As part of its mission to generate interest and appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of the state and its people, the Society hosts a wide range of engaging and educational events for scholars and community members of all ages.
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2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Route 66, which began with a telegram sent to Springfield, Mo., assigning a number to the new highway that would eventually be built from Chicago to California! The State Historical Society of Missouri is involved in a variety of programs, events, and projects to commemorate America's Main Street that through Missouri between Joplin and St. Louis.
Registration is open for the 2026 Missouri Conference on History at Old Kinderhook at the Lake of the Ozarks. The 68th annual conference is hosted by the Missouri State Archives and with the State Historical Society of Missouri as administrative sponsor. Anyone interested or involved in historical research, historical preservation, the teaching of history, or other history-related professions is invited. More information is on the conference’s website.
As part of a yearlong celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri, along with its partner, the State Historical Society of Missouri, will host a series of lectures January through May that reflect on this national milestone from a global perspective.
The March 13 lecture will feature Sayuri Shimizu, Dunlevie Family Chair in History at Rice University.
Historian Brooks Blevins will be the featured speaker in the next program of the Missouri Historical Review Author Series. Blevins, the Noel Boyd Professor of Ozarks Studies at Missouri State University, is the author of numerous books, including the three-volume A History of the Ozarks. His presentation will center on his article “The Missouri Scenic Rivers System and the Origins of the Property Rights Movement,” published in the Review in January 2025.
During the Civil War, Black men who gathered to enlist at Benton Barracks in St. Louis listed birthplaces in Canada, Jamaica, and England. While more than 600 Black Canadians did serve, those men enlisting in St. Louis were not in fact coming from abroad. They were Black Missourians, seeking to join the Union cause and hide from their family or their enslavers—especially when their enslavers actually supported the Union. As part of the African American Experience in Missouri Lecture, Dr.
Art and educational exhibitions illustrate transformative moments in Missouri and U.S. history. The State Historical Society of Missouri houses exhibition galleries at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia. SHSMO also provides materials for display in galleries and exhibition spaces across the state.
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![W[A]RN and TRANSFORMED: Uniforms as Stories of U.S.](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2026-01/warn_1.jpg?h=97b33478&itok=neXckLbj "W[A]RN and TRANSFORMED: Uniforms as Stories of U.S.")
In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, a new exhibition is represented through stories and experiences woven within the fibers of the American military uniform. W[A]RN and TRANSFORMED: Uniforms as Stories of U.S. is a collaboration with the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection at the University of Missouri.
In recognition of Black History Month, the State Historical Society of Missouri is curating an exhibition at the Ellis Library Colonnade on the University of Missouri campus through May 15, 2026. It will feature artworks from past and present African American Missouri artists, exploring the conservation of continuum within the realm of African American art.
Join the State Historical Society of Missouri as we begin our year-long celebration of the centennial of the legendary Route 66! Missouri comprises just over 300 of the more than 2000 miles of historic Route 66. As the birthplace of the iconic highway, however, Missouri's contributions to the road’s development and history far surpass its size.
Water structures human life—nurturing crops and commerce, while sometimes unleashing deadly, storms, currents, and floods. In Missouri, the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers serve as vital trade arteries for the entire nation. This exhibition examines artworks by George Caleb Bingham and Thomas Hart Benton that celebrate the economic vitality of Missouri’s waterways but also suggest that the federal government can play a role in regulating them for the benefit of the American people.
This exhibition explores the relationship between art, artists, and the justice system, featuring drawings by two courtroom artists who documented major Missouri trials. Drawings by Philadelphia-born artist Freda Leibowitz Reiter, well known for her courtroom sketches of high-profile trials, including the hearings and trials of Watergate for ABC News in Washington, D.C., are on display. Two Reiter’ sketches of a mafia trial in Kansas City are part of this exhibition. Courtroom sketches by Columbia-born artist Robert Stack are also featured.
SHSMO has a selection of on demand programs that are freely available to worldwide audiences.
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Students from the University of Missouri Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy conducted interview with Missourians to hear their thoughts on America's 250 years. Speaking with educators, public servants and veterans around the region, the students sought to capture the mood of our community as we prepare for a commemorative year in our nation's history. In this webinar on Feb.
Former Missouri Senator and Boone County Prosector Joe Moseley looks back on a groundbreaking case nearly 40 years ago where DNA evidence was used to convict Columbia, Mo. resident Ralph Davis of murdering his wife, Susan Davis. On June 10, 1986, Susan disappeared with her red Ford Escort car from her home. Police detectives immediately suspected Susan’s estranged husband in her disappearance due to threats Ralph had made against her. Previously, the court had issued an ex parte order of protection for Susan.
Gary R. Kremer, executive director emeritus of the State Historical Society of Missouri, was the featured speaker at the Society's annual My Missouri lecture on Nov. 22, 2025, at the Center for Missouri Studies, SHSMO's headquarters in Columbia. Kremer served as executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri for over 21 years. He became the "unofficial state historian" to many Missourians during his half century career teaching, preserving, and publishing the state's history.
As the United States reflects on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and our history as a nation, join genealogy expert Bill Eddleman for the 19th episode of the Basic Genealogy series produced the State Historical Society of Missouri. Eddleman examines the roles our ancestors might have played in the beginning period of the United States.
In 1928, the International Trans Continental Foot Race, popularly knowns as the Bunion Derby by the American press, was a footrace from Los Angeles to New York. Organized by Charles "Cash and Carry" Pyle, the race included 199 runners. Fifty-five would cross the finish line at Madison Square Garden in New York on May 26, 1928. The 3,423 miles followed the new Route 66, including parts of Missouri. Andy Payne of Claremore, Oklahoma won the race and was awarded $25,000. Historic footage in this video includes runners who came through Springfield, Missouri.
