Springfield, MO: Where Movie Stars Are Made

Posted on September 3rd, 2010 by Paulina Aguilera

Want to move to a town that has churned out Hollywood heavy hitters like Brad Pitt, John Goodman, and Kathleen Turner, without dealing with the snooty crowds of L.A.? Then pack up your bags, call your favorite moving company, and head for Springfield, Missouri!

Brad Pitt has been making ladies swoon since he first took his shirt off for Gina Davis in Thelma & Louise. One of Hollywood’s most famous faces (and bodies) got his first taste of the acting bug in Springfield’s Kickapoo High School musicals. Kathleen Turner was born in Springfield, and though she did a lot of traveling in her early years, she came back to her hometown to attend Missouri State University, with a young John Goodman as her fellow classmate. While Turner was settling into her first drama classes, Goodman was the ultimate party boy, preferring to spend time with his best friend Keg before stumbling upon MSU’s theater program.

What is it about Springfield that led to the development of these young thespians’ acting chops? For one thing, the city’s captivating history is enough to peak the imaginations of anyone that is familiar with Springfield’s most famous stories.

The third largest city in Missouri is the home to one of the most well-preserved Civil War battle sites in the nation. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield stretches for over 1,700 acres and was the first area west of the Mississippi to become the battlegrounds between the Confederate and Union armies. The Union was outnumbered two to one, and the first Union General was killed during the gunfight, General Nathaniel Lyon, leading to a Confederate victory.

Springfield was also the location of the first shootout to be recorded during the heyday of the Wild West. Just like the good ol’ spaghetti Western shootouts, this one began with the debt owed from an intense poker game between Wild Bill Hickock and Davis Tutt, Jr. Wild Bill earned notoriety as a sharp shooter for ending Tutt’s life with a single bullet to the heart after Tutt took a shot (and obviously missed) at Wild Bill in Springfield’s town square. The event is memorialized at Park Central Square, where plaques mark the location of the gun draw participants.

But perhaps history isn’t the only thing that fueled the dreams of these celebrities. Springfield is known as “The Queen City of the Ozarks,” thanks to the location of the city right in the heart of the Ozarks. Here, one can go spelunking in the numerous caves throughout the Springfield Plateau. The Southern portion of the state of Missouri alone has over 6,000 caves to explore! The depths of the caves and the stunning rock formations are enough to make any dreamer run wild with imagination, and that’s not even considering the verdant beauty on the outside of the caves.

Start dreaming up your future moving plans to Springfield, because with so much to offer its residents, there’s no doubt that you will be enriched by the city’s history and touched by the natural majesty surrounding this great Midwestern American locale.

Related Articles:

1. 5 Ways Moving to Springfield, Missouri Will Help to Rejuvenate You
2. Moving to Springfield, Missouri Will Put the Pep Back in Your Step!
3. Springfield, Massachusetts – Where There Is Never a Dull Moment!

Tags: actors, springfield, stars

This entry was posted on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 9:59 am and is filed under Missouri. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.