Confederate Memorial State Historic Site
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Confederate Memorial State Historic Site is a state-owned property occupying approximately near Higginsville, Missouri. From 1891 to 1950, the site was used as an old soldiers' home for veterans of the Confederate States Army after the American Civil War. The Missouri state government then took over operation of the site after the last veteran died in 1950, using it as a
state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
. In 1981, a cottage, a chapel, and the Confederate cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Confederate Chapel, Cemetery and Cottage. The chapel was moved from its original position in 1913, but was returned in 1978. It has a tower and a stained glass window. The cottage is a small wooden building, and the cemetery contains 723 graves. Within the cemetery is a monument erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy which is modeled on the '' Lion of Lucerne''. In addition to the cemetery and historic structures, the grounds also contain trails, picnic sites, and fishing ponds.


History

After the end of the American Civil War in Missouri, veterans of the Confederate States Army faced hard times. Confederate veterans, some of whom had difficulty accessing medical treatment and who had been disenfranchised from voting, met throughout the state periodically after the war. At one such meeting in Higginsville in 1889, the idea of creating an old soldiers' home to care for aging Confederate veterans was discussed. In 1891, in the Higginsville vicinity were purchased to establish the old soldier's home. The families of Confederate veterans were also allowed to live at the site. By 1897, the group operating the site was running out of funds, and the state government stepped in to help run the site. While the state funded the site, the home's
board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
was still composed of Confederate veterans. Facilities for producing electricity existed at the site, and about 30 buildings were located on the grounds at its peak. Over the course of the site's use as an old soldiers' home, about 1,600 people from all but one state of the
former Confederacy The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
resided at the site. A chapel located on the park grounds was moved in 1913, as the aging veterans were having difficulty walking to the chapel for religious services; the chapel's basement was also used for the production of hard cider. (includes 12 photographs from 1980) In 1925, Missouri designated of the home as a memorial to Confederate soldiers. It remained in operation until 1950, when the last Confederate veteran in the state died, after which the state government purchased the site to operate as a
state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
. The state's land acquisition process was completed in 1952. In 1954, most of the remaining buildings in the park were torn down. Beginning in 1956, parts of the site were also used for storage by a local school, and the chapel was technically under the administration of the Missouri Department of Mental Health until 1977. On December 16, 1981, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Confederate Chapel, Cemetery and Cottage", with a register number of 81000335. At the time of the register listing, the chapel was assessed to be in good condition, while the cottage was given a lower condition rating of fair. The cottage was still located in its original site, while the chapel had been moved twice: once in 1913 and once in 1978 when it was returned to its original site after a concrete basement had been built there. In the 2000s, a Confederate flag officially flown at the site was removed when the state government declared that only the
United States flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...
and the
flag of Missouri The flag of Missouri, often referred to as the Missouri flag, is the state flag of the U.S. state of Missouri. It consists of three equal horizontal tribands of red, white, and blue stripes, with the arms of Missouri in the center. Designed by ...
could be flown on state parks; the Confederate flag was displayed, not flown, while the site was used as an old soldiers' home. While many Confederate monuments and memorials have been removed in recent years, there has been very little pressure to remove or rename the site. The journalist Seth Boester, writing for the ''
Columbia Missourian The ''Columbia Missourian'' is a digital-first newspaper based in Columbia, Missouri, published online seven days a week and in print five days a week. The newspaper is affiliated with the Missouri School of Journalism, and is owned as a 501c3 no ...
'' has speculated that this is because the site's historic usage as a retirement home makes it less controversial.


Features

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources maintains of land at the site. The site saw a total of 151,026 visitors in 2020. On the park grounds are 10 buildings and of roadways; most of the buildings are located in the northwestern portion of the park. Visitors are allowed to tour the historic chapel, the park cemetery, and three other buildings. Picnic sites, walking trails, and ponds for recreational fishing are also present on the grounds. Only of the park are part of the National Register of Historic Places listing. The park's chapel is not evenly shaped, as one side is long, the side opposite is long, and the other two sides are long. The building is decorated with a tower and a stained glass window and is sided with weatherboard. Weddings can be held within the chapel. The Confederate cemetery at the park contains 723 graves, some of which are double. Most of the headstones marking the graves are simple, although a few ornate exceptions exist. A monument modeled after the '' Lion of Lucerne'' is located within the cemetery; it was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1906 and bears the inscription "In Memoriam  OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD". A plaque on the monument pictures
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...
, and a religious inscription is engraved below the lion. The cottage is a wood building on a brick foundation; it is roofed with
shingles Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. ...
and is generally rectangularly shaped.


See also

*
List of cemeteries in Missouri This list of cemeteries in Missouri includes currently operating, historical (closed for new interments), and defunct (graves abandoned or removed) cemeteries, columbaria, and mausolea which are historical and/or notable. It does not include pet ce ...


References


External links


Confederate Home, Higginsville, Records, 1897–1944
State Historical Society of Missouri: lists correspondence, contracts, financial records, minutes, photographs, reports, cash books, farm accounts, journals, ledgers, and voucher registers available at the State Historical Society of Missouri * – for photographs of the buildings, graves and monuments * {{Authority control Religious buildings and structures in Missouri Churches completed in 1892 Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Buildings and structures in Lafayette County, Missouri Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Lafayette County, Missouri Protected areas of Lafayette County, Missouri Missouri State Historic Sites Protected areas established in 1952 Old soldiers' homes in the United States Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Missouri 1892 establishments in Missouri