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News Release 017
MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Volume 35-017 |
Contact: Sue Holst |
(For immediate release) |
573-751-6510 |
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JAN. 12, 2007 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will commemorate Black History Month with special activities planned throughout the month of February at state historic sites in Missouri.
The following is a list of activities and programs that have been confirmed for Black History Month. Call the individual state historic site for additional information.
- Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site, Kansas City 816-931-5722. Several of Thomas Hart Benton's drawings, two prints and one sculpture depicting African-American laborers during the 1930s and 1940s will be on display at the site during February.
- Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, Lexington 660-259-4654. An exhibit entitled "Unsung Heroes of the Civil War/Their Work in the Medical Field" will be on display throughout February. The exhibit highlights the work of African Americans in Civil War hospitals.
- Arrow Rock State Historic Site, Arrow Rock 660-837-3330. The exhibit "Hard Road to Travel: The Civil War Experience of Black Missourians" presents a brief survey of the main aspects of the black experiences in Missouri during the Civil War. The exhibit will be on display throughout February and March.
- Missouri State Museum, State Capitol, Jefferson City 573-751-2854. Beginning Feb. 1 and running throughout 2007, an exhibit entitled "Slavery's Echoes: Interviews with Former Missouri Slaves" will be on display. This exhibit, through words, images and audio, depicts the life of slaves in Missouri prior to and during the Civil War.
- Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, St. Louis 314-340-5790. The historic site will host three events in February. On Feb. 10, guests can dance the night away at the Rosebud Ball. Begin the evening at 6 p.m. with dance lessons given by author and entertainer Sule Greg Wilson. Then dance to live ragtime music performed by the Skirtlifters in the site's New Rosebud Cafe. On Feb. 11, Wilson will take visitors on a musical exploration of the importance of the tradition of syncopation from ragtime to current music trends in his presentation entitled "Rags to Rap." On Feb. 25, author Dennis Owsley, Ph.D., will present "City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis." Reggie and Mardra Thomas, local jazz musicians, will perform. The last two programs begin at 2 p.m. and are presented with support from the Regional Arts Commission.
- Confederate Memorial State Historic Site, Higginsville 660-584-2853. At 1 p.m. on Feb. 17, Gary Gene Fuenfhausen will present "Slave Dwelling Architecture in Missouri's Little Dixie." He will describe the four distinct slave dwelling styles of the era and how they compare to slave dwellings across the American South.
- Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site, Lawson 816-580-3387. At 1 p.m. on Feb. 17, a special living history program called "The Other Revolution" will explore the role of Civil War abolitionists who pushed not just for freedom but for a new order in America.
For more information on all state parks and historic sites, call the Department of Natural Resources at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or 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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