at Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site
Site Office
Paintings, photos, exhibits, items of interest and a free 30-minute presentation of the life of General Pershing and World War I are available for you to view in the Historic Site Office and Pershing Memorial Museum and Leadership Archives, which is located at 905 Ausmus Drive in Laclede, two blocks north of the Pershing Boyhood Home. Tours start here. Souvenirs are also available for purchase and include the book "Until the Last Trumpet Sounds" by Gene Smith, a biography about General Pershing.
Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home Tours
Walking tours originate at the site office and depart for the boyhood home. You will be taken inside the two-story house, which has been furnished to reflect its appearance when Pershing was growing up here from 1866 to 1882. The house had extensive restoration work completed in 2001. The home is not air-conditioned, and you may experience a 19th-century interior environment when you visit.
Group Tours
Group tours of Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site are available at a discounted rate for groups of 15 or more that are scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
Site staff can tailor the tour to specific age groups and areas of interest; please indicate if your group is an elementary, high school or college class, a club, an organization or a family outing. Call the historic site at 660-963-2525 to schedule a group tour.
When Planning a Group Visit
Plan on spending 30-45 minutes on the tour of the boyhood home itself. In addition, there is an optional 30-minute orientation film that focuses on Pershing and World War I. The exhibits in the Prairie Mound School Museum also focus on Pershing’s life. Since the museum is a self-guided tour, an individual or group may take as little or as much time as they wish there.
For Teacher/Group Leaders
Coordinate your visit with classroom activities, or build a study unit around the museum/site experience. Discuss the visit before hand, and let your students know the purpose of the visit and what they may expect to see. Chaperones are required for student groups, and we suggest one adult chaperone per every 10 students.
Please arrive on time for your tour and remind members of your group that food, beverages and smoking are not allowed in the museum exhibit areas. We also ask that no items in the Pershing Boyhood Home be touched by visitors, as several of the artifacts are irreplaceable.
Public restrooms are handicap accessible and are located in the Prairie Mound School Museum.
Staff at the site looks forward to your visit .
Tour Fees:
Fees include tax. Qualified tax-exempt organizations MUST provide a copy of a tax exempt certificate at the time of payment.
Adults (18 and older): $4
Youth (Ages 6-17): $3
Child (Ages 0-5): Free*
Group Rates:
Adults (18 and older): $3.50
Youth (Ages 6-17): $2.50
Child (Ages 0-5): Free*
*Children under the age of 6 are admitted free with a paid adult.
Off-Site Programs
If you are unable to visit the site, please consider scheduling an off-site visit or program by site staff. Please call the site office at 660-963-2525 to arrange for an off-site program.