Did you know Missouri is home to seven National Park Service sites? Each has its own story to tell, so every month, we’re highlighting the history and things to do at each park. This month, we’re highlighting George Washington Carver National Monument located in Diamond, Missouri.

George Washington Carver National Monument is the first unit of the National Park Service dedicated to an African American. It is the site where young George was born enslaved on the Carver farm and spent his childhood.

Nicknamed the “Plant Doctor,” George Washington Carver was a renowned scientist, educator and humanitarian. He is best known for his research into commercial uses for the peanut. His work with the peanut began in about 1903, and was aimed at freeing African-American farmers and the South from the tyranny of king cotton. With innovative farming methods, he convinced Southern farmers to grow such soil-enriching crops as soybeans and peanuts in addition to cotton.

George Washington Carver National Monument features the rustic Carver Nature Trail, a .75-mile self-guided loop that leads visitors into woodlands, across streams and along a tallgrass prairie restoration area. The trail also features a canopy of different native Missouri trees with lush ground cover, the Boy Carver statue, the 1881 Moses Carver House, and the pre-Civil War Carver Family Cemetery.

You can learn more about George Washington Carver National Monument and plan your visit at nps.gov/gwca.