Jefferson National Parks Association

09/04/2026

⏱️📸 Hit us with your best shots!

Reminder: You could win a national park prize basket featuring items from our Missouri partner parks. JNPA’s end-of-summer photo challenge is wrapping up soon, so submit your photos to enter! Here’s how👇:

📸 Share your favorite photo(s) taken at any of these locations:
• Gateway Arch National Park (outside or inside the Arch and Old Courthouse)
• Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
• Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park

🔁 Submit your photos by:
• Sending them to us via Facebook or Instagram direct message, OR
• Posting them on your own Facebook or Instagram page and tagging National Park Association.

🎟️ Each submitted photo counts as one entry; you may enter multiple photos.

⏰ Entries must be submitted by Monday, Sept. 14.
* By entering, you grant JNPA permission to share, display and reproduce your submitted photos royalty-free for promotional and educational purposes, including on JNPA's social media platforms and other communication channels. JNPA will credit the photographer when a photo is used.

🏆 One winner will be selected at random and announced on Monday, Sept.21.

Thanks to Courtney Jean for sharing this photo!

09/03/2026

🏛️🎉 Our Iconic Conversations series returns to the Old Courthouse at Gateway Arch National Park this fall.

We’re excited to continue co-hosting this popular speaker series with the park for the 2026-27 season, beginning Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. and continuing on select Sundays each month. Experts will share fascinating stories that have shaped the St. Louis region, from the Lemp legacy to the story of York, the Old Cathedral, Greater Cahokia, and addressing racial injustices.

⚾ First up: Author Ed Wheatley traces St. Louis’ long love affair with baseball, from neighborhood ballfields to the major leagues and Negro leagues.

Explore the full 2026-27 Iconic Conversations season: https://www.jnpa.com/751/speakers.htm

09/02/2026

Explore White Haven after dark at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site's 2026 Night Walk. 🌙

On Sept. 12, visitors will wander the grounds of White Haven while learning about life in 1883 and the legacy of Julia Dent Grant. This outdoor living history event offers a look at the people, places, and stories connected to the Grant family’s former home.

🎟️: Sept. 12 | 7 - 8:30 pm
⏰: Free but reserved seating is limited to first 90 registrants
📱: Learn more about registration by calling 314-842-1867 ext. 230
🔗: https://shorturl.at/gch9D

09/01/2026

When you think of hot air balloons, it’s likely you don’t think of war. And yet the Union Army made use of balloons for military reconnaissance during the Civil War.

Hot air and hydrogen balloons helped Union soldiers observe Confederate positions, track troop movements, and even direct artillery fire from above. Professor Thaddeus Lowe led the Union Army Balloon Corps, pioneering an early form of aerial reconnaissance.

Our latest JNPA blog explores one of the many fascinating stories shared at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Read more at https://jnpa.blog/2026/08/18/war-balloons-the-rise-and-descent-of-the-union-army-balloon-corps/.

08/25/2026

What better time than National Park Week to highlight Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the conservation legacy of our former president. Theodore Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota badlands in 1883, where his experiences with changing landscapes and declining wildlife informed his views on conservation.

As president, Roosevelt helped lay the groundwork for the modern national park system. He:

🌲 Protected approximately 230 million acres of public lands
🌲 Established 150 national forests and 51 federal bird reserves
🌲 Helped create five national parks and 18 national monuments
🌲 Signed the Antiquities Act of 1906, granting presidents new authority to protect significant natural and cultural sites as national monuments

Today, visitors to Theodore Roosevelt National Park can experience both the rugged landscape that influenced him and the story of his passion for the outdoors.

Learn more about our partnership with this incredible park and start planning a visit to North Dakota: https://www.jnpa.com/762/partner-theodore-roosevelt-national-park.htm

Photo credit: National Park Service

08/24/2026

Calling all young explorers and their families! The NPS Junior Ranger Program offers opportunities to learn about, protect, and explore national parks year-round, and National Junior Ranger Day (Aug. 30) is the perfect time to join the adventure.

Celebrate by:

🧭 Locating a park near you that’s hosting Junior Ranger Day activities. JNPA partner parks participating include Gateway Arch National Park, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and more!

🔗 Learn more about what’s happening on Junior Ranger Day and start planning your visit: https://shorturl.at/TjNmU.

🌟 PLUS, check out the NPS Kids Portal
to plan future park experiences: https://shorturl.at/ELRTZ

Photo Credit: NPS

08/22/2026

National Park Week 2026 is underway, inviting visitors to “Celebrate America’s Story” through the history, heritage and landscapes preserved by the National Park Service.

JNPA is honored to support 13 public lands sites, helping our partners celebrate the experiences and stories that make their parks so special.

During National Park week, park partners including Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Gateway Arch National Park, New Philadelphia National Historic Site, President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site and others are hosting community events.

Explore a park, attend a program and
discover your place in America’s story.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/s4n9R

08/20/2026

In honor of the 200th birthday of Julia Dent Grant, the historic Hardscrabble cabin—where Julia and Ulysses briefly lived—will be the star attraction at a special farm-to-table dinner at Grant's Farm on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Before the multi-course dinner, historians from neighboring Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site will offer guided tours of Hardscrabble. Guests can also begin the celebratory evening with a free 4 p.m. open house at the historic site featuring a special 200th birthday display and live music by Jim Nelson and Old Jawbone.

Reserve your tickets for the 200th birthday commemoration: https://orders.grantsfarm.com/event/julia-dent-grants-200th-birthday-commemoration-c-dfobpf?utm_campaign=qV17X2E_&utm_source=shareable_link

08/20/2026

We're proud to support our partners at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in bringing Daisy Bates' story to the stage.

JNPA funding is helping make Phyllis Yvonne Stickney's performance about the life and work of a civil rights icon possible, offering visitors another way to connect with the story of Bates' leadership and the Little Rock Nine.

See the original post below for more event details.

Her story. Her voice. Her legacy.

As we commemorate America’s 250th, come listen, learn, and consider: How does Daisy Bates’s legacy shape our understanding of American democracy today?

Join Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site on Wednesday, August 26, at 6 p.m. for Something in the Soil, a free documentary-style, one-woman performance exploring the life and leadership of civil rights icon Daisy Gatson Bates, portrayed by Little Rock-born actress Phyllis Yvonne Stickney.

Travel through three important places in Bates’s story—the newsroom of the Arkansas State Press, her home on West 28th Street, and the threshold of Little Rock Central High School—as her journey unfolds through storytelling, period-inspired props, and historical language.

Presented at First Missionary Baptist Church (701 S. Gaines Street), Little Rock’s oldest African American congregation, the program offers an opportunity to reflect on the Little Rock Nine, the struggle for equal rights, and the enduring meaning of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Caption: Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is an actress, comedian, poet, playwright, producer, and motivational speaker whose body of work spans theater, television, and film.

Photo provided by Phyllis Yvonne Stickney

08/18/2026

With more than 200 arts and crafts booths, live entertainment, and a French Colonial setting, the town of Ste. Genevieve, MO, brought history to life last weekend. The Jour de Fête, a 40-year tradition, featured America 250 activities focused on life, liberty and community. Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park was an important part of the celebratory weekend.

On August 8-9, visitors to the park contributed to a community mural, explored an America 250 exhibit, watched performances, and joined park rangers for a special garden tea party.

A JNPA grant helped make many of the free activities possible, including support for acclaimed storyteller Bobby Norfolk and other performers and musicians throughout the weekend. We’re delighted and honored to see the park bring these experiences to life for both the Ste. Genevieve community and visiting history lovers.

Photos by TJS Photography / renaissancetjs.com
Visit Sainte Geneviève