Fort Davidson State Historic Site [MO]

Description

In 1864, the Arcadia Valley was the scene of one of the largest and most hard-fought battles waged on the state's soil: the Battle of Pilot Knob. Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price invaded Missouri from Arkansas, leading an army of 12,000 men. On Sept. 26–27, 1864, while en route to the St. Louis area, Price attacked the weakly defended Union post of Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob. This proved to be a mistake. Fort Davidson was defended by a garrison of 1,450 men led by Gen. Thomas Ewing Jr., the brother-in-law of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. The Confederates lost nearly 1,000 men in attacking the small earthen fort and its 11 cannons. Today, the site preserves Fort Davidson and the Pilot Knob battlefield where so many Confederate and Union soldiers lost their lives. A visitor center interprets the battle and Maj. Gen. Price's raid. It features exhibits, a research library, an audiovisual presentation, and a fiber optics diorama of the battle.

The site offers a short films, exhibits, research library access, tours, occasional living history events, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Iron Mission State Park Museum [UT]

Description

Iron Mission State Park Museum tells the story of development in Iron County when in the 1850s, Brigham Young sent Mormon missionaries here to mine and process iron. Museum displays include horse-drawn vehicles used from 1850 to 1920 and a collection of pioneer artifacts. An iron industry exhibit features the only known remaining artifact from the original foundry—the town bell. In addition to the permanent collections, changing special exhibits highlight artists from the local region, as well as rarely seen artifacts from the museum's collections. Other items of interest include several historic cabins, a large collection of horse-drawn farm equipment, and a replicated pioneer household. In addition, Iron Mission now manages the historic ruins of Old Iron Town, an iron foundry west of Cedar City that operated in the 1860s—1870s.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Confederate Memorial State Historic Site [MO]

Description

The Civil War may have ended in 1865, but vivid memories of the "Lost Cause" lived on for decades at the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri. Opened in 1891, the Confederate Home provided refuge to more than 1,600 veterans and their families for nearly 60 years. These veterans hailed from points throughout the South and served in every major battle of the Civil War. Foot soldiers, artillery and cavalrymen, marines, guerilla fighters, and even spies found a place of rest here in their old age. The very last of these former rebel soldiers, John T. Graves, died at the home in 1950 at the age of 108, thus bringing an end to an era in Missouri history. Today, visitors to the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site can venture to the locations of the former home buildings and stroll through the restored 106-year-old chapel and historic cemetery. Three other historic buildings can be viewed from outside. Interpretive exhibits tell the story of the state's Confederate Soldiers Home.

The site offers exhibits and tours.

Flint Ridge [OH]

Description

Flint Ridge contains quarry pits where all of the ancient people of Ohio came to get flint for both tools and weapons. The flint was also a trade item for many of these people. The flint was especially prized by the Hopewell Culture for its quality and beauty. A walk through the site brings home how hard people labored to remove this material from the earth. The museum at Flint Ridge is built around a restored prehistoric quarry pit and explains both the digging and shaping of flint. The unique geology of the area is also a feature of the displays.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site [MO]

Description

Boone, youngest child of the famous Daniel Boone, carried his family's legacy deep into the Missouri Ozarks and the American West. Boone's last home, a simple but comfortable log house, invites exploration into the life of this second-generation frontiersman. Boone's three sons and two of his slaves built the house in 1837. It was the hub of a 720-acre Ozark farm. He, his wife, Olive, and other family members are buried near the house. Another cemetery, just a short distance from Boone's grave, contains the graves of at least 16 men, women, and children kept as slaves on the farm.

The site offers tours and occasional demonstrations and living history events.

Buckeye Furnace [OH]

Description

Buckeye Furnace is a reconstructed charcoal-fired iron blast furnace with original stack, typical of those operating in southeastern Ohio's Hanging Rock Iron Region more than a century ago. Visitors to this 270-acre site can see the furnace, originally built in 1852, which went out of blast for the last time in 1894. Attached to the furnace is the reconstructed casting shed. Above the furnace is the charging loft where iron ore, limestone, and charcoal were loaded into the furnace, and the engine house which contained a steam-powered compressor. The reconstructed company store serves as a visitor orientation area.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Fort Recovery [OH]

Description

In late 1791, Miami Indians defeated General Arthur St. Clair's forces at this site along the Wabash River. Nearly three-quarters of St. Clair's men were killed or wounded in the Indian attack. In late 1793, General Anthony Wayne sent a force to build a four-blockhouse post named Recovery at the site of St. Clair's defeat. It was completed in March of 1794 and on June 30 of that year General Wayne's army defeated a huge Indian force. This set the stage for Wayne's final triumph at Fallen Timbers in August of 1794. Today Fort Recovery State Memorial offers visitors a glimpse of the 1790s, featuring two reconstructed blockhouses with connecting stockade, a monument, and a museum.

A second site, specifically for the fort's museum, can be found here.

The site offers exhibits and tours.

Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site [MO]

Description

Sitting atop a 120-foot bluff, Bothwell Lodge is a castlelike building constructed between 1897 and 1928 for a prominent Sedalia lawyer, John Homer Bothwell. Bothwell's eclectic furnishings, most of which remain today, and informal atmosphere represent his intentions of providing a recreational retreat.

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Graham Cave State Park [MO]

Description

Nestled in the hills above the Loutre River in Montgomery County, Graham Cave State Park features an unusual sandstone cave that contained evidence that rewrote history books. Once used for shelter, Graham Cave became historically significant when archaeologists discovered how long ago human occupancy had occurred. University of Missouri archaeologists uncovered artifacts revealing human use of the cave dating back to as early as 10,000 years ago. Clues to the lifestyle of the ancient Dalton and Archaic period Native Americans were uncovered. Today, visitors are allowed in the entrance of the cave, where interpretive signs point out interesting discoveries.

The park offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events.

Boone Station State Historic Site

Description

"Daniel Boone (1734-1820), known for his role in the exploring and settling of the Kentucky frontier decided that the settlement of Boonesborough had become far too crowded. In December 1779, Boone and his family established Boone’s Station. At its height, the community had 15 to 20 families, including the Boone, Barrow, Hays, Morgan, Muir, Scholl and, Stinson families.

Daniel Boone and his family endured many hardships while living at Boone's Station. Both his son Israel, and nephew Thomas Boone were killed at the Battle of Blue Licks in 1781. By 1781, Boone’s claim to Boone Station proved to be invalid. He and other members of the settlement continued to live there for a brief period. However, by 1791 Boone Station had ceased to exist. In 1795, Robert Frank purchased 500 acres that included the Station site.

Eventually Boone and his family moved to Missouri where the famous pioneer died in 1820. In 1845, the Governor, and General Assembly of Kentucky requested that the remains of Daniel Boone and his wife Rebecca Bryan Boone be reburied in Kentucky. They are buried in the State Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky."