News Release No. 435

"THE DARK FRONTIER" TO BE EXPLORED OCT. 29 AT
NATHAN BOONE HOMESTEAD STATE HISTORIC SITE

Volume 33-435

Contact: Sue Holst

(For immediate release)

573-751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 17, 2005 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will present "The Dark Frontier," a campfire storytelling program, at Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site near Ash Grove on Saturday, Oct. 29. The program begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

In this living history program, visitors will meet a 19th century Ozark witchmaster. When livestock, crops or children fell mysteriously ill, farmers hired witchmasters to look for a supernatural cause. Witchmasters usually found their "witch" in a nearby neighbor. This belief in witchcraft bred an underground culture of fear, bigotry and even violence. The program explores this culture through a unique blend of historical fact and Ozark legend.

In addition to the storytelling, visitors will take a lantern-lit tour of the site's two cemeteries. The Boone family cemetery contains the graves of Nathan Boone, his wife and other family members. The African-American cemetery features the graves of many slaves that Boone held as well as burials of those that lived through slavery, returning to the farm as free men and women. The walk will tell the story of both of these cemeteries.

Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site is located 1.5 miles north of Ash Grove on Highway V. Attendees to this program are reminded to dress warmly. Refreshments will be served.

For more information, call the historic site at 417-751-3266 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/parkssearch.do.

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