Library presents legends made in Missouri after the Civil War
By Kate Miller, Record Managing Editor
Posted 11/7/19
The next presentation at the Scenic Regional Library Warren County Branch is a Jesse James, J.O. “Jo” Shelby and the War after the War” with Aaron Barnhart. The program focuses on …
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Library presents legends made in Missouri after the Civil War
Posted
By Kate Miller, Record Managing Editor
The next presentation at the Scenic Regional Library Warren County Branch is a Jesse James, J.O. “Jo” Shelby and the War after the War” with Aaron Barnhart. The program focuses on Missouri’s legends in an era of divided politics and near lawlessness. “The talk is about two men, both supporting the South, both men raised in Southern traditions and the two directions they take after the Civil War, while living in the state of Missouri,” Barnhart said.The branch is located at 912 S. Highway 47, in Warrenton, at begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1.Jesse James was an outlaw made legend by John Newman Edwards, an editor at the Kansas City Times. He allegedly robbed banks that supported union efforts. Shelby was a Civil War officer who led the “Iron Brigade” and inflicted damage to union soldier and their supplies.Barnhart’s presentation is about an hour. He said he invites questions from guests to encourage a lively discussion.“We welcome questions and comments and try to figure out what it all means to us today,” he said.Barnhart will talk about the social and political climate of the times.“The state (of Missouri) was divided before, during and after the Civil War,” he said.Missouri’s government was pro-union. People in other parts of the state identified as confederates. Barnhart said to consider that Missouri is one of the 13 stars on the rebel flag.“Things were just incredibly polarized,” he said. And dangerous.“The worst guerilla violence happened in Missouri during and after the war,” Barnhart said.He refers to the years from 1862 to 1865 in the western part of the state.The Civil War ended in 1865, but the arguments and discontent that started the conflict didn’t just go away.Years later, the famous outlaw Jesse James never makes peace with the confederates’ loss. He is killed in 1882, at the age of 34.Shelby died in 1897 at the age of 66.“Shelby makes peace,” said Barnhart. “He changes his story over time to make his peace.”Shelby served as U.S. marshal for the Western District of Missouri from 1893 until his death.Barnhart is speaker with the Missouri Humanities Council speakers’ bureau, which is a part of the State Historical Society of Missouri. He and his wife Diane Eickhoff wrote “The Big Divide: A Travel Guide to Historic and Civil War Sites in the Missouri-Kansas Border Region.” Eickhoff has visited Warrenton to talk about women in the Civil War and the history of women’s suffrage. Barnhart worked as a columnist for the Kansas City Star for about 20 years before entering a career in history, public speaking and publishing. He said he and his wife look for hidden history.“We want people to encounter history in the here and now. It’s an attempt to talk about choices people make, how history has things to teach us even today,” he said. “History is giving us insights into our world today as we try to be good citizens and make good choices.”For more information, or to register for this event, call 636-456-3321 or visit scenicregional.org.
