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The
George W. Carver National
Monument
A
place to visit.
by
Ed Crabtree
Are
you looking for a destination, a place to
go on a leisurely afternoon drive? Then we
have a suggestion, why not get in the car
and follow highway 60 west from
Springfield to highway 59, a distance of
about 70 miles, then go North to the town
of Diamond. Along the way be sure to take
note of all the signs that mark the
turnoffs to other places of note, such as
the National Battlefield at Wilson's
Creek, the old Jolly Mill, even Pierce
City where the Harold Bell Wright museum
is located that we reported on last month.
Also note that while passing through the
town of Granby the sign emblazoned on the
city water tank proclaiming Granby's
heritage as the oldest mining town in the
west. All these landmarks food for thought
and future exploration. Then when you
arrive at Diamond turn west on V highway
and follow the signs to one of the best
monuments in the Ozarks operated by the
National Park Service. The George
Washington Carver Birthplace.
During
that terrible war between the states, a
young boy was born into slavery, at the
little farm near Diamond, as was often the
custom he took on the surname of his white
owners, but he went on to add to that name
titles such as B.S., M.S., D.Sc., Ph.D.,
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts,
London, and Director of Research and
Experiment at Tuskegee Institute, Alabama
-- all without a trace of bitterness, with
total indifference to personal fortune,
and thought only to make the world, and
America in particular, a better place for
all mankind. (1)
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In the museum, the
visitor can find exhibits such as
this one that demonstrates the
genius of Carver and the
outstanding contribution he made
to Agriculture
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On
Jan. 1, 1863, U.S. President Abraham
Lincoln declared free all slaves residing
in territory in rebellion against the
federal government. This Emancipation
Proclamation actually freed few people. It
did not apply to slaves in border states
fighting on the Union side; nor did it
affect slaves in southern areas already
under Union control. Slavery was finally
abolished in Missouri in 1865, Carver was
unsure of the exact date of his birth but
he did know that it was before the end of
slavery in Missouri.
A
small frail child, he was spared from
participating in the chores necessary to
keep such a small farm functioning,
therefore he had time that he could spend
by himself in the nearby woods, marveling
at the differences in the various plants
he found there. This developed a curiosity
in biology that was to lead to a life long
career of discovery.
The
website maintained by the National Park
service tells the story of how young
George left the Carver's home and traveled
to Neosho just to attend school, Neosho
being the closest location when schools
were segregated, is a wonderful story of
how George preserved in the face of
tremendous obstacles. A story well worth
reading. After learning all he could at
Neosho he went on to Fort Scott Kansas
where there was a colored school that
offered more advanced classes. In fort
Scott he would work at odd jobs and save
his earnings just to support himself
through the next term of school. It was
during his second year of school that he
witnesses a an act of extreme prejudice
when a colored man was dragged from the
jail and lynched. This terrible injustice
scared young George so, that in the night
he packed up his belongings and fled.
During
the next several years he moved through
the western country attending school as
much as possible, finally graduating from
high school at Minneapolis Kansas. Later
he was to use his savings to register at
Simpson College, in Indianola, Iowa. The
president of the college, Reverend Edmond
Holmes, allowed George to set up a laundry
in an unused shack at the edge of the
campus and his part time business
prospered allowing him to continue his
quest for knowledge. A Simpson teacher
wrote, " George Carver has come to us with
a satchel full of poverty and a burning
zeal to know everything." (1)
George
was to transfer from Simpson to the Iowa
State Agricultural and Mechanical College
at Ames , and there, under the direction
of two able teachers who were to become
his close friends-- James G. Wilson ,
director of the Agricultural Experiment
Station, and Henry Cantwell Wallace ,
professor of Agriculture -- his future was
shaped. Each of these men later served as
Secretary of the United States Department
of Agriculture. (1)
George
Carver received his B.S. in Agriculture
from Iowa State in 1894, when he was 30.
He was appointed to the faculty and put in
charge of systematic botany and all work
in the college greenhouses. In April 1896,
shortly after meeting requirements for his
M.S. George received a letter from Booker
T. Washington who had been struggling to
get the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama
operating. The board of directors at
Tuskegee realized that the majority of
African Americans in the Gulf state region
were farmers and in need of training in
advanced agricultural methods. Needing
someone to head up a new department
specializing in the study of agriculture
Washington wrote Carver, "I cannot offer
you money, position or fame. The first two
you have. The last, from the place you now
occupy, you will no doubt achieve. These
things I now ask you to give up. I offer
you in their place work -- hard, hard work
-- the task of bringing a people from
degradation, poverty and waste to full
manhood."
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Along the nature trail,
one can find a beautiful
lake.
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Cotton,
the crop that had been "King" in the
south, had ruined the soil. Realizing this
Carver advised farmers to plant legumes to
replace minerals depleted from the soil,
peanuts being a popular replacement for
cotton, but in those days there was little
demand for this beneficial crop. Carver
set about to solve this economic situation
and in his laboratory he discovered nearly
300 valuable uses to which the peanut
could be put; during Carver's lifetime,
that once negligible crop covered five
million acres and had an annual value of
$200 million. (1)
One
of his most surprising peanut-related
contributions to mankind was his
extraction of a peanut oil, which aided in
restoring wasted tissues. To prove the
value of the oil, he took photographs of
the deformed limbs of children before
treating them and then after a year of
treatment. The remarkable improvement
evidenced by the pictures started a stream
of ailing children to his laboratory, and,
with the help of his students, all were
treated.
To
the Wizard of Tuskegee came honors,
doctorates, citations, medals, and lavish
praise from every level of society, but he
remained indifferent to personal fortune.
George Washington Carver died quietly on
January 5, 1943, and was buried at
Tuskegee beside his friend Booker T.
Washington. Condolences poured in to the
Institute from great men of all races, and
lesser folk by the thousands mourned the
friend and benefactor they had lost.
Our
national park memorializing the birthplace
of this great American, is one of those
wonderful places to visit. In the museum
you can view displays depicting what life
was like on the Carver farm where young
George first developed his love for plants
and agriculture. Other exhibits detail his
scientific advancements. Consists of
rolling hills, woodlands, and prairies,
the 210 acre park has a 3/4 mile nature
trail which includes the 1881 Historic
Moses Carver house and the Carver
cemetery. The Park is open year round,
from 9am - 5pm. Take time to visit this
monument to a great man, and reflect on
how a native of our Ozarks, a man that
rose up from slavery and poverty to
achieve world wide recognition.
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Along the trail there are
markers featuring quotes
attributed to Carver, this one
reades;
".....nothing is
so damaging as ignorance. I
don't know, you say! What
reason is there for you not
knowing -- you have not
looked, you have not searched.
Study to be approved of the
Great Creator. Be master of
things....."
G.W. Carver November
1938
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(1)
From the George Washington Carver monument
web page at; http://ww.nps.gov/gwca/expanded/main.htm
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