The State Historical Society of Missouri received the Excellence in Genealogy & Local History Award at the Missouri Library Association Annual Conference held Oct. 4-6 in Columbia. The award recognizes the State Historical Society’s efforts to provide free public access to more than 9.5 million pages of digitized online Missouri newspapers.
As part of its educational outreach mission, the State Historical Society of Missouri continues to expand the Historic Missourians website, a freely available resource that features notable people who influenced the Show-Me State. The biographies include images, artifacts, and primary sources that can be studied by students, educators, and the general public.
History on Elm begins a second season of free, public programming sponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri. The series will be held the second Tuesdays of the month from noon to 1 p.m. at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia. The fall season begins with a film and presentation, titled “Exploring Missouri’s German Heritage” September 12.
The State Historical Society of Missouri is seeking proposals of up to $500, each, to help Missouri cultural heritage institutions preserve and provide access to local history. The deadline for organizations to submit their application is September 15. The one-year grant period begins November. The Richard S.
Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Barrow Gang spread terror across the country, including Missouri, during the Great Depression years. Mayhem from the outlaws gripped several large and small communities in the state during the summer of 1933 and is explored in the podcast series Our Missouri, produced by the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Missouri students took home multiple awards and a bronze medal at the 2023 National History Day contest in College Park, MD, June 10-15. During the 2022-23 school year, over a half million students globally completed projects around the theme, Frontiers in History: People, Ideas and Events. Over 2,600 students, including 59 Missouri students, competed at the National Contest. A student team from Oak Grove High School near Kansas City was also selected to be part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History exhibit showcase.
The Board of Trustees, staff and members of The State Historical Society of Missouri are saddened at the passing of one of our most ardent supporters, as well as one of Missouri’s most prominent modern-day public servants. Senator Ron Richard, of Joplin, was instrumental in the effort to build the Society’s Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia. He was a current member of our Board of Trustees and served as co-chair of the Missouri Bicentennial Commission.
The next History on Elm series at the State Historical Society of Missouri will tour Route 66 and highlight plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the “Mother Road” in 2026. Kathleen Seele, coordinator of the SHSMO Rolla and Springfield Research Centers, will talk about the collection’s initiative for Route 66 and how Missourians can be involved in the historic centennial celebration. Seale’s presentation will be held on Tuesday, June 13, noon- 1 p.m. at the Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia.
The public is invited to a film screening about the largest music festival held in Missouri almost 50 years ago. Two screenings of the film, “The Story of the Ozark Music Festival: Three Days of Sodom and Gomorrah in Sedalia, Missouri,” will be shown at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday, June 9, at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia. The free public event is sponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Gary Scharnhorst, author of The Life of Mark Twain in 3 volumes, will discuss Twain as a social satirist throughout his career, from the short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” to his indictment of imperialism at the turn into the twentieth century. The talk is open to the public and will be held June 8, 1 p.m., at the Center for Missouri studies in Columbia. Scharnhorst’s epic and authoritative biography of Samuel Clemens not only offers new insights but also corrects several myths about America’s greatest writer.
