Centralia, Missouri June 2022
For our June meeting this year, we took a field trip to Centralia, Missouri to visit the Civil War Battlefield there, as well as soak up some history of the area.
Our first stop was the Centralia Historical Society Museum. Centralia’s museum is in a Victorian style house that was built in 1904, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to the historical architecture and other artifacts, the museum has a room dedicated to the Civil War, which included items from the Centralia Massacre and battle.
We took a break and went downtown to JJ’s Café to grab some lunch. We had a nice meal and fun conversation. There was a marker not far from the café, so after eating we went to visit that site.
We then headed out to the Centralia Battlefield, which is about three miles southeast of town. This is the site where Bloody Bill Anderson and his men wiped out a Union force led by Maj. A.V.E. Johnson.
When we pulled up to the site, there was a nice picnic area to greet visitors. After crossing a walk bridge over a creek, we followed a trail through the woods to the field where the battle took place.
Viewing the field one can imagine Johnson and his infantrymen being lured into the field while the guerrillas hid at the edge of the tree line, which surrounds the field on three side.
There are two monuments in the field. The first monument that you come to describes the events of the battle, which occurred on September 27, 1864. This monument was donated by the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. The other monument, which was on the other side of the field, honors the Union Soldiers who died during the battle. This monument was donated by the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War. We weren’t able to make it to the other side of the field to see the Union monument, as the grass was tall, and the ticks were thick. Just being able to stand where this battle took place though was such an incredible experience.
Our group had a wonderful time visiting this area, as it provided us with a chance to experience one of Missouri’s Civil War historical sites. If you would like to learn more about Centralia during the Civil War, this is a great article to read:
Interesting read! Thank you for the bucket list link.
Donna R.