Building the Bootheel

At Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site in New Madrid, visitors can explore a grand Southern mansion while learning about the families who shaped the development of Missouri's southeastern lowlands for a century and a half. 


April 27, 1822

Birthday of President, General, and adoptive Missourian Hiram Ulysses Grant (aka Ulysses S. Grant).


Our 14th Governor, Robert Marcellus Stewart, is Born: March 12, 1815

Robert Marcellus Stewart was born on this date in 1815, in Truxton, New York.


Battle of Pea Ridge illustration

The Battle of Pea Ridge Begins: March 7, 1862

The Battle of Pea Ridge at the Missouri-Arkansas border decimated the power of Confederate forces in Missouri.


Francis Preston Blair, Jr.

Francis Preston Blair Jr. is Born: February 19, 1821

Francis Preston Blair Jr., Missouri senator and soldier, was born on this date in 1821.


Missouri History Today November 9, 1861: Stars and Stripes: From Civil War Bloomfield to World War II London

Missouri History Today November 9, 1861: Stars and Stripes: From Civil War Bloomfield to World War II London


Stars and Stripe Forever

The enduring military publication Stars and Stripes was born in Bloomfield amid the destruction of the Civil War. Visit the Stars and Stripes Museum Library to see the original newspaper, a Huey helicopter, and many other exhibits.


Missouri History Today October 29, 1862: Battle Of Island Mound Sees Black Soldiers In Civil War Combat

Missouri History Today October 29, 1862: Battle Of Island Mound Sees Black Soldiers In Civil War Combat


Missouri History Today September 21, 1986: Pleasant Hill Pays Homage To Civil War Past

Missouri History Today September 21, 1986: Pleasant Hill Pays Homage To Civil War Past


American Indians: Caught in the Civil War Conflict

The last tribal body of American Indians was removed from Missouri in 1837, but they would make a reappearance in the state during the Civil War. The conflicts that led to their involvement in the war began years before the first shot was fired.