George Washington Carver National Monument Missouri

Join us for a special day celebrating the establishment of George Washington Carver National Monument 82 years ago in 1943!

Did you know that there is only one national monument in Missouri and that this is the first unit of the National Park Service dedicated to an African American? The park is the birthplace and childhood home of the famed agricultural scientist, educator, and humanitarian. The young child known as the "Plant Doctor" tended his secret garden while observing the day-to-day operations of a 19th century farm. Nature and nurture ultimately influenced George on his quest for education. Carver Day features programs interpreting the life and legacy of George Washington Carver, with a guest speaker, music, and exhibitors. See below in Photos for directions, schedule of events, and map of grounds.

We will meet at the visitor center at 10 AM to walk the Carver Trail. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive there from KCMO so be sure to plan accordingly. Wear sturdy shoes (no sandals), sunscreen, use bug spray and bring water. The one-mile, self-guiding loop leads you into the woodlands, across streams, and along a tallgrass prairie restoration area. You can see the birth site of George Washington Carver, the Boy Carver Statue, the 1881 Moses Carver house, and graves of Moses and Susan Carver (George Washington Carver is buried at Tuskegee University in Alabama).

After the hike, we will go to the visitor center for the music performers at 11 AM and/or peruse the interactive exhibits about history, science and George Washington Carver’s life.

Lunch at noon in the shaded picnic area. Bring a sack lunch or buy your lunch (hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks) at the Diamond Lion’s Club concession stand. We will go to the visitor center for the speaker at 1 PM and/or finish up exhibits at the visitor center and park store. After our outing, if you have time, you may be interested in an on your own outing to the incredible Crystal Bridges Museum which is about an hour south in Bentonville, Arkansas.

At sign-in - all participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard participant agreement you can read here, if you would like to read it b4 you choose to participate, www.tinyurl.com/sonsite

The outing officially begins & ends on the dates & the locations designated by Sierra Club. Carpooling for this outing is not included or arranged by Sierra Club leaders. It is at your discretion with other participants to & from the outing; each participant is personally responsible for all risks associated with this travel.

A National Monument is an area of land and waters that has been protected because it is of historic and scientific interest. They can commemorate a historic event, honor an individual or group of people, or be used to preserve a site that is important to the public. National Monuments can be created in two different ways. The first and most common way is by Presidential proclamation under the Antiquities Act. Presidents have created 161 National Monuments since June 8, 1906. The other way is to have Congress pass a bill and get the President to sign the bill into law. Congress has created 40 National Monuments.

**In April, The Washington Post **reported that the current administration has a short list of six national monuments they’re considering slashing: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon (AZ), Ironwood Forest (AZ), Chuckwalla (CA), Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (NM), Bears Ears (UT) and Grand Staircase-Escalante (UT).
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Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet 🌎 - The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with over 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit [www.sierraclub.org. ]