During the twenty plus years I have been teaching, I have learned the value of really good field trips. A field trip for the sake of taking a field trip is not a worthy endeavor. A field trip to help enhance and expand your classroom curriculum and to inspire true student interest is a very valid adventure.
Due to teaching in a double graded homeroom system (7th and 8th grades together for most classes), my history curriculum switches every other year. One year we cover the Ice Age through the Civil War, and the next year we cover Reconstruction through the Korean Conflict. This past year ended with a huge Civil War unit, one of my favorites.
When I was about 12 years old, mom took my brother and me to the drive-in to see Gone With the Wind. Since that evening, I have been very intersted in this historical era. Living and teaching in Missouri has just fueled my interest over the years. Missouri, being a border state during the Civil War, leads to the necessity of teaching both views of this tumultuous time in our nation's history. This can be a challenge due to the common misconceptions about the cause of the war, and the goals of both the Union and the Confederacy. However, it can be done with great results.
For the conclusion of the Civil War unit, I take the class on an all day field trip along the Gray Ghost Trail. This trail partly follows along the Booneslick Road though Callaway and bordering counties. Great historical markers with clearly written explanations and side stories are posted at each destination along the trail. Fulton, Missouri has three markers within the city limits!
Our trip begins in Danville, Missouri where the Confederate raiders attacked the small town, but chose to save a girls academy. Down the road from the one remaining building of the girls academy is the Baker Plantation which was attacked by the raiders. Although the plantation was not destroyed by the fire started in the attack, the scorch marks are visible on the wood floor of the parlor!
From Danville, we travel to Williamsburg, Missouri. Besides the historical marker, there is Crane's Store, a truly remarkable "general store" atmosphere, and a museum full of local history. The trip continues throughout the day to include the Old Auxvasse Church and Cemetery, a great place for grave rubbings, (if it isn't pouring down rain like this year) and the three markers within Fulton. The highlight of the trip is Calwood, Missouri and the battle site of Moore's Mill. Ancestors of students and our principal lived in this area at the time of this 1862 battle.
This year we added to our trip, including the Elijah Gates Camp, a Sons of the Confederate Veterans Headquarters in Auxvasse, Missouri. We spent an hour in this facinating museum-type atmosphere listening to local historians and Confederate re-enactors! Hearing about local and national history of the 1860s from the view point of the Confederacy was very beneficial and led to lively class discussions the following week.
We also had the great privilege to visit a newly dedicated site near the battle of Moore's Mill. Within the last decade, a mass grave of soldiers killed in the Moore's Mill Battle has been located and preserved. A very solumn monument has been erected to honor the fallen soldiers, both Union and Confederate. It was a moving experience for the students and adults alike.
Each year I seem to hear about new and intersting avenues to explore along the Gray Ghost Trail, and the trip grows and improves. We are now to the point of dividing the trip into two different days, one day for the beginning of the Civil War unit, and one day for the conclusion of the unit. Warren Hollrah, a parishioner and local historian, travels with us each year and is instrumental in calling upon other historians to assist in making the field trip a success.
Every State has a rich and facinating history. Often the local history is much more interesting to the students than national history. Each year, as I plan the Gray Ghost Trail trip, my husband and I take a Saturday and travel our planned intinerary, and then he takes his day off to help chaperone the trip. Modern technology, such as Google Maps App, makes these trips easier to plan, but traveling it in person helps to prepare and build the enthusiasm.
Danville, Misouri: Remaining building of Girls Academy
Baker Plantation: A site I have long wanted to explore! This year we were able to visit this wonderful example of Missouri History!
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