Civil War Endowment Fund

History students from the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta at Park University in Parkville, Missouri, made a donation to establish a Civil War Endowment Fund during a signing event on April 13 at the National Archives in Kansas City.

The gift was “in honor of the soldiers, units, and civilians on both sides of the conflict who served and defended their causes, many of whom gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.” The fund will be used to “preserve, conserve, maintain, digitize, and purchase papers, manuscripts, and other archival material related to the Civil War in Missouri.” For more information about the Society’s extensive holdings on this era, visit our American Civil War in Missouri web page.

A highlight of the ceremony was a presentation by noted historian Dr. William Garrett Piston entitled “Why the Civil War Was Different in Missouri.” Dr. Piston, professor of history at Missouri State University in Springfield, was the editor of the Society’s recently published anthology A Rough Business: Fighting the Civil War in Missouri.

This gift from Park University’s Zeta Omicron Chapter is an expression of the mission of the Phi Alpha Theta, an American honor society for students and professors of history, which is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians.

“The State Historical Society of Missouri gratefully acknowledges the efforts of Zeta Omicron Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and Park University in establishing the Civil War Endowment Fund,” said Gary Kremer, Executive Director. “We hope their gift will inspire others to do likewise.”