GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER EXPEDITION!

This is the sign you will see as you make the turn into the George Washington Carver National Monument ( www.nps.gov/GWCA ), near the small community of Diamond, Missouri:

 

The GWC (George Washington Carver) Museum building, and other sites at the National Monument, are located on the property that originally belonged to Moses Carver, near the town of Diamond, Missouri.  The town gets its name because the plot of land where it is located was (roughly) the shape of a diamond. 

Once inside the building, you will see this engraved plaque, that quotes the Congressional Hearings that established the monument.  The establishment of this particular U.S. National Monument is significant for many reasons, including the fact that it was the first National Monument ever established to honor an African American. 

There is also a bulletin board near the entrance that gives the most up to date info on visiting the facility:

The museum tells about his history, includes many exhibits, and so I was very thankful to be given a tour by the museum's director, who was very helpful in pointing out the most significant artifacts that we could concentrate on seeing, during our somewhat brief visit here.  

As you might expect, this is a fantastic destination for school field trips.  The many interactive exhibits, artifacts, items of nature (hidden in drawers and behind doors) and "touchable" objects, help keep up the interest of those with short attention spans.

The Jesup Agricultural Wagon is considered one of GWC's greatest contributions to the Cooperative Extension program at the Tuskegee Institute.  Developed in 1906, it was a mobile classroom that allowed Carver to teach farmers and sharecroppers how to grow crops, such as sweet potatoes, peanuts, soybeans, and pecans.  These crops were being encouraged at the time, because the soil in the South had been depleted from the over-planting of cotton.  A photo of the wagon is below:

 

The benefits of the Cooperative Extension mobile teaching methods in Alabama, were adopted by other states, including my state of Arkansas. My grandparents who farmed in north central Arkansas had raised cotton at one time, but then tried their hand at raising peanuts (Most likely, after learning about their benefits from the Cooperative Extension service's County Agent).  My Uncle Warren G used to tell the story that Cousin Don ran away from our grandparents farm one time when he was a kid, because of his disdain for harvesting the peanut crop my grandparents were growing.  However, this early farming experience must have had a positive effect on Cousin Don, because now, one might consider his California backyard as "God's Little Workshop" (A phrase coined by George Washington Carver) !  He is raising peaches, apples, figs, avocados, and a variety of vegetables!  It is interesting to speculate that his California garden might be linked to the Arkansas cooperative extension agents that traveled around to rural farms, to teach them how to improve their farming methods, after seeing the success of George Washington Carver's "agricultural teaching wagon" in Alabama! (See photos below of Cousin Don with his "crops" in July, 2021)

One floor of the GWC National Monument museum has an expansive event space, that can be reserved for large group activities that need an indoor location.  In addition, there are outdoor spaces suitable for picnics, nature walks, and a visit to the homestead where GWC was raised.  

 

The classroom space below, designed for students on field trips, is one reason this location is such a popular destination for schools.  As you would expect, it is especially popular during our nation's annual Black History Month. 

 

Before I actually made a personal visit to the GWC National Monument, I assumed there would be an attempt to "cover up" or "down play" the role that GWC's Christian faith had in his career.  Thankfully, I was wrong! 

I was so glad that the museum had an exhibit portraying the importance of GWC's Christian faith, that I took closeups of some of the statements:

 

One of the exhibits included the well-worn Bible belonging to George Washington Carver.

When accepting one of the many awards he received for his scientific work, GWC was asked how in the world he came up with the 200 different ways to use peanuts.  His reply was, "The Bible."  As the folks present scoffed at his remark, one said, "So show me where in the Bible it talks about how to use peanuts."  GWC replied, quoting James 1:5 that says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."  So GWC said he asked God, "God, give me wisdom of what to do with all these peanuts!"  God answered his prayers!

GWC called his laboratory at the Tuskegee Institute, "God's Little Workshop", partly because that is where he did his botanical experiements with various plants God has created for mankind.  He is quoted as saying, "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in."

I am including the photo below of one of GWC's paintings, that is on display behind glass, at the museum, as a reminder to mention that (  Even though the reflection interferes with seeing the content of the painting), you can access a complete library of GWC's artwork at the website of the National Archives.  He is quoted as saying, "Nothing pleases me more than to take my pencils, paint, brushes, sketch book, pastel board, etc., and spend a day in the woods."

The photo below shows some of the needlework done by GWC, that is on display at the museum.

As you can see from this photo, there is a wealth of information that you can learn by reading every word of the many exhibits around the museum.  Since my group was on an itinerary with a limited time at the museum, I did not get to to read as much as I would have liked, but www.wikipedia.org has volumes written about this amazing scientist!

One of the important artifacts at the museum is the Bill of Sale for George's mother.  There is no certain date for when GWC was born, other than to know it was before the Civil War ended in 1865.  When he was a child, he and his mother were kidnapped.  Later, Moses Carver was able to get back young George, but not his mother.  Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Carver raised George as their own child. 

 

The photo below gives additional information about GWC being born into slavery, and the very circuitous route he traveled to receive his education.  Eventually, he earned his college degree in Iowa State University. 

The museum has a laboratory where students can conduct experiments, when they come for a field trip.  The laboratory was  an important aspect of GWC's career, after he was recruited by Booker T. Washington, to head up the botany department of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. 

This was my first time to see the phrase "Chemurgist".  GWC was a chemurgist, which means he practiced chemurgy---the chemical and industrial use of organic raw materials. 

George Washington Carver died on January 5, 1943, in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he is also buried:

 

I would encourage readers to visit the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri.  This is just one of MANY attractions near Joplin, Missouri.  It is less than 20 miles, and less than a half hour of driving to get from Joplin, to this National Monument.  For more information on additional interesting places to visit around Joplin, check out their website at www.VisitJoplinMo.com .  My visit there gave me "MILES OF MO SMILES"!  Tricia