MEMPHIS, Mo. — Believe it or not, Missouri was home to what many believe to be the world’s tallest woman.

Originally from Gorin, Ella Ewing grew to a total height of 8 feet 4 inches and was named “Missouri’s Giantess” in the late 1800s. Many of Ella’s belongings, including her 9-foot bed, are on display at the Downing House Museum in Memphis, near the Iowa border.

Ewing was born in 1872 and grew at a normal rate until she was 9, when she began growing a few inches per week, museum curator Wilma June Kapfer said. Ewing’s mother used to have to stay up each night and sew extra ruffles on her dress, so it would fit her the next day. As Ewing grew older, she decided to travel and showcase herself in Barnum and Bailey’s Circus around the country. Ewing died of an illness thought to be pneumonia or tuberculosis at age 41.

The Downing House Museum features an entire room about Ewing and her life. It includes personal items that Ewing owned. After traveling with the circus, Ewing built a custom-made house for herself and her parents with doors 8 feet tall. These doors, the bed, pictures of Ewing and her family, and one of Ewing’s size 24 shoes are on display in the museum. There is also a life-size mannequin of Ewing on the first floor, so patrons can feel firsthand what it would have been like to stand next to her.

“I can’t imagine a human being that size,” museum volunteer Anna Lynn Kirkpatrick said. Kirkpatrick has been a volunteer tour guide for the museum for the past four years. She said that most people in Missouri probably don’t know about the museum, possibly because of its location in northern Missouri.

The Downing House has been a museum since 1978, when members of the Scotland County Historical Society decided to create a museum to preserve the history of people in the region. Along with the Ella Ewing room, the museum displays artifacts from the Civil War, an old barbershop and antiques, such as an old telephone exchange and camera. All of the items are donated.

Kapfer has been part of the historical society since it began and still gives tours along with volunteers at the museum. The museum opens in April and closes in September. The usual hours are from 1 to 4 p.m., and it’s best to call ahead for a guided tour.

The Downing House was chosen as the location for the museum because of its own historical significance, Kapfer said. It was built in 1858 by William G. Downing, who had come from Virginia and married a woman in Scotland County. Downing built the house in the style of houses found in Virginia at the time. The house has features of both the Greek Revival and Italiante styles and features 14 rooms and a three-story tower.

The house was used as a camp for Union soldiers during the Civil War. Soldiers were able to ride their horses through the doors, which are 10 feet high. The house eventually became a hotel, where Ewing and her father had stayed.

The Scotland County Historical Society bought the house and renovated it, preserving as much of the original house as possible. This year, the property will be 150 years old.

Kirkpatrick said the Ella Ewing exhibit amazes most visitors, especially school children who come through the museum on field trips.

“Seeing the mannequin and seeing pictures of her really brings it home,” Kirkpatrick said. “It gives you an awareness about how hard life must have been for her. Probably nothing was comfortable for her when she was traveling around with the circus.”

In past seasons, as many as 1,500 people from all over the country have visited the house, Kapfer said.

Along with being involved with the museum for 30 years, Kapfer also has donated personal items to the museum, including two uniforms she wore as a military nurse in World War II. Other exhibits include handmade dresses and antique silverware.

Kapfer said she lives and breathes the museum. She even contributed to the Ewing room while visiting The Ringling Museum of the American Circus in Sarasota, Fla., and was able to make a copy of a poster advertising Ewing as an attraction. The poster is now part of the exhibit.

“I enjoy seeing the antiques and the people,” Kapfer said. “People come from all over the country to see the house.”

The best way to set up a tour is to call the museum at 660-465-2275. The price is $5 per person and free for children 10 and younger.