April 13 – May 1
| Springfield
In celebration of the Route 66 Centennial, the State Historical Society of Missouri presents Barter Boat—a traveling art project built on object exchange, storytelling, and community connection.
Calendar
Events
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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April 25, 12:00 am – 11:59 pm
| Columbia
Join us for the National History Day in Missouri state contest, administered by the State Historical Society of Missouri. The annual contest will take place in-person at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Sign up to be a judge and support Missouri students! Top-ranking state projects will go on to compete in the national contest run by the NHD office in College Park, Maryland in June 2026.
May 1, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
| Columbia
Join us for a free noon concert by the Ozarks folk musical group "The Creek Rocks" led by banjoist Cindy Woolf and guitarist Mark Bilyeu. These longtime musical collaborators worked together on Cindy's three albums of original songs that began in 2005 and continued after the couple married in 2013 and established The Creek Rocks in 2015. Mark is a founding member of Ozarks family Big Smith, with whom he toured and recorded for 16 years.
May 12, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
| Columbia
When the 1930s Depression gripped the Heartland, the Evangelical and Reformed Church sent Vincent Bucher to the impoverished Ozark mountains to lead a new mission church. He ministered not just to the community’s souls, but to their hearts, minds, and livelihoods. “Just obey the commandment to love neighbors,” he taught. “When neighbors care for each other, everyone benefits.” Before President Franklin D. Roosevelt created programs to lift Americans out of poverty, Bucher was organizing cooperatives to market folk art, cream and strawberries.
May 12, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
| Columbia
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 May 12 lecture will feature Lawrence Goldman, Kinder Institute Senior Fellow and St. Peter’s College (Oxford) Emeritus Fellow in History.
Exhibitions
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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April 1 – December 31
| Statewide
Coming in 2026 to a location near you! SHSMO’s new traveling exhibition, Missouri’s Main Street: 100 Years of Route 66 will spend a month at different locations near the historic road in Missouri. In addition, it will make some appearances at special events like the Route 66 National Kickoff in Springfield and the Missouri State Fair.
![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.")
March 3 – August 15
| Columbia
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.
February 3 – May 15
| Columbia
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.
January 6 – November 28
| Columbia
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.
October 7, 12:00 am – September 26, 11:59 pm
| Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia
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.
Recent On Demand Programs
SHSMO has a selection of on demand programs that are freely available to worldwide audiences.
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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.
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.