NEWTONIA - Seed money!
On Tuesday at Newtonia's Ritchey Mansion, Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Chief Glenna Wallace presented members of the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association (NBPA) and the Newton County Tourism Council with a $12,000 sponsorship check on behalf of the tribe and Border Town Bingo
“I am proud of us doing this,” Wallace said.
According to NCTC President Steve Roark, half of the $12,000 sponsorship will go the protection association, with the remainder to be used by the tourism council for the Thomas Hart Benton Festival. In turn, $4,000 will be donated back to the protection association from the council for a total of $10,000 to be used in the Newtonia mural.
“Eastern Shawnee and Border Town Bingo are our first sponsor to come on board,” Roark said. “It has taken us several years of really hard work to get our creditability to the point that a sponsor is willing to contribute $12,000 to our idea. They are the first one and I am just sure that they will not be the last.”
It is still undecided what the mural will depict.
“This mural is important because the Civil War mansion here at Newtonia does not get the recognition, yet, that it will in a few short years,” Roark said. “And what I think what is so important to all of us is that we have made this contribution believing in the future of what I hope to be a national monument.”
The NCTC doesn't direct what goes into the murals. Instead, the communities decide what goes into them.
“These murals are a great idea and the public likes them,” Roark said. “We want to get these murals to represent not only Newton County, but also Southwest Missouri. Murals can represent a period of time. They are very educational.”
Two significant points of interest in Newtonia were the two Civil War battles (Sept 30, 1862 and Oct. 28, 1864). During the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate armies had full Native American regiments fighting. The Sept. 30, 1862, battle was one of the very few battles during the war in which American Indians played a significant role on both sides. It was the Confederate-allied Cherokee who won the day for the Confederate Army during the first conflict. One of the famous Cherokees was Stand Watie, was the only Native American to become a brigadier general for the Confederate Army. He is buried outside Southwest City, Okla.
The 1864 battle was the last battle fought in Missouri, a state that had more Civil War battles than any other state besides Virginia and Tennessee, respectively. Furthermore, the Ritchey Mansion - which was built prior to the Civil War - and the surrounding property served as a headquarters and hospital during the two battles.
The NBPA - which has been in existence for the past 12 years - has spearheaded preservation efforts at Newtonia. In 2002, the association acquired 11 acres of the battlefield along with the Ritchey Mansion, which is on the National Register of Historical Places, for nearly $300,000. The association manages 26 acres, including the Civil War Cemetery, which was deeded to the group from the Newton County Commission. |
