Battlefield Announces Holiday Hours

The holidays bring with them changes in operating hours and closures for Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.  The battlefield will be closing at 12 p.m. (noon) on December 24, and stay closed all day on Christmas Day, December 25, 2011, along with New Year’s Day, January 1, 2012, in observance of these national holidays. The closure includes the visitor center, library, tour road and all battlefield grounds. 

The battlefield’s Civil War research library will be closed from December 23, 2011, through January 4, 2012, due to traditionally low winter visitation.  The library hours are normally 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The Civil War Museum is closed for conservation work until March 2013.  It will reopen, with new exhibits, in the visitor center. 

Winter hours of operation for Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield continue to be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the visitor center and tour road.  An entry permit of $5.00 per adult or $10.00 per family is required for all persons using the battlefield including walkers, joggers and bicyclists.  Additional information can be found on the internet at www.nps.gov\wicr.

Administered by the National Park Service, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield preserves the site of the first major engagement of the Civil War in the West.  Located at 6424 West Farm Road 182, Republic, MO, the site is considered to be one of the best-preserved battlefields in the National Park System.  The battlefield is located 10-miles southwest of Springfield, MO, at the intersection of Highway ZZ (Wilson’s Creek Blvd) and Farm Road 182.  More information can be obtained by calling (417) 732-2662.