Newtonia, Mo. ? A local group’s vision to preserve one of the most significant Civil War battle sites in southwest Missouri is taking shape faster than it dreamed possible.

“We only got control of the Ritchey Mansion three years ago — not quite three years ago — and all of this has happened,” said Larry James, president of the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association. “It has really moved very quickly. We started the association 10 years ago with nothing.”

The group had planned to use small donations from its membership base to renovate the mansion’s exterior in phases. The first phase would have replaced the roof. The next project would be tuck-pointing the brick work, followed by reconstruction of the front porch.

That changed in December, when the group received a $25,000 gift from an anonymous donor. What might have taken years to accomplish now will be completed in weeks.

That’s not the only new development, either.

Register listings

On Dec. 23, the sites where battles between Union and Confederate forces raged in 1862 and 1864 were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Placement on the list provides protection for the fields in the future.

The association recently took control of the Ritchey family cemetery on the west side of the mansion.

This spring, the state of Missouri is expected to erect two battlefield markers on the mansion property that will describe the battles. The sites also will be listed on a state map of Civil War sites in Missouri.

David Weems, the group’s secretary, said: “We want to create a lasting site for the visitors who come here. The mansion was badly in need of work. We took off the big columns on the front of the mansion. They were not original, and they were putting a strain on the building.

“We have replaced the roof. There were three layers of roof on it. We put new sheeting down. This will help preserve the building. We are now tuck-pointing the brick work. “We never thought we would be able to do the whole thing at once.”

Any money that is left over will be used to replace the porch.

Tom Higdon, treasurer of the group, said efforts to place the battlefields on the National Register of Historic Places started about three years ago.

“It’s been a long-term project that gained momentum in the last year or so,” he said. “It was not difficult to do because of the significance of the second battle, which was the last battle of Price’s raid through Missouri. It is one of the last battles in the war west of the Mississippi.”

One-of-a-kind battle

Historians say the 1862 battle was unique in that American Indians served on both the Confederate and Union sides. It was unusual for them to be organized in battle for either side. The 1864 battle was the last engagement of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Confederate raid into Missouri.

One could have seen both battles unfold from the windows of the Ritchey Mansion, which was placed on the national register in 1978.

The association acquired the mansion and about 20 acres in 2002. The group assumed a debt of about $300,000, but it received a grant from the National Park Service that covered about half the debt.

Tourist attraction

Newtonia has become a regular stop for Smithsonian bus tours, and for Civil War history groups. The group recently received donations totaling $1,500 from the St. Louis Civil War Roundtable and the Chicago Civil War Roundtable.

Work on the mansion is being done by Branco Construction Co., Neosho, but the historic house requires a delicate touch.

“For example,” Higdon said, “if we use the wrong mortar, it will pop the front off the old brick when it freezes.”

Slate-gray shingles have been used on the roof. They resemble the wood shingles that would have been on the original roof. None of the roofs that were removed was original, Higdon said. Weems said the Ritchey family cemetery was not acquired when the mansion was purchased because state law forbids the sale of a cemetery.

“Over the last couple of months, we have got quitclaim deeds from the heirs of the family,” he said. “That has given us control of the family cemetery. We thought that was important. We want to preserve it, too. More than 30 members of the family are buried there.”

Walter Walker, a Neosho lawyer, assisted the group with that project.

There are, in fact, two cemeteries west of the house. One features the ornate headstones of the Ritchey family. The other has plain, uncut stones that mark the spots where slaves were buried. Not included is the Civil War cemetery north of town. Higdon said that could be a future project. The group recently completed a plan for the future of the site.

Development

Weems said: “It involves looking way into the future. We want to put in walking trails and signage to highlight the important spots, such as the location of the stone barn and the rock walls that figured in the battles. We also want a visitors center.”

James said: “Who knows where we will be in five to 10 years? We never know. The way things are going, this thing might come along quicker than that. A grant or another donation could come along and speed the process up.”

Jim Denny, a history expert with Missouri’s state parks system, said Newtonia was on the fast track for the erection of interpretative panels as past of the system’s Civil War marker project. “These are Missouri’s most significant battles,” he said. “Newtonia is on that at last.”

The panels, which are about 3 feet by 4 feet, will have text, graphics and maps that describe the battles. About 50 panels are being erected at sites across Missouri in preparation for the 150-year anniversary of the Civil War.

Denny said: “The problem with Missouri’s version of the Civil War is that there were none of the grand, epic battles on the scale of Shiloh or Gettysburg. But, we had a tremendous number of battles, something over 1,100. We rank third after Virginia and Tennessee in total number of conflicts.”