Fort Davidson

Fort Davidson
Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site
Map showing the location of Fort Davidson Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site
Map showing the location of Fort Davidson Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site
Map showing the location of Fort Davidson Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site
Map showing the location of Fort Davidson Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site
LocationPilot Knob, Iron County, Missouri, United States
Coordinates37°37′11″N 90°38′24″W / 37.61972°N 90.64000°W / 37.61972; -90.64000
Area77.4 acres (31.3 ha)
Established1968
Visitors139,425 (in 2019)
WebsiteBattle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site
Fort Davidson
Fort Davidson earthworks and moat
LocationPilot Knob, Missouri
Area9.9 acres (4.0 ha)
Built1863
ArchitectJohn Wynn Davidson
NRHP reference No.70000332
Added to NRHPFebruary 26, 1970

Fort Davidson, a fortification near the town of Pilot Knob, Missouri, was the site of the Battle of Fort Davidson during the American Civil War. Built by Union Army soldiers during the American Civil War, the fort repulsed Confederate attacks during the Battle of Fort Davidson on September 27, 1864, during Price's Raid. That night, the Union garrison blew up the fort's magazine and abandoned the site. A mass grave was constructed on the site to bury battlefield dead. After the war, the area was used by a mining company, before passing into private hands and eventually the administration of the United States Forest Service. In 1968, the Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site was created as a Missouri State Park. The fort itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. As of 2020, a visitors center containing a museum is located within the park. The museum contains a fiber optic display, as well as artifacts including Brigadier General Thomas Ewing Jr.'s sword. The fort's walls are still visible, as is the crater created when the magazine was detonated. A monument marks the location of the mass grave.