THE INNKEEPERS
Kim & Gary Sanson
Gary and Kim Sanson love historic Excelsior Springs and are
proud to call it their home! They are both very active in the community and are proud to be part of the revitalization of downtown historic district.
Their passion for saving and restoring historic properties is their full time dream come true. Be sure to stop by the latest commercial renovation at 423 Thompson "Brunke Hardware Store" now the home of "Bliss" home décor.
Looking to move to Excelsior Springs? Check out the "Historic Boarding House District" at the east end of Broadway. Gary and Kim are determined to help save this historic neighborhood.
407 E Broadway house renovation will be completed June 2020!
Both Gary and Kim serve on several boards: Downtown Partnership, Excelsior Springs Hospital, E.S. Park and Rec Foundation, Octoberfest Fall festival, and more. Kim is a local Remax Realtor for over 30 years. Gary is master craftsman and owner of Peppard Seed & Co. home restoration company.
Family life consists of two sons, two daughters-in-love, three granddaughters, and a golden doodle named Brunke!
Words to live by:
Be FEARLESS in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
ABOUT THE INN
We’d like to tell you a little bit about Sunny Side Cottage and some of the interesting people who have owned this property. We aren’t sure of the exact year this house was built. The subdivision that this cottage sits in was platted in March of 1889. The cottage has been home to a dentist, a doctor, the son of a golf pro and it has housed a few renters through the years.
The first family to live at 506 Dunbar was Curtis and Gladys McKinney. They purchased the property in July 1916 and owned it until August 1919. Curtis was born in Excelsior Springs on October 14, 1890, the son of William Nathan and Georgia Anna Craven McKinney. William was the founding editor of The Daily Standard, which, over 100 years later, is still in print as the Excelsior Springs Standard. However, dentistry was his true calling and he began practice in Excelsior Springs in 1915. Much of his equipment that he used in his offices is on display at the Excelsior Springs Museum.
On October 7, 1915, Curtis married Gladys Belle Munsell and together they raised three children, Dorothy, Curtis “Bud”, and Barbara. Glady’s father, Calvin H. Munsell, was a pioneer in the telephone industry and owned many exchanges in Kansas and Missouri, including Excelsior Springs. Curtis served a number of years on the Excelsior Springs school board, city council and as mayor.
According to an article that appeared in a 1996 Daily Standard, Dorothy stated that her father was very artistically inclined and did many watercolor paintings. When this cottage was being rehabbed, paneling was removed from the dining room and a painting on the wall was discovered, which we have left intact. It is not known who did the painting or commissioned it, however it does make one wonder if maybe Dr. McKinney was the artist. (see mural remnant above)
Gladys passed away on April 26, 1949. In 1951, Curtis married Vera Tracy and she was still living when he passed away on May 21, 1953 in Excelsior Springs.
Historical research by Terri Sickles
