Preservation:Earp—All in the Family

Earp—All in the Family Bob and Melba Matson are brave, courageous and bold. In 1986, they bought a house in Monmouth, Illinois—but not just any house. Wyatt Earp was born there on March 19, 1848. Committed to keeping the history alive, the Matsons spent thousands of dollars maintaining the 1841 structure (with an addition built in the mid-1860s) as a nonprofit museum exhibiting Earp memorabilia. Not exactly on the beaten path, the house has had only about 10,000 visitors in the past 21 ye