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battlefield

Park Day Clean Up
 

Park Day Clean Up 2013

by mwhisleron March 15, 2013 in Battlefield tagged , , , , ,

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will be holding its twelfth annual “Park Day” clean-up event in partnership with the Civil War Trust on Saturday, April 6, 2013.  Work will consist of cleaning and landscaping the areas around the picnic area, the visitor center, the park’s cemeteries and the Ray House.  A highway clean up along State Route ZZ is planned provided enough volunteers are present.

“Park Day is a great time to be part of Wilson’s Creek NB in making the park a better place to visit”, says Superintendent Hillmer, “Come and enjoy the outdoors and make the battlefield a special place in the greater Springfield area.”

Volunteers are asked to meet at the Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m. Volunteers should wear appropriate outdoor work clothing, work shoes or boots, and to bring work gloves, hat and sunscreen.  Work will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until about 3 p.m., depending on the project.  Persons wishing to volunteer for Park Day should call Park Ranger David Hutson at 417-732-2662, extension 385 to pre-register.

Park Day is an annual event sponsored by the Civil War Trust and the History Channel.  The day is an opportunity for local communities to improve the quality of Civil War battlefield areas in their area.  Volunteers will receive a t-shirt courtesy of the History Channel for their participation.

The Civil War Trust is America’s largest non-profit organization devoted to preservation of our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefield lands.  The Trust also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public about the war and the fundamental conflicts that sparked it.

Volunteer
 

Volunteer Recruitment Fair

by mwhisleron March 5, 2013 in Battlefield tagged , , ,

On Saturday, March 9, 2013 Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield is hosting a Volunteer Recruitment Fair from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The day’s activities will begin with a short video introducing the NPS Volunteer in Parks (VIP) program followed by a thirty-minute presentation to address some of the specific volunteer needs for the 2013 spring and summer season. Anyone interested in volunteering at the battlefield is encouraged to attend.  Volunteers should be at least sixteen years of age to participate in activities.   Light refreshments will be served. Reservations are not required for the meeting.

After the 9:00 a.m. presentation, visitors and prospective volunteers will have the opportunity to stop by several volunteer exhibition tables set up throughout the visitor center. Each station will be hosted a park staff member or one of the current volunteers at Wilsons’s Creek NB and provide opportunity for the public to learn first-hand about the various volunteer positions. In addition to answering questions the volunteers will also share personal in-sight as well as some of their own experiences with the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield volunteer program.

According to Superintendent Ted Hillmer, “The programs presented, at the park, are strongly supported by volunteers.  Come and be a part of preserving our nation’s history.”  A registration table will be staffed where new or ‘prospective’ volunteers can stop by for additional information and pick up or fill out the appropriate paperwork.

There is an immediate need for volunteers to assist during the busy spring school season (April/May) with providing educational tours of the historic Ray House as well short programs on Civil War medicine and other Civil War topics. These and other 2013 opportunities to volunteer will be discussed in further detail during the fair.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Ray House
 

Fall Into Wilson’s Creek History

by mwhisleron October 8, 2012 in Battlefield tagged , , , ,

The oranges and reds of autumn are on display during these warm days and cool nights at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.  Visitors who explore the interconnected trails will be rewarded with cooler weather and pockets of deciduous trees, which change to rich reds, orange, and yellow in the fall.  You can bring history alive as you visit the battlefield and experience the environment that has been preserved for all America. Whether your mode of transportation is walking, jogging, biking, horseback riding, and/or how the majority of our over 200,000 visitors enjoy the park, driving in your favorite vehicle, you will not be disappointed as you experience the battlefield as the soldiers did on that morning of August 10, 1861.

The battlefield has several key interpretive media and artifacts to assist you in creating a memorable experience for your visit:  the finest Trans-Mississippi River collection of artifacts in the United States, an electric map that describes battle tactics, the largest Civil War library in the National Park Service system, a great Visitor Center to assist you with your visit, the friendliest Park Rangers, a 26 minute film, and a 5-mile tour road with eight wayside stops to explain what occurred on that warm and humid morning of August 10, 1861.  Recently, a cell phone tour was added to our tour road.  You can use your cell phone to access our self-guided driving tour.  Just stop by the Visitor Center to obtain the access number.

Whether you drive or walk, your visit to the park will be filled with the spectacular autumn colors. One can almost hear the soldiers wake from their shelters, prepare the morning coffee as they look around the camp sites with the morning fog laying low to the ground with the sun streaming through the trees.  Come out to the battlefield to learn about the history of this special place located in the greater Springfield area.

Moonlight Tour
 

Moonlight Tour At The Battlefield

by mwhisleron September 7, 2012 in Battlefield, Foundation tagged ,

The tour will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, between 7:00 p.m. and
10:00 p.m.  Tickets are $6.00 and proceeds are used to cover the cost of
the program.  The remaining tickets are available on a first-come,
first-served basis and are available at the visitor center.  The visitor
center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

In order to prepare for the Moonlight Tour, the battlefield’s tour road
will be closed to ALL entry by vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians at 5 p.m.
the day of the event.

Tours  of  35  persons  will  begin at 7:00 p.m. and will continue every 15
minutes  until  10:00 p.m.  The length of the tour is one and a half hours.
All  those taking the tour are requested to report to the visitor center at
least  30  minutes  before  their  scheduled  tour.   Visitors will then be
transported  via  busses from the visitor center to and from the tour site.
In addition, those taking the tour should be prepared to walk approximately
½  mile on terrain that is grassy and sometimes uneven.

Wheelchairs and strollers are not recommended and the use of flashlights or
illuminated photography/video-taping during the tour is also prohibited.

The Foundation will be serving dessert and coffee from 6:30 to 9 during the Moonlight Tour.   Please come by and learn more about what we do!

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Trading Cards

Rhoda Jones
Anna Elizabeth Steele
Lieutenant Omer Weaver
Private George Bent
Lyon Marker
The Civil War Moves West
Sinkhole

Trading cards have been popular with children for generations, from images of sports figures to movie stars. Now, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield is offering seven free trading cards, four of which feature different people whose lives were directly impacted by the battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861. Additional cards are also available relating to various sites around the battlefield.

The cards, available at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, are part of a series of 550 cards available at participating national parks throughout the United States. To “earn” a trading card, children may participate in a ranger-led tour or answer a question about their visit to the park.

The trading cards are vehicles for telling some ‘lesser-known’ stories – including the stories of civilians, women, African-Americans and American Indians. The trading cards are a great way to engage everyone with our history as a nation and also provide an incentive to families with children to visit all parks which offer the cards.

Each trading card tells a little-known story but collectively the cards describe the struggles we have endured as a nation to strive for freedom and equality. The Civil War Sesquicentennial and the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement provide opportunities for us to reflect upon our past, celebrate the strides we have made and look forward with commitment to achieve a more perfect union.

Want to know more?

  by mwhisleron August 27, 2012
Camera Club
 

6th Annual Photo Exhibit for Amateur Photographers

by mwhisleron August 27, 2012 in Battlefield tagged , ,

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield announces their 6th Annual Photo Exhibit.  Entries were submitted by the Southwest Missouri Camera Club. The entries will be on exhibit, at the battlefield, in the Visitor Center multipurpose room, from September 1, 2012, through September 15, 2012. The visitor’s center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., seven days a week.

In partnership with the Southwest Missouri Camera Club, the National Park Service is working cooperatively again this year to highlight the historical and educational aspects of the battlefield through photography.  This exhibit allows the camera club to showcase their members’ creative sensitivity experience in presenting the battlefield for future generations.

Photographers were allowed to submit two entries for each of the six categories, up to 12 entries total.  First, second, and third place ribbons will be awarded in each category with the winners being announced on September 1, 2012.  First place winners will have their photos published in the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield 2013 Calendar.

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