Expand Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

Update

Thanks in part to your support, on December 23, 2023, Congress passed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill that included a number of key preservation-related provisions. Among them was language that expanded the boundary of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield to include portions of the Newtonia Battlefield. The Trust congratulates all groups and advocates who have worked tirelessly toward this expansion for years.

The Background

Two important Civil War battles fought in and around the small community of Newtonia, Missouri, helped to decide the state’s fate in the war. The first, fought in September 1862, was among the very few Civil War engagements that included Native Americans fighting on both sides. The October 1864 battle at Newtonia was the last major engagement of the Civil War in Missouri.

Now, legislation to incorporate the site of these engagements into Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield has been introduced by Senator Roy Blunt and Representative Billy Long. Your voice is critical to passage of this important legislation (S3307 and HR6130) that would forever protect our nation’s history in perpetuity by the National Park Service.

These bills would expand the authorized boundaries of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, located in Southwestern Missouri, to include battleground of historical relevance to the Battles of Newtonia. While a boundary expansion does not immediately bring relevant land into a national park, it is the critical first step that makes such a transfer possible. The inclusion of these critical acres inside the National Part System has the support of the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association and the American Battlefield Trust. To date, 25 acres have been preserved by local preservation groups, including the historic Ritchie House, one of the few remaining structures to witness the battle. The Trust is proud to have been directly involved in one of those transactions.