Tag: Missouri

Inviting African American Youth to National Parks

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The two National Park Service sites in St. Louis are filled with exhibits, artifacts, and programs that tell important stories about our nation’s past – from the exploration of the American west to the lives of two U.S. presidents to the struggle for civil rights.  The resources at these parks – Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site and Gateway Arch National Park – are available free to all visitors.  But all too often, children from under-served communities aren’t able to take advantage of these experiences.

Now there’s a unique opportunity for middle school students to visit these sites this summer for a full week of specially-designed programs. 

Credit: U.S. Grant National Historic Site

The Arch and U. S. Grant are offering free weeklong summer workshops at their sites for middle school students from African American communities.  Daily transportation and lunch are included at no cost, as are normally fee-based experiences like the Arch tram ride and a Mississippi riverboat cruise.

The five-day workshops will be offered at both the Arch and at Grant during select weeks from June to August.  Educators from both parks will lead the programs.  Their aim is to familiarize students with under-told stories of Black Americans in St. Louis and throughout Missouri, including stories of slavery, resistance, and Reconstruction.  The participants will learn by discovery instead of direct instruction, with guidance from park staff.  Students will select a person or story they want to research, then will present their creative project on their chosen subject at the conclusion of the workshop.

If you are interested, now’s the time to apply! The parks are accepting applications for groups of approximately 15 students (ideally from schools or youth groups) through mid-April.  Those interested in applying should contact Julie Northrip, Program Manager of Interpretation and Education at Ulysses S. Grant NHS by emailing julie_northrip@nps.gov or calling 314-842-1867 ext. 223. Please list in order your preference for which week your youth can attend.

June 12-16

June 19-23

June 26-30

July 24-28

July 31-Aug 4

JNPA is proud to support this unique program by underwriting the cost of the student lunches. 

Celebrating Women’s History Month

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Throughout history, women have been instrumental in every facet of human endeavor.  Whether they have been renowned trailblazers or unsung heroines working behind the scenes, women have helped guide the course of American history and they continue to shape our future.

That’s why JNPA is commemorating Women’s History Month.  In the words of a White House proclamation, the month of March is an opportunity to “celebrate the countless women who have fought tirelessly and courageously for equality, justice, and opportunity in our Nation.  We also reaffirm our commitment to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls in the United States and around the world.”

In honor of Women’s History Month, JNPA is proud to offer a number of books that shine a light on examples of women’s contributions to our national heritage, in both civil rights and voting rights:

Warriors Don’t Cry is a first-person account of Melba Pattillo Beals, one of nine African American teenagers who helped integrate Little Rock’s Central High School in the 1950s.  This searing account of her junior year at Central High highlights Beals’ bravery in the face of racist warnings, attacks, and ultimately, death threats.

The Long Shadow of Little Rock is a riveting memoir by Daisy Bates, one of the Little Rock Nine.  As a later civil rights activist, journalist, and lecturer, Bates provides a riveting and very personal account of America’s fraught school desegregation movement. 

An iconic 1957 image of a white girl screaming at an African American student highlights the anguish of America’s struggle to desegregate schools.  Elizabeth and Hazel recounts the intersecting lives of those two girls – Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Bryan Massery – whose very different lives unexpectedly braided together.

Women of the Suffrage Movement recounts the decades-long struggle of American women to secure the right to vote, from the famous Seneca Falls meeting in 1848 to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.

The women’s suffrage movement of the 1800s and 1900s was about more than just the right to vote.  It encompassed the most fundamental rights of citizenship: the right to receive fair wages, to hold property, to sign contracts, and to file suit in court.  Sisters examines the lives of America’s leading suffragists and how their efforts resulted in far-reaching changes to the nation’s laws.

The Golden Lane is the story of how women in Missouri gained the vote and changed the state’s history.

A New Life for a Historic Building

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The stately Old Courthouse has stood on its site in Gateway Arch National Park for nearly 200 years.  Its courtrooms have been witness to some of the most important court cases in American history, including suits by enslaved African Americans seeking their freedom, and challenges to women’s right to vote.

But over the decades, the imposing building in downtown St. Louis has been in need of serious renovations, both to update its structural integrity and security, and to ensure accessibility for all visitors.  There was also a need to substantially update the building’s exhibits to better explain the stories that unfolded within its walls.

The Old Courthouse is now closed until these renovations are complete.  But let’s take a sneak peek of the fascinating exhibits now in the works for the four exhibit galleries.

Northeast Gallery: Dred and Harriet Scott – Focuses on the Scott family’s fight for freedom, which began in the Old Courthouse, and how the legal and political environment at the time culminated in the infamous U.S. Supreme Court Decision. The exhibit gallery also reflects on the legacy and relevancy of their case today.

Northwest Gallery: Pathways to Freedom – Explores African American life in St. Louis: slavery, the tortured legacy of enslaved individuals seeking freedom, post-Civil War civil rights, and more.

Southeast Gallery: Designed for Justice – Highlights the architectural features of the courthouse and the spirit of innovation of its architects, designers, builders, and craftsmen.

Southwest Gallery: See You in Court – Focuses on the importance of courts in our society, our legal structure, and the daily activities in the courthouse from 1839 to 1930. Visitors will be able to experience an 1850s courtroom and re-enact mock trials.  These will further their understanding of how our court system allows us to settle disputes peacefully and provides a framework for how our society functions.

The Old Courthouse renovations are jointly funded by the National Park Service and the Gateway Arch Park Foundation. 

A Spotlight on Slavery in St. Louis

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The institution of slavery afflicted most major U.S. cities, and St. Louis was no exception.  Yet most modern-day St. Louisans aren’t aware of the many stories of heartbreak and hope that stemmed from the local slave trade.  The historians at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site have created a new exhibit to address this knowledge gap.

Let’s take a peek at the exhibit.

What do Dred and Harriet Scott, Lucy Delaney, and Elizabeth Keckley have in common? They were all enslaved African Americans in St. Louis who were renowned for their battles for freedom.  They also feature prominently in the new Slavery in St. Louis exhibit now on display at the visitor center at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.  

A team of local historians and educators – led by park staff members Nick Sacco and Gregory Carr –carefully selected exhibit stories that focus not only on slavery but on freedom.  Nine exhibit panels are featured along with artifacts from the park’s museum collections. These explore the personal stories of notable individuals, such as the Scotts, as well as Ulysses S. Grant’s relationship to slavery. Additionally, the exhibit examines what life was like for enslaved people living in St. Louis.

Contributors to this exhibit include:

  • Lynne Jackson
  • Cicely Hunter
  • Ashley Lock
  • Corinne Mason
  • Katrina Moore
  • Vynetta Morrow
  • Robin Produie
  • Maria Russel
  • Kelly Schmidt
  • Jeff Smith
  • Joe Thurman
  • Jamilah Whiteside
  • Liz Wolfson

Make sure to visit the park and check out Slavery in St. Louis soon, as this temporary exhibit will eventually hit the road to be displayed at other institutions.

Happy President’s Day!

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We love President’s Day!  Why?  Because JNPA is the proud partner of three national parks that were created to honor a U.S. president.  So as we approach President’s Day on Monday February 20, join us in honoring our national leaders, and find out how you can celebrate the upcoming holiday.

Though his name is no longer included in the park title, Thomas Jefferson is the reason behind the establishment of Gateway Arch National Park (formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial).  The 90-acre park is a memorial to the third president’s role in exploring the American West.  In addition to Eero Saarinen’s soaring Arch, the park features a museum that explores St. Louis’ vital role in U.S. history.  It also includes the historic Old Courthouse, where the enslaved Dred and Harriet Scott sued for their freedom in the mid-1800s.  (The Courthouse is currently closed for renovations.)

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site commemorates the life and illustrious military career of our 18th president.  White Haven, the restored home where Grant and his wife Julia lived in the 1850s, is one of five historic structures that visitors can tour.  The site also features a museum housed in Grant’s former stable, as well as an introductory film on Grant’s life in the visitor center.

The boyhood home of President Bill Clinton is the featured attraction at President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site in Hope, Arkansas. The small but important park recently celebrated its 12th anniversary as a National Park Service site.  Clinton spent the first four years of his life in the white frame house.  Visitors can join a ranger-led tour of the home, which has been restored with furniture that evokes the 1940s, and view exhibits on the president’s life in the nearby visitor center.

Looking for a way to celebrate President’s Day?  Here are two St. Louis-area events you might enjoy, as well as a few products we love:

At the Gateway Arch:

Washington’s Ball, Saturday Feb. 18 12:00-4:00

Although Gateway Arch National Park is less about George Washington than Thomas Jefferson, the park will celebrate the first president’s birthday with a mid-19th century ball.  Visitors can learn old-fashioned dance steps from a historic dance expert, or just hang back and watch others twirl the afternoon away.

The ball will be held on the mezzanine inside the Arch visitor center.  It is free and open to all ages.  Historical clothing is not required to participate!

At Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site:

Museum Quest, Monday, February 20

Here’s a family-friendly way to observe President’s Day:  take part in a follow-the-clues quest at the park’s museum.  You’ll learn about Grant’s connection to other presidents, as well as some of accomplishments and events during his presidency. When you have completed the quest, you will receive a special commemorative gift.

The quest will run all day, and is fun for all ages.

Fans of bobbleheads can celebrate the holiday with one of our fun presidential bobbleheads – either Thomas Jefferson or Bill Clinton.  Whichever you choose, be sure to ask the president a question and he’ll answer you with a nod, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”  Both bobbleheads are available at our park stores, or online.

Take a Virtual Tour of Ulysses Grant’s Life

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Ulysses S. Grant lived in many places throughout his lifetime. Now that the year-long celebration of the Ulysses S. Grant Bicentennial has come to an end, we thought it was a perfect time to visit a range of historic sites around the country where you can trace the growth and development of our 18th president.  From homes to memorials to museums, each of these 11 sites provides a unique perspective on the life and legacy of our 18th president.

The first stop on our virtual tour is Ulysses’ birthplace in Point Pleasant, a small town in southwest Ohio. He was born there on April 27, 1822, in a one-story frame home rented by his parents, Jesse and Hannah Grant.  The family moved a year later to a larger brick home in nearby Georgetown, Ohio, and young Ulysses lived there until he left for West Point in 1839. In addition to his boyhood home, the town also features the small schoolhouse he attended, the tannery his father built, and other Grant-related sites.

Credit: U.S. Grant Birthplace

When he was 17, Grant enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, thanks to his father’s encouragement.  Visitors to West Point can see several memorials and statues dedicated to Grant when they book a tour at the academy.

Painting of West Point by George Catlin, circa 1827. Credit: U.S. Army

After graduation, the young cadet was assigned to join the 4th U.S. Infantry at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis.  It was here that Grant’s friendships led him to visit White Haven, the sprawling plantation where he would meet his future wife, Julia Dent. Visitors to Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site can tour the White Haven home as well as the on-site museum devoted to Ulysses and Julia’s lives.

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

Other sites on our virtual tour trace the various military outposts and stations around the country where Grant served in the U.S. military, sometimes with Julia and his children, sometimes not.  These include Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, WA – another National Park Service site.

Barracks at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Credit: NPS

Additional Grant home sites that are open for public tours are also part of our virtual tour.  They include the Grant home in Galena, Ill., where his family relocated after his failed career as a farmer in White Haven, and the Grant Cottage in Wilton, NY where Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885.

The Grant home in Galena, IL. Credit: U.S. Grant State Historic Sites

The final resting place of Ulysses and Julia Grant is also worthy of a visit.  This is the General Grant National Memorial in New York City. This largest mausoleum in North America was dedicated in 1897, with more than a million people in attendance.

General Grant National Memorial. Credit: NPS

And finally, Grant scholars will want to stop in at the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library in Starkville, MI.  Mississippi was the site of the Battle of Vicksburg, the general’s greatest victory in the Civil War.  Visitors to the library can view exhibits as well as many of Grant’s papers, which are housed at Mississippi State University.

Credit: Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library

Keep Out the Winter Chill

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Now that most of us are in the throes of Ol’ Man Winter, what better time to make sure you have the right clothes and drinkware to keep you warm.  Luckily, our partner parks offer a wide range of winter-ready products:

Who knows cold weather better than the folks in northern Minnesota?  This cheery red hoodie from Voyageurs National Park promises to keep you warm and toasty.  Comes in sizes small to XX-large.

If you’re looking for something more lightweight, you’ll love this French terry hooded sweatshirt from Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park.   

Gateway Arch fans can stay warm in this Docker hooded sweatshirt.  It features the park name against a soothing blue background. 

And don’t forget to keep your head warm.  This cozy striped toque from Voyageurs not only does the job, but it’s the same design that the original voyageurs wore in the northern latitudes

Need something to keep your coffee or cocoa hot when you’re outdoors?  Try this handsome insulated water bottle from The Arch Store.  Made of sturdy stainless steel with a silver Arch graphic against a navy background.

All of these products are available both at our stores in their respective national parks, as well as from JNPA’s online store.  Remember:  each purchase you make helps support the educational programs and exhibits at our partner sites.

Broke at Christmas

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Let’s face it – many of us stress over holiday spending, whether it’s for gifts, airline tickets, party clothes, special foods, or even supplies for house guests.  So it might be comforting to know that some of America’s most famous historical figures also faced money woes during the Christmas season.  Take Ulysses S. Grant, who found himself in tough times at the holidays while living at White Haven.

Credit: NPS

In the mid-1850s, Grant was working hard to make a living as a farmer while he and his wife Julia were raising their young children at his in-laws’ 850-acre plantation near St. Louis.  He intended to plant potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and other vegetables – enough “to keep a wagon going to market every day.”  He was optimistic that the venture would be successful, writing his father that “Every day I like farming better and I do not doubt that money is to be made of it.” 

However, unseasonably bad weather, poor health, and an unstable economy hampered Grant, and he was forced on several occasions to ask his father for a loan to purchase farm equipment and seeds.  By late 1857 he became despondent and predicted financial ruin if his father didn’t come through (there is no evidence he ever received his much-needed loan). 

Credit: Library of Congress

To make matters worse, America was undergoing a severe recession known as the Panic of 1857 caused by both the declining international economy and the over-expansion of the U.S. economy in previous years.  The Grant family was in a precarious financial state.  Just two days before Christmas, Grant was forced to pawn off a valuable gold watch and chain.  Even with this cash infusion, Ulysses, Julia, and their three children no doubt endured a bleak holiday season, as did many other American families that year.

A Painting of White Haven before the American Civil War. Credit: NPS

Eventually, Grant made plans to sell his farming equipment and by the fall of 1858 he and his family moved to St. Louis to find a new line of work.  Within a few years, the family moved to Galena, Illinois, and never again lived in Missouri.

Gateway Arch Gifts for Everyone!

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Prowling for gift ideas for your loved ones this holiday season?  Look no further – The Arch Store at Gateway Arch National Park has got you covered. 

From kids to adults, from hobbyists to national park lovers – you’ll find a fun selection of merchandise to satisfy even the pickiest member of your family. 

Let’s see what our longtime sales associate Michelle Christian recommends in her Black Friday shopping guide video.

All of the products Michelle highlighted are available at The Arch Store on the lower level of the Arch visitor center.  You can also shop for them at our online store and have them delivered (but please order early to assure they arrive on time!).

Fans of national parks will enjoy this challenging jigsaw puzzle that features patches from each of America’s beloved parks (including our personal favorite).  Its 1,000 colorful pieces should keep puzzle addicts busy all winter.

Of course it’s never too early to get children interested in our parks.  This adorable alphabet board book will help pre-readers become familiar with many popular animals, landmarks, and scenic views from national parks.

If you have any hobbyists on your gift-giving list, they’re sure to enjoy our Gateway Arch mini building blocks set.  With more than 1,900 pieces, it’s not for the faint of heart!  Once completed, the finished product stands 14” high and more than 18” long.

As they build or puzzle, perhaps they’d like to sip coffee or cocoa from our handsome Arch by Moonlight mug.  Available in blue or black, the mug features the Arch rendered in silver foil, overlaid by a raised hand-painted landscape in the foreground. 

Children also love something special to sip from.  Wouldn’t the kid in your life love one of these zany little Gateway Arch tumblers with the matching spiral straw?  Choose from green, purple, or blue.  Makes a great stocking stuffer! 

How about giving your little readers this adorable book on the Gateway Arch?  They’ll enjoy being guided around the Arch by Archie the Squirrel.

Last but not least – how about this stunning stemless wine glass? The hand-painted design features the Gateway Arch against a colorful floral background.  Pick up one or two for that special someone.

Why We’re Thankful

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Here at JNPA, we’re proud to serve as a non-profit partner of some of our nation’s most treasured public lands.  So in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we wanted to take a moment to list some of the many things we’re thankful for.

Living history programs that bring the past alive for visitors of all ages. 

(Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site)

Breathtaking scenery that inspires and enriches all of us.

(Voyageurs National Park)

Parks that honor the courageous men and women who fought for equality for all Americans.

(Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site)

Preserving America’s important historic buildings for future generations to enjoy.

(Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park)

Dedicated interpretive rangers from the Army Corps of Engineers who share the wonders of their sites with visitors.

(Lewis and Clark Visitor Center)

Energetic and committed National Park Service rangers who inspire children to become Junior Rangers.

(Voyageurs National Park)

Opportunities for recreation and enjoyment of the outdoors.

(Lewis and Clark Visitor Center)

Educators at all of our partner parks who share their love of public lands with tomorrow’s generation.

(Gateway Arch National Park)

Preserving the homes of America’s presidents as a way of helping us understand and connect with these important figures.

(President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site)

Honoring African Americans’ struggle to achieve freedom and respect in American society.

(Gateway Arch National Park)

Commemorating the diverse nationalities, traditions, and cultures that helped shape our nation.

(Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park)

Preserving critical wilderness areas that safeguard our nation’s biodiversity and ecological health.

(Mississippi National River and Recreation Area)

Protecting America’s rivers and streams that are so vital for drinking water, recreation, and commerce.

(Missouri National Recreational River)

Architectural marvels that enhance our nation’s cultural heritage and stimulate our imaginations.

(Gateway Arch National Park)

Many thanks to JNPA’s partner parks and all they do to protect America’s heritage, landscapes, and stories.   Happy Thanksgiving!