Events

The State Historical Society of Missouri through its major sponsor Veterans United Foundation, is hosting a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at 5 p.m., July 8, which will be simultaneously read across the country to mark the 250th anniversary of the first public reading of the Declaration. Joining us to celebrate the anniversary is the Black Diamond Experience (music of Neil Diamond) and a portrayal of John and Abigail Adams by actors of the Lyceum Theatre in Arrow Rock.

Route 66 caught international attention in 1928 with its first major promotional event. Famously known as the Bunion Derby, this foot race across the United States drew athletes from around the world and captivated newspaper and radio audiences for months. Racers endured harsh weather, injuries, hardships, and fatigue in a bid to come out on top and make it home with some prize money. The Bunion Derby only occurred twice at the very beginning of the Mother Road, but it helped launch its notoriety across the nation and the world.

Join us in honoring Colonel John W. Clark (USAF. Ret.) with a conversation chronicling the Columbia native and MU graduate’s inspirational journey as a Prisoner of War in the infamous Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. Colonel Clark’s Phantom II jet was shot down during a reconnaissance flight on March 12, 1967. For the next six years – 2,176 days – the North Vietnamese held him in captivity under squalid and horrific conditions. Listed first as Missing in Action and presumed dead for three-and-a-half years, Clark endured cruel mistreatment, torture, and suffering as a POW.

Alberta Northcutt Ellis was a Springfield, Missouri, entrepreneur who owned and operated several businesses along Route 66 including Alberta’s Hotel. Her businesses were noted locations listed in the Green Book. Open to locals and travelers, the hospitality and community sanctuary found at Alberta’s has become an enduring legacy for future generations.

Please join the State Historical Society of Missouri as we celebrate the centennial of the legendary Route 66! SHSMO’s new traveling exhibition, Missouri’s Main Street: 100 Years of Route 66, is spending time at different locations along the “Mother Road” in Missouri and is headed to Meyer Library at MSU in Springfield. Bring your family, friends, and colleagues to the opening reception, and learn more about the landmarks and people that made the highway into an icon. 

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, St. Louis renowned photographer and author Quinta Scott traveled extensively along Route 66 capturing this iconic road and the people and places associated with it. Join AJ Medlock, regional director of the St. Louis Research Center, as he recounts Quinta Scott’s (1941-2024) groundbreaking research on Route 66. Scott was one of the first historians to chronicle Route 66’s history. Her books Route 66 (1988) and Along Route 66 (2000) provided the foundations for the study and preservation of the Mother Road. The Quinta Scott Papers are held at the SHSMO St.

With the construction of Route 66, automobile tourism increased across the United States. Novelty shops along the route offered regional, one-of-a-kind gifts for newcomers. In the Ozarks, a region known for its traditional handicraft production, residents began making crafts not just for the practical needs of everyday life, but for the influx of tourists exploring their hills and hollers.

Over 350 country, gospel, and rock performers and groups recorded at Kennett Sound Studios (KSS) in the southeast Missouri town of Kennett between 1968 to 1997. Owned and operated by musician and songwriter Joe Keene, KSS hosted a couple of well-known performers. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and Mizzou alum Sheryl Crow is a Kennett native. Top ten country music singer Narvel Felts still lives up the road in Malden, Missouri. Most of the musicians who recorded at KSS, however, were known mainly in their home areas, largely southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas.

Do you love a good ghost story? Join SHSMO archivist Hali Allen as we take a spooky ride along Missouri’s Haunted Route 66, exploring haunted mansions, castles, roads, theatres, and other paranormal activities.  For more than a cetury, the area surrounding the Mother Road has produced tales of ghosts, zombies, spook lights and other unexplained phenomenon. Allen will share stories about the spirits at St. Louis's Lemp Mansion, the infamous Zombie Road, the Goat Man in Rolla, and the Ozark Spook Light outside of Joplin. Register and attend this webinar…if you dare.

Join us for an afternoon of music so good it’s scary! This Halloween, SHSMO will close out the 2026 Music on Elm concert series with performances by hometown heroes The Onions and Adventure Hat. The event and the music are family-friendly and we encourage you to get into the holiday spirit with your finest costume! Crafts and candy provided for all the ghouls and goblins.

As we end a full year of activities for the commemoration of Route 66 in Missouri, we reflect on the centennial and share video travelogues and conversation of a week-long epic road trip from St. Louis to Joplin with SHSMO staff Kathleen Seale, Beth Pike and Stacia Schaefer. What did the centennial mean to people in Missouri and around the globe and where does this journey take the next travelers who will experience the open roadways in the U.S. and meet the people, visit places, and hear unique stories along the way.

Author Greg Olson of Columbia's newest book in 2026 tells the story of Jeffrey Deroine (de-rō-NAY), an enslaved trader, prairie diplomat and Missouri settler. Born into slavery in St. Louis in 1806, Deroine worked and lived in the heart of a rapidly changing nation. Forced to work in the fur trade on the Missouri River, he gained his freedom and became an interpreter for the Ioway nation. Later, he participated in the founding of the frontier city of St. Joseph, Missouri.