September 4, 2009
Speak to Mark Trout for just a few minutes and it’s clear he is a man with a mission, a mission he is passionate about.
As chairman of a non-profit organization, Trout and a few hundred dedicated volunteers have undertaken the Herculean task of restoring the old Post Exchange building at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis as a home for the Missouri Civil War Museum.
Once part of the historic Jefferson Barracks military reservation, the Post Exchange was built in 1905 and served the officers of the post until it was abandoned after World War II. In its hay day the building boasted a gymnasium, indoor pistol range, a barber shop and a two-lane bowling ally. But decades of neglect left the building in shambles and in 1988 it was deeded to St. Louis County as part of Jefferson Barracks County Park. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building came to the attention of the Missouri Civil War Museum Corporation about seven years ago.
In 2002, the corporation reached a lease agreement with St. Louis County and began a $2 million restoration of the building, a project that is ongoing.
“The building was in a serious state of disrepair,” said Gary Stevens, a corporation spokesman. “It was overgrown with vines and plants throughout the building. We had hives with an estimated 50,000 bees in here. We had layers of animal droppings. A portion of the roof was missing and you could stand in the gymnasium and look up and see the clouds going by. It took us a year just to prepare the building for restoration.”
Faced with such a daunting task, some might have thrown in the towel and decided to find another building or build a new structure. But given Missouri’s rich Civil War history and the role Jefferson Barracks played during the war, Trout and Stevens say there is no better location for a museum dedicated to telling the story of the war in the Show-Me-State.
“The history and heritage we’re promoting here is entirely that of Missouri,” Trout said. “Some of our members have ancestors that served in the Civil War and others were stationed at Jefferson Barracks during their own military service. You cannot tell the story of the Civil War in Missouri without telling the story of Jefferson Barracks. This is the oldest active military installation west of the Mississippi River. There is no significant historic military installation greater than Jefferson Barracks.”
“Some 220 Civil War generals served at Jefferson Barracks prior to the war including Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee,” added Stevens. “There are some 16,000 Civil War veterans buried at Jefferson Barracks. Some of today’s National Guard units can trace their history back to the Civil War. The 1-138th Infantry Regiment can trace it’s lineage to the 1st Missouri Confederate Infantry Brigade.”
Restoration activity at the Post Exchange recently attracted the attention of Sgt. 1st Class Ray Alford of De Soto, a logistics non-commissioned officer with 70th Troop Command of the Missouri National Guard. Alford, whose office is just a stone’s throw from the Post Exchange, is now a member of the restoration organization.
“I think this is a worthwhile organization and that’s why I joined,” Alford said. “I’ve always been a Civil War buff and I think it’s very important to remember our heritage and that at one point there was fighting right here on our soil, not just overseas. Jefferson Barracks was the staging area for all the northern troops during the war so it’s totally appropriate for the museum to be here.”
Armed with the original building blueprints, restoration work on the Post Exchange includes features that were left out of the initial construction, such as a mahogany spider web window. Such meticulous restoration work isn’t cheap and Trout said funding continues to be an uphill climb.
“As much as I hate to say it, money is still the major issue, he said. “We’ve spent about $1.5 million so far and we’re about $500,000 away from completion.
“We were promised $250,000 from the state, but the governor had to cut the budget and we lost that money.”
Organizers hope to open the museum in April, 2011, the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. But to meet that deadline, Trout, a Marine Corps veteran, says they need help.
“I’m appealing to any member of the National Guard or anyone who cares about our military history and heritage,” he said. “We owe it to the Soldiers of the past to have a fitting tribute to them and this museum is it.”
To send a donation, become a member of the museum organization, or to learn more about the Missouri Civil War Museum, visit www.mcwm.org. The organization’s address is P.O. Box 24, Wildwood, Mo. 63040.
For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-888-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.
For more information about this release, please contact UPAR Bill Phelan at 314-416-1868 (cell) 314-556-5428 or at Bill.Phelan@us.army.mil. |
