Happy New Year! The State Historical Society of Missouri is offering a variety of talks, publications, music, and programs, both online and in person, as the nation celebrates the semiquincentennial of the U.S. Declaration of Independence throughout 2026. A new season of the My Missouri podcast, hosted by Sean Rost, SHSMO assistant director, research, focuses on Missouri’s history in the years leading up to the American Revolution and then through statehood in 1821. The first episode, to be released at the end of January, will feature Greg Olson, author of Indigenous Missourians.
Cape Girardeau Research Center coordinator Bill Eddleman is writing a monthly column in the Southeast Missourian on the Revolutionary War veterans who settled in the Cape Girardeau area. Also, Eddleman’s recent episode of SHSMO’s Basic Genealogy series, “Documenting Your Revolutionary War Ancestor,” is available on our website's On Demand Videos page.
SHSMO is partnering with the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri for a series of lectures in January through May that reflect on America’s 250th from a global perspective. These events are free and open to the public. Check out our events page to learn more.
As we get closer to the Fouth of July holiday, additional programming at SHSMO's headquarters, the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia, will also be happening. We will update you throughout the year on our website's events page, so keep checking back with us.
The State Historical Society of Missouri is also represented on the America 250 Missouri Commission, which is planning and promoting statewide programs, events and projects throughout 2026. To learn more about what’s happening around the state, visit showme250.mo.gov.