Main Street USA, Marceline
We aren't the only Main Street U.S.A. in the country, but we were the original. We share the name, printed on our Mouse Ears street signs with a rather famous street, located in Anaheim, California, you may have heard of...Disneyland!
When Walt Disney designed the entrance of his park, that leads to so many magical lands, he designed it so that every child ( and child-at-heart ) must first walk past the train depot and down a Small-Town-America-Main-Street. (One that looks undeniably similar to ours!)
Trains are very important to Marceline, it's because of the railroad and the mining industry that Marceline became a town. Trains were very important to Walt Disney too, it was a train that brought him, and his family, from Chicago, to Marceline, where his uncle was already living, and working for the railroad. When Walt stepped off the train, here in Marceline, he immediately became a "small town boy". Walt would later say, "I'm glad I'm a small town boy and Im glad Marceline was my town."
Walts years here, while short, were some of the fondest memories of his childhood. After finding fame, Walt made several trips back to Marceline, to honor his small hometown. He never forgot us. Walt honored us with many gifts such as a movie premiere in our very own Uptown Theatre, the dedication of the elementary school and swimming pool complex, both in his namesake, and even our very own amusement ride from Disneyland!
Today we still remember and honor Walt by telling his story through the halls and rooms of the Walt Disney Museum. It's the story of a small town boy, growing up on a farm in Marceline, Missouri, who had big dreams and made them come to life. The magic he found in Marceline, all those years ago, is still alive, and we invite you to come see for yourself.
DayBreak Salon, is proudly located on Main Street U.S.A., directly across from Ripley Park Square, named after E.P. Ripley the railroad president at the time the land was donated from the railroad to the city. Walt would remember his Sunday afternoons in the park, playing with his friends and listening to the locals play their fiddles from the gazebo, which would have undoubtedly been frequently interrupted by the passing of the trains, which come through on a steady schedule still today.