Author: Missouri Civil War Passport Program

Congratulations to Rick King for becoming the 12th person to complete the Missouri Civil War Passport Program! He finished on Dec. 16, 2022.

Congratulations to Stephen Henady, the 11th person to complete the Missouri Civil War Passport Program! He received all his stamps within just a few months! His name has been added to our Honor Roll.

Honor Roll

On Valentine’s Day, we’d like to show some love to our program participants! We have several who have let us know how many stamps they have received so far. Thanks for continuing to be a part of this program and we hope you get your certificates soon! Feel free to let us know of any updates to your progress.

Announcement: We’ve extended the deadline of the “Picture Me Here” contest to September 13! The drawing will now be held on Sept 14. A video of the drawing will be posted that day at 5 p.m. We hope this gives those of you who have not yet ventured out this summer an opportunity to win a map.

So, as you visit passport sites this summer, ask someone to use your cellphone to take a picture of you holding up your passport book near something that identifies the site. Then, when you have time, post that picture in the comments section of this post, or just send it to mopassport2021@gmail.com before the deadline, and we will post it for you.

This map will be awarded to two lucky winners of our “Picture Me Here” contest! The contest runs from May 1-June 30, 2021.

To celebrate the easing up of the Covid 19 restrictions, and to encourage visits to our passport book sites as they reopen, Missouri Civil War Passport Program is launching our “Picture Me Here” contest!

Entry Rules:

1. Take a picture of yourself holding your passport book at a visit site or stamp site,* and share it in the comments section of our Facebook post with the map picture announcing this contest. There is no limit on number of entries allowed, so every picture you post gives you an additional opportunity to win. Five posts from five different sites will give you five opportunities to win!
2. The picture must show something in it that identifies the location, and you must be holding up your passport book. The pictures below are good examples of how to identify a location in your picture. The people in the photos have already visited all of the sites and each has received a Certificate of Completion.
3. The picture can have more than one person, and each person holding a book will get an entry into the contest. Be sure to tag each person holding a book, or write their names in the comment section, so they can be identified.
4. The sites in the winning pictures will receive ten copies of the passport book for resale, so let them know you appreciate their breathing life into Missouri’s history by entering a picture in the contest.   
5. The contest runs from May 1 through June 30, 2021, but you have until 11:59 pm CDT on July 1 to post your photos.  Two winners will be picked by random drawings on July 2. A video of the drawing will be posted at 5 PM CDT on the Facebook page. Click here to see how the drawing works.

Since one picture can qualify many for the drawing, why not rent a bus, or van, and make visiting sites a road trip for you and your friends?

Please travel safely while you are enjoying the beauty of Missouri.

Visit our Facebook page to view contest entries.

*For example, in Vernon County, a marker identifies the location of the Battle of Dry Wood Creek; we consider that a visit site. The Bushwhacker Museum, where you go to get your book stamped, we consider a stamp site. You could take your picture at the visit site marker or at the stamp site museum.

This week’s spotlight on stamp sites features Hunter-Dawson State Historic House, which has just reopened to visitors. It is one of the 88 parks and historic sites managed by the Dept. of Natural Resources. https://mostateparks.com/

Filled with original pieces purchased by the house’s first owner and furnished in the style it was in during its heydays of the 1860s-1880s, this pre-Civil War mansion provides a history lesson in every corner. According to local legend, Gen. Pope used the Hunter-Dawson House as his headquarters after capturing New Madrid and during the campaign to capture the heavily defended Confederate position on Island Number 10 in the Mississippi River.

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Vicki Jackson, natural resources manager, said she is looking forward to welcoming visitors back and resuming guided tours. According to their Facebook page, their hours are Mon-Sat, 10-4; Sun 12-4.https://www.facebook.com/HunterDawsonStateHistoricSite

The Hunter Dawson House is also the stamp site for the Battle of Belmont where Gen. Grant led troops into battle for the first time.

While in the area, be sure to visit New Madrid’s outstanding Historical Museum on Main Street. It is the stamp site for the Battles of New Madrid and Island No. 10. Besides the Civil War, the museum also features the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes that were the biggest earthquakes in American history and were felt as far away as New York and Boston, where they rang church bells.

https://www.usgs.gov/…/science/new-madrid-seismic-zone…