Bloomfield museum brings history to life

You might know Bloomfield, Missouri as the small town with a Purina factory. Or for its Christmas high school basketball tournament. One of Missouri's cemeteries for veterans is located in Bloomfield. But did you know that this rural Missouri town of less than 2,000 people is home to the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library?

On Monday afternoon I made the 56-minute drive from Cape Girardeau to the town where the first Stars and Stripes newspaper, a publication written for America's service members, was first published during the Civil War. The museum and library, near the veterans' cemetery but otherwise not connected, is more than a simple repository for newspapers.

Lining the walls of the foyer are framed front pages of the Stars and Stripes beginning with the Civil War in 1861. The timeline takes you through World Wars I and II, Kennedy's assassination, Korea, Vietnam, the Challenger space shuttle explosion and September 11, 2001, with many other points in time represented in between.

Exhibits fill other rooms showcasing original Stars and Stripes photography, uniforms and equipment and a room dedicated to photos and memorabilia belonging to Medal of Honor recipients from Southeast Missouri.

There are letters, including one from a Civil War soldier telling his wife he would soon die.

The story of the museum dates back to 1968 when the Stoddard County Historical Society purchased the first edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper for $250. It's one of three copies still around today, said Stars and Stripes Museum and Library board member Jim Mayo. The other two originals, he said, are located in the Library of Congress and the University of Michigan.

"In 1985 we started our celebration for our 150th (anniversary). Our sesquicentennial," Mayo said. "That's when the (Department of Defense) sent us a plaque that's in our center monument of our war dead up at the courthouse. They sent us a plaque stating that Bloomfield was the first known location for the Stars and Stripes to be printed by the (Civil War) soldiers."

Three years later Col. Jeff Baker was in town to speak to 600 people at the Bloomfield Courthouse for a Memorial Day program. Mayo told Baker the Stars and Stripes newspaper needed a museum. Baker hit is hand on the table, Mayo demonstrated, and said, "Yes, and it should be right here in Bloomfield."

The museum opened in 1991. To hear Mayo, now 84 years old, talk about the history of the museum, you can't help but notice the pride in his hometown. Once a Bloomfield project, it's expanded now across Southeast Missouri with board members coming from Perryville, Cape Girardeau, Sikeston and Bloomfield, among others.

It's more than a stationary exhibit. They host Liberty Days in November where school groups come to the museum to learn about different periods of history. Volunteers perform reenactments. It's a noble effort to teach history.

Also in November the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library will host its first Spirit of Democracy program at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau. Organizers hope it becomes a regular fundraiser to keep the museum in operation. They are selling table sponsorships.

Society has become focused on math, science and technology, which are all important. But a lack of historical knowledge is detrimental to society.

Becoming a champion for the Stars and Stripes newspaper is one thing. But the historical education will make a difference in the lives of students.

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You might recognize the name David Cantrell. He's a veteran and active member of this community. Cantrell was in a motorcycle accident on Sunday. Surgery was required to amputate his left leg below the knee.

Cantrell has been moved out of ICU and is on the road to recovery. His brother-in-law, former mayor Jay Knudtson, shared with me in a text Thursday, "He's bent but not broken!"

Stacey Cantrell, David's wife, shared on Facebook earlier this week: "He knows everything on his plate and everything he's obligated himself to and trust me he's been worried about it all since he woke up. I promise you things will continue with all his good work....I will see to it."

One of those things is organizing the Avenue of Flags on patriotic holidays. Cantrell led the effort to put the flags up and take them down on designated holidays. Friday, Flag Day, was one of those days. A special thank you to those volunteers who stepped up to make sure this tradition continued. Following the evening retrieval of flags, a short prayer ceremony was held for Cantrell.

I join the many people in this community and beyond praying for David Cantrell's recovery. His family appreciates all the prayers.

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This weekend we celebrate Father's Day. Too often we overlook the importance of fatherhood and the role men play in raising children.

The website fatherhood.gov provides some statics, including that 1 in 4 children live in a home without a father. A lack of a father figure contributes to many of the problems in society.

To all the dads out there doing it the right way, thank you. To the men acting as a father figure to impressionable youngsters, keep up the good work.

Here's wishing you a wonderful day full of family and fun. And to my own father, I'm grateful for the lessons you have taught me -- and continue to teach me.

God's blessings and happy Father's Day.

Lucas Presson is assistant publisher of the Southeast Missourian.