Barton County Memorial Park

Parks & Recreation

Hours:

The park is open 24 hours a day. Most of the areas are well lit at night.

Driving Directions:

The BCMP is located 40 miles north of Joplin and 110 miles south of Kansas City.

About Us

The Memorial Park was created in December 2019 after the Barton County Memorial Hospital was razed. We honor both the military and anybody connected with the Barton County Memorial Hospital.

Our main goal is to pay tribute to the 69 Barton County men that died in WWII. They were the reason the hospital opened in 1949 and continue to be our guiding force. The park also honors ANY member of the military with the War Memorial, Walk of Honor, Sherman tank and Danforth anchor.

The 44’ War Memorial features monuments representing the six major wars the USA has fought in. Six 20’ flagpoles surround the War Memorial.

The 60’ x 23’ Walk of Honor consists of pavers engraved with the names of any veteran. Currently 656 veterans are represented.

We pay tribute to hospital employees with the Cornerstone Plaza Area as well as the Doris Little Nurses Pavilion. The CPA features the original 1948 cornerstone flanked by two walls consisting of bricks engraved with hospital employees. The floor contains pavers engraved with the names of people born at the hospital.

Future additions include a Famous Missouri Veterans monument and a First Responder Area.

The BCMP is “ran” by a seven-person board. We are 501c3 compliant as well as Missouri Tax Exempt. The board meets the second Tuesday in January and July.

As of October 2023, over $440,000 has been put in to the Memorial Park. All funding comes from donations, grants, fundraisers and the selling of bricks and pavers. The Barton County Memorial Park could not exist or be maintained without the tremendous support of so many people.