The Midwest: OH, KY, IN, IL, MO, IA

Trip 6 - OH, KY, IN, OH - scroll down.
Trip 7 - Missouri
Trip 8 - Iowa

TRIP 6: THE MIDWEST: OHIO, KENTUCKY, INDIANA, ILLINOIS
This trip starts on the Ohio River at the small town of Portland, OH, and Buffington Island, WV. It will end in Springfield, IL, where there are lots of sites relating to Pres. Abraham Lincoln. Most of the battlefields on this trip are small because they were small skirmishes. (I realize that some folks don't consider Kentucky to be a Midwestern state. However, Kentucky fits into the trip with the OH and IN sites very well.) Sites are in bold, campgrounds are listed under them in regular type. Directions are in both bold and italics.



Click here for this RTA Library Map

***The tent symbols on the map above -- are the locations of the campgrounds identified in the posts of this thread***

Buffington Island Battlefield Memorial Park, Ohio and West Virginia
56890 Ohio River Scenic Byway, Portland, OH

Forked Run State Park, Reedsville
63300 OH-124, Reedsville

From Portland, follow OH-124 to US-33 to OH-7. You are basically following the Ohio River Scenic Byway (link it) on these highways. Cross the Ohio River at Proctorville onto US-60. At Kenoy, head south on US-23 to Prestonburg.

Middle Creek National Battlefield, Prestonburg
2968 KY-114, Prestonburg, KY

Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Prestonburg
419 Jenny Wiley Dr., Prestonburg

From Prestonburg, go south on US-23/460, then west on KY-80 (part of which is signed as the Hal Rogers Parkway, though it may be 2-lanes).

Camp Wildcat Battlefield, KY
Hazel Patch Rd., London KY

General Burnside Island State Park, Burnside
8801 S. Hwy 27, Burnside KY

To get to Somerset/Nancy, continue on KY-80.

Mill Springs National Battlefield Visitor Center and Museum, KY
9020 West Hwy 80, Nancy, KY

Pulaski County Park, Nancy
1200 State Hwy 3189, Nancy, KY

From Nancy, head back to Somerset on KY-80, then north on US-27 to Danville. At Danville, head west 8 miles to Perryville. The battlefield is north on US-68, just a few miles.

Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, KY
1825 Battlefield Rd., Perryville, KY

From Perryville, take US-68/KY-52 west to Lebanon. Take KY-84 and US-31E to Hodgenville.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Monument
2995 Lincoln Park Rd., Hodgenville, KY

Note: These two places, Perryville Battlefield and Lincoln Birthplace, do not have public camping within 40 miles.

From Hodgenville, take KY-61 north to I-65 North (through the Louisville metropolitan area) and then west on I-64.

Corydon Civil War Battlefield, Corydon, IN
GPS 38.199N 86.129 W

O'Bannon Woods State Park, Corydon
Note: The campground is listed as closed “until further notice”. Please call the park to ascertain status of the campground, before arriving.

Harrison County Parks, Corydon
Note: Inquire locally.

From Corydon, take I-64 west to IL-127 North to I-55 North to Springfield.

Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield IL
413 S 8th Street, Springfield, IL

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield
212 N 6th Street, Springfield

Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Park, Petersburg, IL
15588 History Ln., Petersburg, IL

Abraham Lincoln's Tomb, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield IL
1441 Monument Ave., Springfield, IL

Sangchris Lake State Park, Rochester, IL
9898 Cascade Rd., Rochester

Riverside Park Campground, Springfield Park District, Springfield
4105 Sandhill Rd., Springfield

If you wish to connect this trip to the next one, Missouri, just get on I-55 south to St Louis.

Or, continue this trip up to Galena, IL, then cross into Iowa to continue with Trip 8 (Iowa) and Trip 7 (Missouri), both in reverse.

Grant Home, Galena, IL
500 Bouthillier St., Galena, IL

Blanding Landing Recreation Area, USACE, Hanover, IL
5720 S River Road, Hanover

One of the great things about these Civil War RoadTrips that Donna has put together is that they will take you to many smaller and lesser-known battlefields. While such sites may not have been the turning points of the war that Gettysburg and Appomattox were, men still fought and died there and each and every one of them contributed to the ultimate outcome of that war. Even more to the point for a modern day visitor, these smaller parks are not overrun by visitors and the rangers and docents are proud of the sites and history they help preserve and are more than willing, and able, to share their intimate knowledge with anyone who shows an interest.

Case in point: A few years ago, I visited Perryville (listed in the above itinerary) and mentioned to the park ranger at the visitors center that my great-great-grandfather had fought there. He asked if I knew which unit he was with and I told him - the 21st Wisconsin. His face lit up, his eyes got wide, and he proceeded to recount the exploits of that unit. It turns out that they were instrumental in the outcome of that battle, even though it was their first taste of combat. We then went through the records together and found my ancestor's military record. I can't imaging getting that level of personal attention and help at one of the major Civil War military parks.

AZBuck

Thank you, Buck! As I have researched these trips, it becomes more and more clear to me about the importance of these smaller battles and skirmishes. They may not be as well known to me, but someone lost a father, brother, cousin, son, or grandson. Lives of those that were not allowed to fight were severely affected by this war. Not to wax political or anything, but it amazes me that some folks want to take down memorials and sites, and do other sad things. The injustice was horrible, to everyone involved.

The next two posts definitely get into some small skirmishes (Missouri and Iowa). There were so many little skirmishes in Missouri that are only marked with a little sign, though.

Donna

TRIP 7: MISSOURI
We will start in St Louis, and end in Kansas City.


Click here for this RTA Library Map

***The tent symbols on the map above -- are the locations of the campgrounds identified in the posts of this thread***

Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site, St Louis, MO
7400 Grant Rd., St Louis MO
Note: This is Julia Dent Grant's (Mrs. General Grant) childhood home, White Haven.

Grant's Farm, St Louis
Grant's Farm Homepage
7385 Grant Rd, St Louis
Note: Includes the Grant Cabin “Hardscrabble”, which is now owned by Anheuser-Busch and located within Grant's Farm. Some parts of the Farm are pretty commercial.

Babler Memorial State Park, Wildwood MO
800 Guy Park Drive, Wildwood

Robertsville State Park, Robertsville, MO
902 State Park Drive, Robertsville, MO

Head south again on I-55 to New Madrid, MO, the site of a smaller skirmish.

Download the front of the driving tour brochure.
Battle of New Madrid, Island #10 (Driving Tour documents)

Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site, New Madrid, MO
312 Dawson Road, New Madrid, MO

Note: Inquire locally in New Madrid regarding a place to camp. Two Conservation Areas have a few drive-up campsites, but there is no information about them.

From New Madrid, take I-55 north to Exit 99. Head northwest toward Jackson. Take MO-72 to Ironton, then head northwest to Pilot Knob and the State Historic Site.

Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site, Pilot Knob
AKA Battle of Fort Davidson
118 Maple Street, Pilot Knob

Johnson Shut-Ins State Park, Middle Brook

Taum Sauk Mountain State Park Campground, Ironton
Hwy. CC, Ironton

From Pilot Knob, head south on MO-21/72 , then west on US-60 to Springfield. The battlefield is off of US-60, taking County Rd. FF south then turn west on West Farm Road 182.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Republic
6424 West Farm Road 182, Republic

Note: The nearest public campgrounds to this battlefield are at least 42 miles away.

From Republic, take MO-13 northwest to Urich. At Urich, use County Rd. B to MO-131 to Pittsville. At Pittsville, turn west to Lone Jack.

Lone Jack Battlefield Museum and Soldier's Cemetery, Lone Jack
301 South Bynum Road, Lone Jack

Battle of Westport, Jacob L. Loose Park, Kansas City
4000 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City

Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, Lexington
1101 Delaware Street, Lexington

Jacomo Campground, Jackson County, Lee's Summit
9200 Beach Road, Lee's Summit

Longview Campground, Jackson County, Lee's Summit
1499 SW County Park Rd., Lee's Summit

Blue Springs Campground, Jackson County, Blue Springs
5400 Northeast Campground Road, Blue Springs, Missouri 64064

This trip can connect to the next one by heading up I-435 to I-29 to Iowa.

TRIP 8: IOWA

If combining this trip with Civil War in Missouri (Trip 7) trip, head straight up I-435 to I-29 North into Iowa. At exit 24, take L-31 (county road) east to Tabor.


Click here for this RTA Library Map

***The tent symbols on the map above -- are the locations of the campgrounds identified in the posts of this thread***

Note: Many of the sites in Iowa are focused on places along the Underground Railroad.

Tabor Anti-Slavery Park
Park, Center, Orange & Elm Sts.,*Tabor, Iowa

Head north on US-275, then west on US-34, to I-29 north to Council Bluffs.

General Dodge House, Council Bluffs
605 S Third Street, Council Bluffs

Lake Manawa State Park, Council Bluffs, IA

From Council Bluffs, head east on US-6 to Lewis.

George B. Hitchcock House, Lewis
63788 567th Lane, Lewis

Cold Springs County Park, Lewis, IA
57744 Lewis Rd., Lewis, IA

From Lewis, head east again on US-6 and then I-80 east into West Des Moines.

Jordan House, West Des Moines
2001 Fuller Rd., West Des Moines

Walnut Woods State Park, West Des Moines, IA
3155 Walnut Woods Drive, West Des Moines, IA

A series of routes will take you to a small town: I-80 east, IA-163 south as far as Fairfield, and IA-1 south to Keosauqua.

Pearson House Museum, Keosauqua
718 Dodge St., Keosauqua

Lacey Keosauqua State Park, Keosauqua
22895 Lacey Trail, Keosauqua, IA

Return north on IA-1 for a short time, turn east on IA-16, a county road to Hillsboro and another one to Salem.

Lewelling Quaker Museum
401 S Main Street, Salem

From Salem, take the county road over to US-218, then south on that to Croton.

Iowa Civil War Monument, Croton (the most northern battle)
GPS Coordinates:*40.590716 by -91.691216
This is "just a monument" - no museum. But because of its significance, it is noted here.

Indian Lake City Park Campground, Farmington, IA
28163 Willow, Farmington, IA

Shimek State Forest, Lick Creek Unit, Farmington, IA
33653 Rte J56, Farmington, IA

From Croton, return to Donnellson on US-218 north, then east on IA-2 to US-61 south. It's a scenic road south on the Great River Road (US-61) to Keokuk.

Keokuk National Cemetery
1701 J Street, Keokuk

City of Keokuk Campground, Hubinger Landing, Keokuk
801 Mississippi Drive, Keokuk
Note: When on their website, scroll down for the information regarding the RV park (Hubinger). No reservations. Call ahead, to ensure that it isn't flooded.

To connect this trip to Trip 6 (IL, IN, KY, OH), continue up the Great River Road. You can cross to the Illinois side at many different places, with IA-64 at Riverview being the northernmost opportunity. Then take IL-84 and US-20 to Galena to start that trip.

I would also throw in the recommendation of visiting the Rock Island Armory, which was a major POW camp, and as such is home to a significant Confederate Cemetery.

It would fit in well between stops in Galena (Trip 6) and Keokuk (Trip 8)

Michael,

Thanks for the addition.

Tom is working on adding maps to each of these threads that show all of the campgrounds. He'll probably accomplish this before the end of January.

Mark

That's a great one, Michael. I never knew about that one, nor did I find it in any of my research. Thanks for posting it!


Donna

Tom Herbertson has built brand new maps showing the Civil War historical sites mentioned in this thread and the locations of the campgrounds that are also identified with a special campground symbol on each map.

Dennis Goza created the roadtrip attractions and verified the physical addresses for each campground which should make it easier for those who are planning to visit these historic sites and are also planning to camp along the way.

--RTA Custom Maps