MANSFIELD, Mo. -- Jere Gettle is decked out head to toe in a yellow cowboy outfit he describes as a reproduction of a 1970s Porter Wagoner suit. It's set off perfectly by his green cactus-shaped tie and embroidered palm trees that seem to grow from the piping of the front pockets.

He runs Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield and today was meeting people at the pioneer town he created called Bakersville. It's part of his annual Planting Festival; anywhere else his clothes might be out of place, but here in Missouri the crowd loves them.

This was my second visit to Mansfield, a tiny town of 1,500 people an hour east of Springfield. I was there in May to talk gardening, but I found out much more about what this town has contributed to children's literature and sports lore.

Although I've traveled all over the world, the anticipation of seeing Mansfield again matched that of just about any other place I've visited. It's the mecca for organic gardeners and heirloom seed lovers, two things that I'm passionate about.

Mr. Gettle started the business as a teenager in his bedroom, offering 70 varieties of heritage seeds. Each year the company has grown; his current catalog offers 1,400 varieties from 70 countries.

"The seeds we offer are heirloom seeds, which basically means they have been passed down from generation to generation. You can save your own seeds from any of the varieties, just like your grandparents or their grandparents could have," the lanky entrepreneur said.

He loves these older flowers and vegetables for what they offer gardeners. "You have a lot more nutrition in the old varieties, more flavor, more color diversity -- There's just a lot more for a home gardener."

I wanted to learn more about the Mansfield area and found the Mansfield Historical Society in the downtown square. The door was locked, the place looked abandoned, and as I walked back to my rented red Mustang convertible, I noticed Missouri Comics right next door. Driving the "midlife crisis mobile" had me feeling nostalgic, so I went in looking for some cool 1970s Superman books.

"They're generally closed 24/7," owner Josh Cooper said with a laugh about the history center. This is where most of the walk-ins come from, guys like me, looking for information about the city.

Mr. Cooper, a former software developer, was weary of the travel his old job required, and he opened his store in a historic building built in 1874. More than 90 percent of his business is Internet-based. He has loved comics his whole life and now has turned it into a living.

There were three things I needed to learn about Mansfield, he said. It was the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the collection of "Little House" books; birthplace of infamous major league baseball player Carl Mays; and, of course, home to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Two out of three wasn't bad.

So I headed 45 miles east of Mansfield to Rocky Ridge Farm, where Mrs. Wilder wrote all nine manuscripts for her "Little House" series. The books trace the Wilder family (Ma, Pa and their children -- Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace) in their travels from the East to the northern Midwest and then finally to the Dakota Territory. Much of it comes from her own diaries. Her first one -- "Little House in the Big Woods" -- was published in 1932. There's also a museum on the grounds that showcases five of her handwritten manuscripts and many mementos of her life and family.

During my visit to the museum, Kim Parker of Mabank, Texas, and her 8-year-old daughter Kassidy were in awe as they made their way around the room.

"Oh, my goodness," Ms. Parker exclaimed, "There's the jewel box, Kassidy, I'm so excited."

They admired the small china jewel box they had read about housed in a glass case along with the Holy Grail of Little House memorabilia: Pa's fiddle.

The two had used the "Little House" books as part of Kassidy's third-grade history lessons.

Kathleen Forte said she sees this sort of reaction every day; she's the first person visitors encounter when they come in to pay their admission.

"I'm just thrilled that they enjoy it so much," she says of the visitors. "Some will even have tears in their eyes when they come."

The retired school teacher from Mansfield began reading the books to her students in the '40s in a one-room schoolhouse. During the first year she taught school in nearby Mountain Grove, she even had a visit from Mrs. Wilder. At the time, it was no big deal, but later Mrs. Forte thought of the profound effect Mrs. Wilder had on society and what the author could teach her students.

"It was the realization that Laura was a pioneer lady and this was our history," she said.

The Wilder Home Association was established in 1957, the year Mrs. Wilder died at age 90. The museum opened in 1971, although the house itself was open before that.

Mrs. Wilder didn't start writing the books until she was 65 at the urging of her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, a celebrated author at the time. Mrs. Lane is probably best known for "Let the Hurricane Roar," also known as "The Young Pioneers." Incidentally, Mrs. Lane also wrote a weekly column for the Pittsburgh Courier from 1941-45.

On my visit, April Sweet of Mount Eden, Ky., stood in front of the house after her tour with her family. She was moved by her visit and counts the television show "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-83, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert) as a childhood favorite.

"It felt like you stepped back in time," she said. "It felt like you were Laura's guest."

For her it changed the perception of the family from the one she knew on TV. "You can really relate to them as real people."

In my quest to learn more about Manfield's next claim to fame -- Carl Mays, the baseball player -- I found out that he actually was born in Liberty, Ky., but his family moved to Mansfield when he was 2.

He was the only major league player to kill another player with a pitch. As the quick-footed Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman looked to bunt on Aug. 16, 1920, Mr. Mays, a New York Yankee, threw a pitch that hit the batter in the temple. Chapman died the next day.

There's talk of erecting a statue of Mr. Mays in the town square, but it's just talk. Until then, fans can stop by Missouri Comics for some baseball cards of the MLB star.

There was one place Mr. Cooper, the comics shop owner, didn't know about: Little Yeoman Brewing Co., 30 miles east of Mansfield in Cabool.

I was introduced to the place by the proprietor of the B&B where I stayed on my last visit.

Little Yeoman is run by Chad Lewis Frederick, who impressed this beer snob with some of the tastiest microbrews I'd ever had the pleasure of drinking.

He has a large walk-in cooler in the middle of his farm field at the end of a dusty, winding road. Visitors buy six-packs to go or sit under canvas tents and sip a variety of beers in the shade.

"The best part is socializing with the customers," Mr. Frederick told me the last time I was in town. "I told everybody in high school that I was going to find a job that I could get paid to party, and I did."

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