Northern Missouri
The 1862 Palmyra Massacre is part of the county's Civil War history
Palmyra was the site of a grim 1862 Civil War episode in which prisoners were executed, a serious history that should be told carefully and from solid sources.
Palmyra, in Marion County, was the site of a grim event during the Civil War. In 1862, Union forces shot 10 Confederate prisoners. (The Union side supported the U.S. government. The Confederate side was the rebelling Southern states.) The killings were done to punish the other side after a local man who backed the Union was taken. This event became known as the Palmyra Massacre. It is serious, painful history, not a fun tourist story. Because feelings about it still run deep, it is best to learn it from careful, trusted records rather than dramatic retellings. The Missouri State Archives and the State Historical Society of Missouri keep the documented record. If you want to study this part of the county’s past, those offices are the right place to start. Always confirm details with them.
References
Where this fits: this note belongs to Marion County. See every local note for the county on its page.