Motorists heading south from St. Louis toward Hillsboro may not realize when they cross Sandy Creek on State Route 21 that located just a short distance downstream is one of Missouri’s last remaining covered bridges. Once fairly numerous, the covered bridges still standing numbered only eleven by 1942.
Once referred to as the Thermopylae of the West, the Battle of Pilot Knob was one of the bloodiest in the Civil War in Missouri, and it marked the beginning of the end for the Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price.
The land that would one day become Watkins Mill State Park & Historic Site was purchased on this date in 1839. Or at least a part of it was. Waltus Watkins purchased the first 80-acres of what would one day become a 3,660-acre enterprise including the famous Woolen Mill. Watkins was born in 1806 in …
Take in all of the Civil War history that fills the Anderson House and the nearby 100-acre battlefield. Find out all about the Battle of Hemp Bales and relive what a field hospital was really like.
More than 1,100 Civil War battles were fought in Missouri. Our state parks system focuses on six sites. The Battle of Carthage State Historic Site is one not to be missed. There are interpretive displays and a Civil War museum near the square in Carthage, as well as the fields where the battles took place.
Visit the Pommer-Gentner house and the Strehly house at this State Historic Site. See a printing press similar to what was used to print one of the first German language newspapers west of the Mississippi. To round out your visit take a stroll through historic Hermann.
Clark’s Hill is a triple-bonus sort of place, interesting geologically, geographically, and historically. Plus, it provides one of the finest overlook views of the Missouri River valley that can be had. Hike up the hill to stand in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark.
Bothwell Lodge sits atop a bluff near Sedalia. The estate is a stunning stone structure with a mountain of history. You can tour the lodge and learn about the owner John Homer Bothwell. Take a hike on the Stoneyridge Trail and stop for a picnic along the way.
Nathan Boone, son of the famous pioneer, Daniel Boone, and family moved to the homestead in Ash Grove from their estate in St. Charles County. The site is now a State Historic Site and well worth a visit. His cabin, home furnishngs and the gardens are available to tour.
Lead mining has been big business in the eastern Ozarks since about 1720. But how much do you know about the history of mining in Missouri? You can learn all about it at a free and informative open house at a historic state mine museum!
The Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site is a place filled with history. Many battle reenactments have relived the events that took place on Sept., 27, 1864. Visit the fort, bring a picnic, and immerse yourself in Civil War history.
The 132-acre Dillard Mill State Historic Site offers a fully operational turbine-powered roller mill which can be toured and a mill store built around 1899. There is also a day-use picnic area with a shelter and a mile-and-a-half hiking trail through a glade and wooded uplands east of the mill.
Lexington, Mo is brimming with annetebellum homes and amazing architecture, and is surrounded by beautiful landscapes. The Anderson House was used as a hospital during the Civil War. The site is most notable for the Battle of the Hemp Bales. Come find out why.
Thomas Hart Benton is best known for the murals in our state capitol in Jefferson City. The home and studio that Benton and his wife Rita shared in Kansas City have been left perfectly preserved. The paints, furniture, sketches, and even his pipe sit right where he left them on the day he died.
The Missouri and Kansas border was a contentious place during the Civil War. Make your way along the trail at this historic site to view the landscape where African Americans fighting in the Civil War earned their place in Missouri—and national—history.
The silence that surrounds you at this site belies what happened here during the Civil War. This is where one of the earliest engagements of the Civil War took place. Stand in the spot where the Union fired the final battle shots.
A Lear jet rests beside the highway without an airport in sight. A Ferris wheel sits idly in a field. A forlorn brick chimney rises out of a clump of bushes. These are but a few of the curiosities that travelers speed past on their way across Missouri on Interstate 70 between St. Louis and Kansas City. Entertainment abounds on the nation’s oldest interstate highway. You have but to stop and look.
Ste. Genevieve was established in 1735 by French-Canadian colonists. It was the first ever settlement by Europeans in Missouri.
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