Affiliated with the Baptist Church, St. Joseph Female College was opened in 1875 by the English-born Rev.

Patee House has historically been most commonly associated with the founding of the Pony Express in 1860, and the death of outlaw Jesse James nearby in 1882.

The college moved out of Patee House in 1880 and constructed its own building at a cost of $100,000 on a hill near the city's center.

According to The Baptist Encyclopedia, the board of trustees was composed of the state's leading men, with Rev.

In 1980 Patee House was designated a National Historical Landmark, for its use as headquarters of the innovative Pony Express.