AUTHOR TALK & BOOK-SIGNING EVENT: PETER DOWNS, "ST. LOUIS CIVIL WAR SITES AND THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM" Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum welcomes author Peter Downs on Saturday, March 30, 2024, to discuss his book, St. Louis Civil War Sites and the Fight for Freedom. Schedule of Events 2:00-3:00: Presentation about the book 3:00: Book signing and meet the author, Peter Downs Event Location This event will be held at the Historic Hotchkiss Chapel inside Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. Once you arrive at Bellefontaine Cemetery at 4947 W. Florissant, please follow the directional signage to Hotchkiss Chapel. REGISTER NOW! About the Book The Monuments of a Divided State St. Louis was at the center of several key Civil War events from the Dred Scott decision through the Mississippi Campaign that cut the Confederate States in two. Visit the site from which enslaved people tried to cross the Mississippi River to the free state of Illinois. Discover how hundreds of lawsuits by enslaved people set the stage for the Dred Scott decision that lit the fuse to the Civil War. See the military base that produced over 200 Civil War generals and the arsenal that secessionists and unionists fought to control. Author Peter Downs goes behind the monuments and historic sites to explore the people, relationships and events that influenced the course of civil war in St. Louis and the nation. About the Author Peter Downs is a writer in St. Louis, Missouri. He lives with his wife in a 150-year-old house in the historic Soulard neighborhood, U.S. Grant's former neighborhood and the heart of the unionist Home Guard movement in the Civil War. MAKE A GIFT This event is free, however, donations to the Friends of Bellefontaine Cemetery are gratefully accepted. To make a gift to the Friends of Bellefontaine, email Joe Shields or call our office at 314-381-0750. Make a gift onlineVENMO: @FriendsofBellefontaineCemeteryPAYPAL: Donations@bcastl.org
