"Virtual Reading Room" on the Civil War in the Ozarks (July 2009)

The internet just became a much more interesting experience. Last week, the Springfield-Greene County Library unveiled a superb web site that provides access to a treasure-trove of primary documents. These letters, diaries, and photographs illustrate the toll of a war on everyday people. You can peruse first-person accounts by a menu of themes, or by a geographic area, or by the battles in the region. You can see the actual handwriting and read a transcription. If you need to learn the context, the web pages will fill you in.

Most of the documents on this web site are not in the collection of the Springfield-Greene County Library. Before this site went on line, people interested in studying these materials would have spent years finding the scattered pieces that add up to a story. Only serious researchers would have undertaken such labors. Read how this project changed everything...