George Washington Carver National Monument

Made for the U.S. National Parks and Monuments quest

The George Washington Carver National Monument is located in Diamond, Missouri on the site of his birth. The site was designated a national monument on July 14, 1943 and was dedicated the same day a decade later.

Born into slavery during the Civil War on the Moses Carver farm, George Washington Carver and his mother were abducted by Confederate soldiers soon after his birth. He was found in Arkansas and returned to the Carvers, though his mother was never found. Moses and Susan Carver cared for George and his brother as their own children. As a child, Carver had somewhat poor health which prohibited him from many chores, but allowed him time to explore his natural surroundings. He started a garden in the woods surrounding the house, collected rocks, and developed a curiosity for nature that led him to leave the Carvers, moving to a nearby town to attend school for blacks after the local church school barred him entrance at the age of 12. He never returned to live with the Carvers.

Though he spent little of his life there, the curiosity and values that Carver developed on the farm shaped the rest of his life. It was there that he developed his desire to discover and his drive for knowledge. The monument comprises 210 of the 240 acres of the Moses Carver farm and features a 3/4 mile long nature trail through the woodlands and prairies that shaped Carver's youth. The historic 1881 Moses Carver house still stands on the monument, and visitors can also see a bust of the scientist, a statue of him as a child, a persimmon grove, and the Carver family cemetery. The visitor's center also includes a timeline of Carver's life and interactive exhibits for students.


Works cited:
The National Park Service, www.nps.gov/gwca
Lest We Forget, www.coax.net/people/LWF/carver.htm
GORP, www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_NM/mo_georg.htm

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