The Battle of Westport's Museum
By Alisha Cole, Principal
Arcadia Consulting
In the fall of 1864 the Confederate States of America launched a campaign to claim the State of Missouri, install a Confederate Governor, and divide the Union forces bearing down on the Southeast. General Sterling Price was chosen as the leader of this daring initiative. Price approached Independence, Missouri with his army, a five-mile long wagon train of supplies with civilian women and children in tow, and Union soldiers in hot pursuit. Thus the groundwork was laid for the largest battle of the Civil War fought West of the Mississippi River. A battle for their homeland, for Missouri, fought by former slaves, American Indians, and brothers against brothers. It was the culmination of ten years of terror, of raids, of burning buildings, of skirmishes and massacres, of retaliation, and death.
Today only a small portion of this battlefield remains. The Monnett Battle of Westport Fund is dedicated to saving Kansas City’s battlefield and to telling the story of the heroic men, women, and children who experienced the three long days in October when the war came knocking. Saturday, October 18, the Monnett Fund opened The Battle of Westport Visitor’s Center and Museum in Swope Park. Here the stories, the letters, and the journals of the casualties, the survivors, and those who bore witness will engage and inspire the 21st century visitor. Connections with the past will shed new light on modern-day conflicts and challenges.
Monnett Fund President Daniel Smith, in sharing his life-long passion for the Civil War in Missouri and Kansas, sees parallels between the insurgencies of the Border War and Civil War with those in Iraq today. 21st century Missourians and Kansans can only imagine the terror, pain, and sorrow that marked the decade long struggle knowing that their forebears withstood what citizens thousands of miles away are experiencing today. That’s the power of the past.
The City of Kansas City Department of Parks, Recreation and Boulevards has partnered with the Monnett Fund in preserving the battlefield and in providing a home for the Museum. The Swope Interpretive Center, located at the Meyer Boulevard entrance to Swope Park, was chosen as the ideal location for the Museum. The early 20th century stone edifice stands on the battlefield and its two towers provide a bird’s eye view to the imagination bringing the battle to life once again. The rolling landscape evokes images of charging cavalry and the smoke of fired cannons hanging like a fog in the trees of amber and gold.
Saturday’s grand opening and dedication brought together Civil War enthusiasts, historians, re-enactors, and the curious. The stories of more than a century past found a new audience in some and recalled cherished memories of stories heard but forgotten in others. For many the idea of the Civil War being fought in their backyards and shopping districts was a new one. Some discovered the origins of two bitter college rivalries and the infamous “Border Showdown” fought annually on a playing field rather than a battlefield.
The members of the Monnett Fund Board will be quick to tell you that this is just a beginning. They have plans for a hands-on gallery for young people to generate a passion for the past in a new generation as well as a unique opportunity to experience the conflict from the civilian point of view.
For more information on the Battle of Westport Visitor’s Center and Museum, check out the website at www.battleofwestport.org.
[All photos were taken by Michelle Martin and are on her "Discovering History" web site.]
