1861: Judge Leo Rassieur

The advent of civil war was a perilous time to be a state in the middle U.S. There were slave states with deep economic interests in that “peculiar institution,” and free states where slavery wasn’t legal. However, four slave states did not secede from the US in 1861: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri. These states walked a tricky line, and it required political and sometimes military maneuvering to prevent their secession.  

c/o National Park Service
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1857-1898: The German Newspapermen

Here’s the tale of three interlinked German-American newspapermen. They’re featured at the statue of The Naked Truth at Grand and Russell, and all three lived in Lafayette Square.

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1902: The Cracker Castle

Hardtack crackers were rumored to be bulletproof.  Along with coffee, they’ve long been what an army marched on, and they sat in ones stomach undigested long enough to create a sensation of fullness. Making hardtack was dead simple; it consisting of flour and water, with a bit of salt for interest. It’s still with us today, in a merciful form, as saltine crackers. 

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