.S. Army." A special thanks goes out to Bridget Breen.
The armored car used during the attempt to capture the Barrow gang
was basically a reinforced police car similar the the one shown below
Barrow Gang's drug kit - containing the syringe and Atropine and Morphine Sulphate meds
View exterior here
Drug Kit photos by Ed Kendrick - Courtesy of the Breen Family and Jim Spawn
Binoculars photo - Courtesy of Bridget Breen
In Blanche Barrow's memoirs, she told of Clyde and Buck's looting of an armory. in Enid, Okla.,
and how they had obtained guns, ammunition and several pairs of field glasses, saying how they
needed the glasses, to scan the roads to see if they were blocked - so that they wouldn't drive into
a trap. Blanche had related how she had spent many nights with a pair of field glasses to her eyes,
watching while the others had slept. She said that she would sit on top of the car to get a better
view of the surroundings. She would also look at the moon and the stars through the field glasses.
Article I came across on the waitress, dated June 9, 1965, then went by the married name
Vivian Mason. This was a death announcement regarding her father Wm. Albert Smitson.
Article I came across on the waitress, dated June 10, 1975, then went by the married name
Vivian Mason. This was a death announcement regarding her mother Susan Smitson.
MORE ON THE RED CROWN FIRE
VINTAGE RED CROWN TAVERN MATCHES
Circa 1942 match pack cover from the collection of
Jim Spawn - Editor of "The Restorer" magazine
RED CROWN TAVERN BUSINESS CARD
1930s business card from the collection of
Jim Spawn - Editor of "The Restorer" magazine
Advertisement from the Red Crown that ran in the 1932 Platte County Fair Premium book
County Fair Premium book ad, from the collection of
Jim Spawn - Editor of "The Restorer" magazine
Red Crown Tavern & Gas Station
Advertising Blotter
Platte City, Missouri
Hideout collection item
Jim Lee, who's name appears on the above blotter ad, ran the Red Crown Tavern in the mid to late 1930s.
He and his family lived in the cabins. Later, he opened and ran a top notch restaurant in downtown Kansas City.
His son, Don Lee, followed in his footsteps and in 1960 bought the Savoy Grill, the oldest continuously operating
restaurant in KC. In 1965, Don bought the Hotel Savoy. Don remembers playing on the roof of the Red Crown as a boy.
Hotel Savoy & Savoy Grill
A Brief History by Valerie Lee
JIM LEE'S MID 1930s DINING MENU
Menu courtesy of Jim Spawn - Editor of "The Restorer" magazine
Large 1930s Dinner Plate bearing the "Jim Lee" logo
Close-up of the "Jim Lee" logo itself
From a Hideout friend's private collection
1937 SAVOY GRILL AD
1954 SAVOY GRILL AD
Jim Lee's Kansas City menu
http://paris-of-the-plains.blogspot.com/2013/02/ephemeral-city-jim-lees-Menu.html
1937 RED CROWN AD
HOME OF THE FAMOUS DOLLAR DINNERS
APRIL 8, 1942
Jim Lee Brawl
Red Crown Tavern & Gas Station
Early 1950s photo taken by Richard Klasinski at the time it was owned and
operated by Frank and Lucy Klasinski. It shows the cabins on the left.
Platte County Historical Society photograph by Richard Klasinski
Remarkable Painting of the Red Crown Tavern & Gas Station
Artist: Elizabeth (Betty) Jean Dennis (Klasinski) 1925-2006
Hideout contributor: Tom Dennis
Mr. Dennis was kind enough to share with us an image of his mother's painting. His uncle,
Richard Klasinski, was the photographer who took the photo from which the painting was made!
The Klasinski family had also been the owners of the Red Crown from about 1952 to about 1966.
FRANK AND LUCY KLASINSKI
Red Crown's owners and operators from 1952 to about 1966
photo of his Grandparents by Tom Dennis
"Tom's Nostalgia Page" (Full Story Here)
http://tomsbrewing.info/www/nostalgia/red_crown/
THE BARROW GANG CABINS
Bonnie, Clyde and W.D. Jones stayed in the cabin on the left and Buck and Blanche occupied the cabin on the right.
colorized by Chuck Flynn
Lifetime's Bonnie & Clyde mini series scene and prop
MORE VINTAGE CLASSIFIED
Click on newspaper below
RETURN TO PREVIOUS PAGE
