DNR
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At a glance... 1100 Pershing Drive |
660-963-2525 |
| Acreage: 2.69 Year Acquired: 1952 Activities: picnicking, tours |
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One of America's highest ranked military officers, Gen. John
J. "Black Jack" Pershing, spent most of his childhood years
in the small town of Laclede. There is little in Pershing's
boyhood history to suggest that one day he would become a
national war hero.
Pershing was born Sept. 13, 1860, and moved into the Gothic nine-room house in Laclede with his family at age six. He taught at Prairie Mound School, and in 1886, graduated from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, thus beginning his military career.
Between 1886 and his military retirement in 1924, Pershing fought his way up through the military ranks. In 1917, Pershing was sent to France as Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I and two years later was named General of the Armies of the United States by a special act of Congress.
Today, visitors can tour Gen.Pershing's boyhood home. A statue of "Black Jack" stands next to the home surrounded by granite tablets naming war veterans. Inside Prairie Mound School, an exhibit gallery allows visitors to walk through the many doorways Gen. Pershing passed through during his childhood life, military career and numerous accomplishments.
