In Liberty and nearby communities, African American entrepreneurs built influential businesses across the twentieth century. Jesse Dodd, Sr., educated at Garrison School, worked on his father's farm and then at L. N. Hicks Cleaners on Missouri Street, where he became highly skilled in dry cleaning, laundry processes, and equipment repair before purchasing the business, renaming it Michigan Cleaners, and operating it successfully for more than 25 years while employing six of his 10 children and other African Americans in the community. Cornelius Vanderbilt Bird, born in White Oak and taught gardening by his father, moved to Liberty during the World War I era and developed Sunny Day’s Garden and Green House on North Grover Street, where he farmed three plots, advised residents on gardening, and became a trusted figure known for his bond with the soil and with hundreds of Liberty residents. Herman R. “Sack” Lee, a Garrison School graduate and First Baptist Church member, worked for Griffey Produce Company for fifteen years before founding Lee Waste Management Company, maintaining a sanitation route for more than 18 years, employing local young men and adults, giving Garrison School children fruit, nuts, and candy at Christmas, and coaching an American Legion Little League team of African American players during segregation. Oledia Pearl Clarkston Anderson, descended from an African American entrepreneurial family in Platte County, owned and managed the Wiggle Inn for two decades after completing the land purchase in 1943; the nightclub, boarding house, and meeting place welcomed African Americans from Liberty, Kansas City, and northland communities for food, liquor, music, gambling, dancing, and community gatherings in an era when few African American women owned businesses.