Park Type: Day Park
Activities:
Tourism, Historic...no activities
There is an accessible picnic table and grill off the parking area.
Park Fees:
PARK HOURS
Summer Hours (On-Season)
April through September
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
(closed Sunday and Monday)
Winter Hours (Off-Season)
October through March
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
(closed Sunday and Monday)
PRAIRIE MOUND SCHOOL HOURS
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, year-round
(closed Sunday and Monday)
SITE OFFICE HOURS
Summer Hours (On-Season)
April through September
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
(closed Sunday and Monday)
Winter Hours (Off-Season)
October through March
8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
(closed Sunday and Monday)
Background:
Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site interprets the life of one of America's war heroes. His small town upbringing supplied him with a work ethic that earned him the highest military rank his country had to offer - General of the Armies of the United States.
"Pershing also accepted a teaching position at Prairie Mound School and eventually saved enough money to attend Kirksville Normal School (now Truman State University), where he received his teaching degree in June 1880. He returned to Prairie Mound School until the fall of 1881. It was then that Pershing saw a newspaper article concerning the competitive exam for entrance into the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. Pershing took the test on Oct. 20, 1881, qualified and was nominated to West Point, where he graduated in 1886.
"Today, visitors can tour Pershing's boyhood home, which was acquired by the state in 1952. It was dedicated to the memory of Gen. Pershing and to soldiers who fought under him in World War I as part of the national centennial celebration held in 1960 to honor him. Inside Prairie Mound School, a gallery allows visitors to walk through the many doorways Pershing entered throughout his early childhood life and military career. A statue of "Black Jack," sculpted by Carl Mose in the 1950s, stands by the house and is surrounded by the Wall of Honor, a semicircle of granite tablets inscribed with names of war veterans." ~ Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Date Established?: 1952
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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