The State Historical Society of Missouri and all SHSMO research centers in Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, Rolla, Saint Louis, and Springfield, including the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia will be closed beginning Tuesday, March 17 through March 31, 2020, due to concerns for public and staff safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. SHSMO will decide by the end of the month if the closing will need to be extended past March 31. Updates will be posted on our website.
The State Historical Society of Missouri is taking proactive steps to address the concerns of the COVID-19 virus. In coordination with our campus partners and per guidance from the CDC, the National History Day in Missouri state contest will be held as a virtual contest this year. We will not be hosting an in-person contest on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia. We feel this is the best option due to the rapidly changing situation of this virus outbreak, the closures of many institutions, and the recommendation for social distancing.
Thank you for being a part of the State Historical Society of Missouri community. It is part of our mission to provide Missourians will high-quality events that explore Missouri history and Missourians' unique contribution to history and culture.
Concerns over the spread of COVID-19 have led to the suspension of travel, events, or coursework on several of the campuses where SHSMO is located.
In coordination with our campus partners, and out of an abundance of caution, March events hosted at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia have been postponed. These include:
The State Historical Society of Missouri and Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection commemorate the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women’s suffrage with the collaborative exhibition Missouri Women: Suffrage to Statecraft at the SHSMO art gallery, Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm Street, Columbia.
The State Historical Society of Missouri Kansas City Research Center is another step closer to its goal of relocating to the Miller Nichols Library on the UMKC campus as part of the library’s renovation plan. The Sunderland Foundation recently awarded $2 million and the William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank, Trustee awarded $500,000 to fund the move and renovation work that will put the State Historical Society’s collections in proximity with other significant Kansas City archives housed at the Miller Nichols Library.
If you enjoy helping others, we invite you to meet some of the Show-Me State’s best students while serving as a judge at the National History Day in Missouri state contest on April 25 in Columbia.
Volunteer judges are vital to the contest, offering feedback to students on their projects and helping top finishers prepare for the national contest.
The State Historical Society of Missouri is saddened by the death on January 8 of Alan R. Havig, a professor of history at Stephens College and also a historian of the Society and a longtime supporter. Havig was born August 26, 1940, in Litchfield, Minnesota, the son of Harold Rolf Havig and Blanche Sylvia (Peterson) Havig. He was married to Bettina (Baker) Havig for over 52 years. A celebration of Havig’s life will be held March 14, 11 a.m. at the Firestone Baars Chapel on the campus of Stephens College in Columbia.
