The O'Neill Family Home
History of Bonniebrook House
The Original O'Neill Home
In the spring of 1893, Rose O’Neill left Omaha, Nebraska to study
art in New York City. That same year, William Patrick O’Neill moved
the rest of his family (his wife and five children) to an abandoned
homestead in the Missouri Ozarks. At that time there were only two
log cabins connected by a breezeway, as was the custom in the Ozark
hills. This was commonly referred to as a “dog trot” cabin.
In the spring of 1894 Rose came to visit her family. She immediately
fell in love with the wild, wooded area. She called it “the tangles”
and named the little homestead “Bonniebrook” after the stream that
ran through the property. By 1896 Rose had returned to New York. She
was becoming a popular artist and illustrator for several New York
magazines. As Rose’s popularity rose, so did her income. She sent
money home so that her family could begin construction of
Bonniebrook. From this time on Rose became the main source of
support for her family.
It is not certain when the construction of Bonniebrook began, but it
was probably in 1898. Rose’s older brother John Hugh, had married a
local girl, and with the help of his new father-in-law he built a
saw mill on the O’Neill property. Rose’s mother designed the floor
plan and construction of Bonniebrook began using lumber from trees
milled there. The house was built in three phases. The first phase
included three rooms on the ground level with bedrooms on the second
and third floors. This portion of the house was completed in 1900.
In her memoirs Rose says, “Bonniebrook continued to grow along the
bank of the little stream.” The second phase of the house was
complete between 1906 and 1908. Phase two added the big kitchen,
dining room and laundry room with more bedrooms above. At this time
there were eight bedrooms plus a caretaker’s room. In addition,
Bonniebrook became the first home in Taney County with an indoor
bathroom and running water!
Meemie in the Library
Around 1910, Rose’s mother, Meemie started phase three. The wall
between the two bedrooms on the third floor was removed to create a
large treetop studio for Rose. In addition, two balconies were
added. Rose was delighted. She called the smaller, east balcony
overlooking the brook her “Bird Café”. Here in the new studio Rose
was able to isolate herself from the rest of the large, noisy
household to draw and write. In addition to a desk and easel, there
was a daybed where an exhausted Rose could catnap while working.
Rose had electricity run into the house as well as telephone, also a
first in Taney County. Rose also had telephones installed at the
neighbors’ homes so the O’Neill’s would have people to call.
Rose Drawing in Her Studio
The 14 room Ozark mansion was finally complete. It stood for a half
century, witness to dances and parties, births and deaths, and
visitors coming from far and near. Bonniebrook is where Rose
believed she did her finest work. It is also where she came to
retire and write her memoirs in 1937 after the death of her beloved
mother. She lived on at Bonniebrook until her own death in 1944.
In early January, 1947, the old house burned to the ground. Clarence
“Clink”, Rose’s youngest brother had been living in the house by
himself. He was having dinner at a neighbor’s home when they saw
smoke. Rushing to Bonniebrook, they found they could save nothing.
The fire was determined to have been caused by a faulty electric
heater that had been left on. As fortune would have it, Paul
O’Neill, Rose’s nephew and executor of her estate had removed most
all of Rose’s original work from the home prior to the fire.For nearly 30 years the site of the old home lay in ruins. It had
been reclaimed by nature and it was nearly impossible to locate the
home’s foundation and the little cemetery.
In 1975, The Bonniebrook
Historical Society was formed. Fund raising began in earnest to
rebuild the house. Bonniebrook was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. The statue “Embrace of the Tree” was located and
was brought home. Finally, the house was completed in 1993, the
Centennial Year of the O’Neill family homesteading there. It is
furnished in the style typical of the era in which the O’Neill’s
occupied it.
The home and grounds are open to the public Tuesday
through Saturday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, April 1st to November 30th, major
holidays excluded.
The Rebuilt O'Neill Home
