Release Date

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JUNE 17, 2019 – Come to the Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site and experience its rotating exhibit of themed displays of artifacts relating to the site. Many of these are original artifacts never on public display until now. Each exhibit will be on display for two months.

During July and August, visit the "Guess what this is" display. In the 1800's people found ingenious ways to accomplish a task or make one easier. Much as we are always looking for the best technology, people of that time were on the look out for the best equipment and supplies for whatever job they were doing. If there was not something available they would often built something themselves. On display will be many unique artifacts that show the inventive ways people of that time used their ingenuity to make their lives easier. Many of the artifacts will be unfamiliar in the modern world and visitors can have fun trying to figure out what they were and how they were used. Site staff will be available to interpret the artifacts.

Upcoming displays:

September-October: "Before the Fort" highlights Native American life in the valley before European settlement.

November-December: "Remembering the Past" will feature mementos and awards given to veterans of the battle, pictures of past reunions, and artifacts telling the history of early efforts to preserve the site and protect it from modern encroachment, including the first reenactments in the 1960s.

The site will have an event passport card for visitors to obtain staff signatures during each of the exhibits. The first five people to turn in their completed passport will receive a VIP pass to the September 2020 reenactment. The pass will include VIP seating and parking at the event as well as other incentives.  

Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic site is located in southeast Missouri at 118 E. Maple St., Pilot Knob. For more information about the event, call the site at 573-546-3454.

For more information about Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites, visit the web at https://mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

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