Tucked away in a holler in the Ozarks hills is a place that tells the story of Rose O’Neill, a well-known artist, commercial illustrator, creator of the Kewpie Doll, novelist and suffragist. The Bonniebrook Home and Museum in Walnut Shade is a place people can visit to learn about O’Neill, see her artwork, stroll through gardens filled with flowers she loved and visit her grave. But the site, run by the Bonniebrook Historical Society, is facing financial struggles.
The Bonniebrook Home and Museum sits on 16 acres, once part of 160 acres, which O’Neill’s mother and father homesteaded. O’Neill fell in love with the land and began sending money home for her parents to build a 14-room Victorian mansion so they could move out of the cabin they were living in.
Bonniebrook President Connie Pritchard said, throughout her career, O’Neill lived in New York City, Connecticut and the Isle of Capri in Italy, "and, out of all of the homes that she owned, Bonniebrook was her favorite."
O’Neill retired to the Ozarks in 1937 and passed away in 1944. Three years later, her beloved Victorian mansion burned down. In 1975, the Bonniebrook Historical Society was formed, and members raised enough money to rebuild the house and open it for tours in 1994.
"It's just a wonderful piece of history that is hidden off here," said Pritchard, "one of the most hidden gems in Missouri as you travel between Springfield south to Branson. You cannot see this beautiful 14-room mansion because of the holler it's in, but it's not even a half a mile off Highway 65."
Master gardeners tend the gardens, which are planted with flowers O’Neill mentioned in her journals. The gardens are home to two of O’Neill’s sculptures, The Embrace of the Tree and the Fauness.
Over the years, repairs have been made at the property, but now the historical society is facing some major work that needs to be done. Pritchard said they desperately need a roof and guttering, which is estimated to cost $25,000.
"With all of the rain that we've been having, we do have issues," she said, "and it's really important that we get a new roof on the house so we can continue to operate our tours out of the home."
Currently, the society has just $2500 towards the cost of the roof.
The nonprofit runs on donations, admissions to the museum and gift shop sales. There are no paid staff – only volunteers.
Another setback: Bonniebrook is in the process of finding a new insurer. Pritchard said they learned in April that their current insurer won’t renew their coverage because of repair work that’s needed -- even though they’ve never filed a claim. They have scrambled to find money for a few repairs and hope that’s enough to allow them to find another insurance company before coverage ends in June.
The heating and air conditioning unit recently went out in the office, the Kewpie Museum and the restrooms, which will cost $11,000 to replace.
Rose O’Neill was generous to a fault. According to Pritchard, she died penniless.
Pritchard hopes people will tap into their own generosity and help them with expenses. Donations are tax deductible — or she said there are other ways to help.
"If we have a roofer out there that would like to donate some time, that's also tax deductible or we have a lumberyard that would like to donate shingles, we would take any of that with great appreciation," she said.
You can give online at roseoneill.org or call Bonniebrook to find out how to help at 417-561-1509.
Pritchard said it's important to tell the story of Rose O'Neill who played an important role in the women's suffragist movement and whose art is still loved by people across the world today.
O'Neill was inducted into the Women's National Hall of Fame in 2019 for her role as a suffragist. In 2022, she was inducted into Will Eisner's Comic-Con International for being the first female cartoonist. On their website next to O'Neill's photo is this description: "Rose O’Neill was an American cartoonist and writer who, at a young age, became the best-known and highest-paid female commercial illustrator in the United States. A four-panel comic strip by O’Neill was featured in a September 19, 1896, issue of Truth magazine, making her the first American woman to publish a comic strip. She earned her international fame and fortune by creating the Kewpie, the most widely known cartoon character until Mickey Mouse. Her Kewpie cartoons, which made their debut in a 1909 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal, were made into bisque dolls in 1912 by J. D. Kestner, a German toy company. The dolls became immediately popular and are considered to be one of the first mass-marketed toys in the United States."
In 2023, O'Neill was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame for creating the Kewpie Doll.
