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.
Sign up to receive event news by email
February 8, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
| Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City
Meet National History Day in Missouri students, learn more about how the innovative NHD program encourages them to explore history, and share your passion for history education with state legislators at this daylong event in the Missouri State Capitol.
February 14, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
| Center for Missouri Studies
Our February 14 noon event features “Oh Freedom After While,” a 58-minute documentary film offering rare footage of the 1939 sharecropper protest and living conditions in Missouri’s bootheel.
February 22, 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
| Ellis Library
Exhibition opens February 7 with Curator Talk Feb. 22.
February 22, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
| St. Francois County Genealogy Society, Farmington
Join Bill Eddleman, coordinator of the SHSMO Cape Girardeau Research Center, for his talk on the history of Tower Rock at the St. Francois County Genealogy Society. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Farmington Fire Department.
February 25, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
| George A. Spiva Center for the Arts - Joplin
The complete collection of 91 Thomas Hart Benton Editioned Lithographs is on display at the Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin now through March 5. In conjunction with the exhibition, SHSMO Art Curator Joan Stack will present a lecture discussing Thomas Hart Benton’s interest both in making artwork that represented everyday citizens and in creating affordable original artworks available to middle-class consumers.
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.
Sign up to receive exhibition news by email
December 1, 2022 – May 30, 2023
| The Library Station, Springfield
The National Women and Media Collection begins its 36th year of its founding at the State Historical Society of Missouri. The SHSMO Springfield Research Center has created the “Celebrating the National Women in Media Collection: Southwest Missouri Edition” exhibit, which is on display at the Library Station in Springfield through May. In addition, a panel discussion featuring journalists and media professionals in Southwest Missouri will be held at the library on March 30.
November 12, 2022 – March 5, 2023
| George A. Spiva Center for the Arts - Joplin
The complete collection of 91 Thomas Hart Benton Editioned Lithographs will be on exhibition at the George A. Spiva Center for the Arts as part of the opening celebration of the Harry M. Arts & Entertainment Cornell Complex in Joplin November 12, noon to 5 p.m. Visitors can see the exhibition, on loan from the State Historical Society of Missouri, until March 5, 2023.
August 2, 2022 – March 31, 2023
| SHSMO St. Louis Research Center
Music in Missouri explores Missouri’s contribution to American music, specifically St. Louis music styles, such as ragtime, jazz, rock ‘n roll, and rap.
Recent On Demand Programs
SHSMO has a selection of on demand programs that are freely available to worldwide audiences.
Sign up to receive SHSMO On Demand news by email
In this episode, Cape Girardeau Research Center Bill Eddleman focusses on using tax lists in genealogy research. Tax lists are used by few family historians but can provide far more information than most suspect. These lists traditionally have been more difficult to locate than other records, but this is changing as digitized versions appear.
John Brenner, managing editor of Missouri Historical Review hosts author and historian Kelly Schmidt for a discussion of her research on people enslaved by the early Catholic Church in Missouri and the communities they formed to help each other through their hardships, challenge the terms of their bondage, and ultimately seek their freedom. A postdoctoral research associate for the Washington University and Slavery Project, Schmidt is the author of the April 2022 Missouri Historical Review article “Slavery and the Shaping of Catholic Missouri, 1810–1850.”
Larry Gragg, author and Professor Emeritus of History at Missouri University of Science and Technology, presented a program on Nov. 2, 2022, at the State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies that examines the impacts of desegregation in Missouri higher education.
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt delivered the annual My Missouri Lecture on Sat. Oct. 29 at the State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia. The senior senator from Missouri reflected on how his upbringing shaped his career in education and politics.
Missouri S&T history emeritus professor, Dr. Larry Gragg delves into American Jewish gangsters (Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky) and their anti-Nazi efforts. This program is part of a series "Missourians and the Holocaust" sponsored by Missouri S&T Archives and State Historical Society of Missouri Rolla Research Center. This program aired Oct. 25, 2022.