THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKPERMANENT NPS STORY ARCHIVE
Organized by publication date and destination. Each story retains its permanent State & Nation address and official NPS source.
Republic, Mo. – From Saturday, Aug. 8 through Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will observe the 165th anniversary of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek with special programs honoring the Union and Southern soldiers who died in the Aug. 10, 1861, battle for control of Missouri.
Official NPS source
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield may intermittently conduct prescribed burns in the park between March 13, 2026, and March 31, 2026.
Official NPS source
Between June 30 – August 6, the NPS and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will complete pavement rehabilitation on high-priority roads through contract work. The battlefield received Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Funding to utilize proactive pavement preservation techniques, such as crack sealing, chip sealing, patching, joint and crack repair, and restriping to extend the useful surface life of parking lots and roadways within the battlefield.
Official NPS source
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will intermittently conduct prescribed burns in the park between December 9 and December 12, 2024.
Official NPS sourceWilson’s Creek National Battlefield plans to conduct a prescribed burn in the park sometime between December 2 and December 19, 2024. The range of dates is due to prescribed fire being dependent on weather conditions. The burn is expected to last multiple days.
Official NPS source
REPUBLIC, MO— Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield invites the public to the 20th Annual Memorial Luminary Tour on Friday, November 15, 2024, starting at 5:30 p.m. This free event commemorates the 2,539 casualties suffered at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861.
Official NPS source
Fire ignited in the park extinguished after burning about four acres.
Official NPS source
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield hosted a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) media event to promote a speeding prevention campaign.
Official NPS source
REPUBLIC, MO – On Saturday, April 6, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. join Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield for Park Day. Sponsored by the American Battlefield Trust, this annual clean-up offers a chance for local community groups and individual volunteers to make a difference in honoring and protecting our nation’s battlefields. Volunteer projects will be available for a variety of activity levels from making and preparing junior ranger booklets and rolling paper cartridges to painting benches to the annual stream clean and more.
Official NPS source
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield announces a change in hours for the Wilson’s Creek Visitor Center
Official NPS source
- Become a Junior Ranger April 22nd at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield as part of the celebration of National Junior Ranger Day and National Park Week. Tour the battlefield, explore civilian and soldier life during the battle, and learn how to muster and drill like a soldier.
Official NPS source
3,2,1, lift off! Join Wilson's Creek National Battlefield rangers and volunteers Saturday April 29th to help launch our new B.A.R.K. ranger program.
Official NPS source
As of January 1, 2023, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will no longer charge an entrance fee to access park grounds. Operational hours for the visitor center, battlefield tour road, and trails will remain the same.
Official NPS sourceIn consultation with the Springfield Astronomical Society, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield has regrettably postponed the Star Party originally scheduled for October 28, 2022, due to expected cloud cover.
Official NPS source
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield is pleased to invite the public to the 18th annual Memorial Luminary Tour on Saturday, November 5, 2022, in the evening. This free event commemorates the 2,539 casualties suffered at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861.
Official NPS source
The night sky is the largest natural resource at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield. On Friday, October 28, 2022, from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm, join park staff and astronomers from the Springfield Astronomical Society for a Star Party! This free program is a come-and-go event located at stop number five (5) along the tour road. This public gathering will provide opportunities for stargazers of all ages to peer into the night sky through a variety of high-powered telescopes.
Official NPS sourceBeginning Tuesday, September 20, 2022, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will implement new seasonal hours at the John K. and Ruth Hulston Library.
Official NPS source
Park Foundation announces donation of Sigel Collection to Battlefield, which will be featured in the Visitor Center Museum
Official NPS source
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield announces concerts in the park. The public is invited to attend the following music programs scheduled each Saturday evening, throughout the month of May. Please join us for historic and patriotic music performed by various groups.
Official NPS source
The NPS Wellness Challenge, part of the National Park Service’s “Healthy Parks Healthy People” initiative, will kick off during National Park Week, beginning Saturday, April 16 and will run indefinitely.
Official NPS source
On Saturday, April 9, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wilson's Creek National Battlefield is participating in the American Battlefield Trust’s annual volunteer cleanup event, Park Day. Members of the local community are invited to help with the cleanup in the battlefield.
Official NPS sourceWilson’s Creek National Battlefield recently received a donation of previously unpublished Mary Whitney Phelps papers through a purchase made by the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation at a nationally advertised auction. These papers have been added to the museum collection at Wilson’s Creek, and the battlefield has partnered with the Springfield-Greene County Library District to place the items online in the Community & Conflict digital collection at ozarkscivilwar.org.
Official NPS source
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will conduct a prescribed burn in the park sometime between February 28 and March 12, 2022. This range of dates is necessary because prescribed fire is dependent on weather conditions. The burn is expected to last multiple days. To assure visitor safety, the tour road and battlefield will be closed to visitors while the prescribed burn is conducted. The visitor center and museum will remain open.
Official NPS source
Newly renovated Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Visitor Center and Museum now open. New exhibits showcase more artifacts from the museum collection.
Official NPS source