Plan looks to turn Jefferson Barracks into historical park

ST. LOUIS -- Sen. Jean Carnahan and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt offered support Wednesday for a plan to turn 60 acres at Jefferson Barracks in south St. Louis County into a historical park.

Carnahan and Gephardt, both Missouri Democrats, sent a letter Wednesday to Gov. Bob Holden seeking help in developing the project at the barracks, site of the first permanent military installation west of the Mississippi.

They support a University of Missouri-St. Louis study which proposes renovating 20 building into a museum complex. That initial study estimated the project would cost about $50 million, draw up to 450,000 visitors annually and generate $338 million in economic benefit in the first five years of operation, said Jay Rounds, the professor of museum studies who led the research.

Most importantly, he said, changes at the barracks, founded in 1829, could educate the public about an often overlooked historic jewel.

"Virtually every conflict the nation has been involved in since that point has been reflected at Jefferson Barracks," he said.

Holden has been briefed on the proposal in the past couple of weeks and is "very receptive and supportive of the state playing a role in preserving the post," given its historical significance, Holden spokesman Jerry Nachtigal said.

"There certainly will be more discussion with Senator Carnahan and Congressman Gephardt about preserving the historic gem that is Jefferson Barracks," Nachtigal said.

The Dred Scott case, in which the famous slave and his wife sued for their freedom, has ties to the site. Scott was purchased from his previous owner by Dr. John Emerson, a military surgeon stationed at Jefferson Barracks.

Almost every well-known Civil War general was stationed at the barracks prior to the war. He said riverboats converted to floating hospitals ferried the Civil War wounded to the barracks for treatment.

An outdoor staircase used to lead soldiers to a train station and dock where they'd leave for distant battlefields. Jefferson Barracks is also the site of a veterans' cemetery and hospital, both still in use.

History of wars

"There's history there from the Indian Wars through Desert Storm," he said. The renovation plan calls for a national competition, resulting in a monument to the men and women who shipped out from Jefferson Barracks and made sacrifices for their country.

The historical park, as the study envisioned it, would combine renovation with museum exhibits, living history displays and possibly walking tours of the cemetery.

The Jefferson Barracks study was commissioned by the Missouri National Guard, which has operated a base at the site since World War II.

National Guard spokeswoman Tammy Spicer said there was no timeline for the project. She said the Army and Air Guard hopes to keep an active base at the site.