Missouri Civil War Museum

Missouri Civil War Museum Located in St. Louis, the Missouri Civil War Museum is the largest Civil War museum west of the Mississippi River. Louis, Missouri.
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The Missouri Civil War Museum complex is a 22,000 square-foot Civil War museum and library facility located at the Jefferson Barracks Historic Site in St. Founded in 2002, this grassroots 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization is responsible for saving several historic structures and adapting their reuse for the public good. The museum opened for the first time to the public on June 29,

2013. Be part of something special by getting involved today and contributing to this worthwhile cause. Come help us make history today, while we try to save history for tomorrow!

For our fourth “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now,” we have the 1939 North Gate! The walls, gatehouse, and guard shacks wer...
05/30/2026

For our fourth “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now,” we have the 1939 North Gate! The walls, gatehouse, and guard shacks were built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939. Above one of the doorways is emblazoned the coat of arms of the 6th Infantry Regiment, one of the longest and most distinguished occupants of Jefferson Barracks. The North Gate was used by US Army military police to provide security for traffic into and out of the base. The gate was used through the Second World War until the post closed as an active, federal installation in 1946. Though no guards stand watch here today, the gatehouse is used by the staff of Jefferson Barracks Park as an office.

For May’s “From the Archives,” we have the sword of Charlton Tandy, Civil War veteran and Missouri civil rights activist...
05/25/2026

For May’s “From the Archives,” we have the sword of Charlton Tandy, Civil War veteran and Missouri civil rights activist. In 1836, Tandy was born to free African American parents in Kentucky, and after growing up, he moved to St. Louis searching for work opportunities. During the Civil War, Tandy worked as the Post Messenger for Jefferson Barracks, served alongside the 13th Missouri Enrolled Militia, and raised his own colored militia, Tandy’s St. Louis Guard. After the war, he was very active in Republican Party politics and was one of the leading civil rights activists in Missouri. His boycott of St. Louis streetcars successfully led to their integration in 1870, and he helped establish the first black public schools in the city as well. He raised funds for the Exodusters, became a lawyer, served in the St. Louis Custom House, became a U.S. Marshall, and was the vice president of the Missouri Republican League. Tandy died in 1919, leaving an incredible legacy behind. This Masonic sword was presented to him as a gift for his fraternal leadership in St. Louis.

05/22/2026

Celebrate Memorial Day here at Jefferson Barracks. We will be open this weekend, as well as on Memorial Day this Monday!
For more information on hours, exhibits, and events, please visit mcwm.org

Our third “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now” is on the 1900 Administration Building, also known as the Post Headquarters. ...
05/22/2026

Our third “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now” is on the 1900 Administration Building, also known as the Post Headquarters. Built in 1900 during the reconstruction and modernization of Jefferson Barracks, this brick and limestone building sits at the edge of the post, overlooking both the parade ground to its west and the Mississippi River to its east. It was built to handle the increasing administrative demands of the military post and also served as its headquarters. Around the building can be found historic cannons and monuments, and the post flagpole sits in front, facing the parade ground. Today, the building is occupied by the Missouri Air National Guard and is still used as the headquarters for Jefferson Barracks.

We have made it to the voting round of St. Louis Magazine's A-List 2026! You can vote daily for the Missouri Civil War M...
05/21/2026

We have made it to the voting round of St. Louis Magazine's A-List 2026! You can vote daily for the Missouri Civil War Museum under “Museum (Non-Art)” in the “Arts + Entertainment” category. Please vote and share to support the museum and our mission of saving local history! Visit stlmag.com/alist to vote now!

This summer, join us as we celebrate two centuries of service at the Jefferson Barracks Bicentennial Symposium. Hosted b...
05/16/2026

This summer, join us as we celebrate two centuries of service at the Jefferson Barracks Bicentennial Symposium. Hosted by the Missouri Civil War Museum from July 10th through 12th, the symposium will feature tours and presentations by local historians, along with delicious food and drinks. Sign up today by calling (314) 845-1861 or visiting the museum front desk. Space is limited! Details are subject to alteration.
For more information, please visit mcwm.org/jb200.

For the second installment of “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now,” we have the 1933 Post Theater. This brick building was b...
05/06/2026

For the second installment of “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now,” we have the 1933 Post Theater. This brick building was built during the interwar years as a movie theater for entertaining the troops, cadets, and civilian workers here at the barracks. During the 1930s, Jefferson Barracks was occupied primarily by soldiers of the 6th Infantry Regiment, but also hosted men serving in the Civilian Military Training Camp, the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. After the end of the Second World War, the theater was turned over to the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Bernadette for use as a church beginning in 1947. Due to a shrinking congregation, St. Bernadette’s merged with other nearby parishes in 2023 and left the building. The church, along with the rest of the parish’s property, was subsequently sold by the Archdiocese of St. Louis to the Missouri Air National Guard and will be eventually reincorporated into the military post.

Our first “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now” post is for our very own 1905 Post Exchange and Gymnasium building! This stru...
04/28/2026

Our first “Jefferson Barracks: Then & Now” post is for our very own 1905 Post Exchange and Gymnasium building! This structure was built amidst a period of major modernization and construction at Jefferson Barracks around the turn of the century. Built primarily out of brick and limestone in Federal architectural style, it was made to serve as the military post’s primary commercial and recreational center. Along with its gym and store, the building was equipped with a running track, locker room, bowling alley, indoor pistol range, barber shop, library, kitchen, and office space. In the First World War, the building was converted into a barracks to accommodate the massive mobilization of troops at the post, remaining as such through the 1930s. During the Second World War, the 1905 building was briefly converted back into an athletic facility before the needs of the nearby hospital turned it into an overflow medical ward for recovering troops. The building was relinquished from federal control at the end of the war and was in the hands of the state and county for the rest of the century. By the 2000s, the old 1905 Post Exchange and Gymnasium had fallen into major disrepair and abandonment, but in 2002, a small dedicated team stepped into to save this building, restore it to its original condition, and convert it into a new Civil War museum.

April’s “From the Archives” is on our 1880 Ehrbar Grand Piano. This instrument was crafted by renowned German piano make...
04/18/2026

April’s “From the Archives” is on our 1880 Ehrbar Grand Piano. This instrument was crafted by renowned German piano maker Friedrich Conrad Ehrbar. As one of Vienna’s premier piano craftsmen, Ehrbar was awarded royal warrants to the courts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Greece, Serbia, and Portugal and won prizes for his pianos at multiple World Fairs. Ehrbar’s pianos were the favorite instruments of many musicians across Europe, including famous Czech composer Leos Janacek. This particular grand piano was made by Ehrbar’s company in 1880, and it was eventually brought over to the United States by a Jewish German family fleeing the N**i regime. It now sits inside the 1918 Building.

Exciting things coming up soon at the Missouri Civil War Museum!- As this year marks the two-hundredth anniversary of th...
04/16/2026

Exciting things coming up soon at the Missouri Civil War Museum!
- As this year marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of Jefferson Barracks, our museum will be hosting a symposium to celebrate and honor two centuries of service and sacrifice. Taking place July 10 - 12, the Jefferson Barracks Bicentennial Symposium will have presentations by historians, tours of the barracks, delicious meals, and more! To sign up, please call the museum at (314) 845-1861 and visit mcwm.org/jb200 for more information. Other events commemorating the bicentennial will also be held here at Jefferson Barracks, including the STL History Showcase on June 6.
- Our Saturday Speaker Series is also continuing every month in the 1918 Building next door! Last month, Gary Scheel presented on the aftermath of the Battle of Pilot K**b, and this Saturday at 1:00pm, Chris Ketcherside will be speaking on “The Civil War as the First Modern War”. Call soon to sign up, space is limited!
- Lastly, on April 25, we will have our next Volunteer Landscaping Day, where volunteers will join our team in mulching, weeding, and mowing the museum property.
For more information on hours, exhibits, and events, please visit mcwm.org

Address

222 Worth Road
St. Louis, MO
63125

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+13148451861

Website

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