Petticoat Lane

I’ve heard of memory lane, express lane, passing lane, and even of “life in the fast lane,” but I had never heard of Petticoat Lane. Petticoat Lane was a part of 11th Street in Kansas City where fashionable retailers were located. I recently found an envelope in the Midwest Genealogy Center Archives that proudly displayed Petticoat Lane as the address for Harzfeld’s Department Store.

Although I did not grow up in this area, I do have fond memories of going shopping with my mom and aunt to the big department stores in downtown Baltimore. As a young girl, I was amazed by the tall buildings. We spent all day shopping. It’s fun to talk to my sister and share our memories of shopping as kids.

If you find yourself taking a trip down memory lane, MGC has some helpful resources. Use our digital maps collection to take a glimpse into how a place looked in the past. Map overlays can help you see what is there now! Many city directories have a reverse address section of the book where you can go street by street and see what was located at each address. MGC also has Tell Me a Story kits that you can check out to preserve your memories by creating oral history recordings. If you need some inspiration to get started, you can also check out one of the Bi-Folkal kits. It’s a multi-sensory resource that will help you remember and share your stories.

Holidays are a great time to visit with family, share stories, and remember family events. Take some time to write down or record those stories!

Jolene C.
Midwest Genealogy Center