As the “Show Me State” embarks on its 200th year, the Missouri 2021 Bicentennial alliance is working to develop and promote statewide projects commemorating Missouri’s bicentennial. One of the programs it has endorsed is the Civil War Missouri 2019 Passport Program, created by Fry’s Lyon Foundation, Inc., a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to promoting the study of Missouri’s Civil War history, and increasing Civil War-related tourism in the state.
In 1990, Congress established the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission to identify Civil War battle sites deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. After evaluating some 10,500 conflict sites, the Commission identified 384 battlefields as historically significant. Twenty-nine (29) of the sites selected are in Missouri. Since, at this time, there is no statewide organized effort to preserve Missouri Civil War heritage, which is arguably the most interesting of all the states (and a case can be made for the fact that Missouri suffered more from that war than any other state), the Trustees of Fry’s Lyon Foundation, Inc. selected thirty-five (35) battle sites and five (5) museums to be included in its passport program.
The newly-released Civil War Missouri Passport book, a travel-sized journal that is the perfect tool to learn more about Missouri Civil War history, will guide tourists through significant battle sites and museums around the state, where a stamp for their book can be obtained. Once all stamps have been acquired, passport holders qualify for a Certificate of Completion. The project runs from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021. For details of the battle sites, museums, and the Passport program, visit our website at mo-passport.org.