Fort Scott, Schools

Elementary Students Visit Lowell Milken Center

Leave a comment
Nurse Mary Bickerdyke, interpreted by Tiffiny Durham and Dr. Ben Thayer, interpreted by Mason Lumpkins, portray a scene during the Civil War.
Students raise hands to answer questions during the presentation.

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area awarded the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes an Interpretive Grant in the amount of $2145 for the project honoring Unsung Hero Mary Bickerdyke.

On  May 7, visitors learned more about Unsung Hero Mother Mary Bickerdyke because of that grant.

Bickerdyke was a Civil War nurse who built 300 field hospitals with the help of the U.S. Sanitary Commission and created new standards in soldier care. Her zeal in her profession earned her the name “Cyclone In Calico.”

Tiffiny Durham interprets Mary Bickerdyke to students at Lowell Milken Center May 7.
Mason Lumpkins interprets Civil War Doctor Ben Thayer to the group of students.

The Lowell Milken Center collaborated with the Fort Scott National Historic site in presenting the story to over 140 students from Fort Scott.

Tiffiny Durham, FSNHS Museum Technician interpreted Bickerdyke to the visitors at the center, while Mason Lumpkin, Excelsior Springs, Mo. interpreted Dr. Ben Thayer for the group.

The group consisted of the fifth-grade students at Eugene Ware Elementary School and first and second-grade students at Christian Learning Center.

This photo is of the students watching a short video on the Unsung Hero project about Bickerdyke which was produced by a then-student, Theresa Schafer.

The presentation not only taught each attendee about the past but information about the Red Cross, local blood drives and ways to volunteer was included.

Megan Felt, right, the program director at the center, introduces Ruth Waring, the American Red Cross drive local coordinator to the group.
Following the presentation, students were given a tour of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes. Here, Eugene Ware fifth-grade students of Abby Dixson look at the project about the “Little Rock Nine” project at the center.
Christian Learning Center first and second-grade students of Kelly Love get a hands-on demonstration from Dr. Ben Thayer on how a broken arm was treated during the Civil War.

About Freedom’s Frontier
The Freedom’s Frontier Interpretive Grant program was started in 2012, according to information provided.

Since then, more than 97 projects have been awarded grant funding, according to information provided. Grant projects have been completed on both sides of the Missouri-Kansas border, in the 41-county region that comprises the heritage area.

Projects awarded grant funding must interpret local history, and connect to one or more of the three major themes of the heritage area: the shaping of the frontier, the Missouri-Kansas Border War, and the enduring struggle for freedom.

Grants range in amount from under $1,500 to $5,000. All awards over $1,500 require that the grant recipient show a local match of half the amount of the award. This match can be in the form of cash, or in-kind donations and staff and volunteer time.

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area is one of 49 heritage areas in the U.S. Heritage areas are nonprofit affiliates of the National Park Service (NPS). They act as coordinating entities between the local organizations telling nationally significant stories and the NPS.

Freedom’s Frontier was established as a heritage area on October 12, 2006, when signed into law by President George Bush. The heritage area’s management plan was approved by the Department of the

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *