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TODAY IN PARK HISTORY

William Howard Taft (1857-1930)
Courtesy of the Library of Congress

MARCH 8

1862
The March 7-8 battle in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, is one of the major engagements of the Civil War west of the Mississippi and leads to the Union's total control of Missouri. The 26,000 soldiers who engage in the battle include some 800 Cherokees who fight for the Confederacy. To commemorate the battle, the
Pea Ridge National Military Park would be established almost a century later on July 20, 1956. Today, it is recognized as one of the most well-preserved battlefields in the United States.
1930
William Howard Taft, the only man to serve as President and Chief Justice of the United States, dies in Washington, DC at the age of 72. His birthplace and childhood home in Cincinnati, Ohio would be preserved by the National Park Service in 1969 as t
he William Howard Taft National Historic Site. Today, a visit to the site includes a tour of the restored birthplace, four period rooms, and exhibits highlighting Taft's life and career.
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