Latest News & Announcements

The 67th annual Missouri Conference on History will be held March 12-14, 2025, at the Adams Pointe Conference Center in Blue Springs. The conference brings together scholars, teachers, authors, and historians to learn and share their work and to advance the field of study of Missouri history. Anyone interested or involved in the teaching of history, historical research, historical preservation, or any other professional applications of history is welcome. Early Bird registration ($55) ends Feb. 10. Standard registration ($65) is Feb. 11-24 and late registration (Feb.

The State Historical Society of Missouri is hosting a series of free documentary film screenings and a special art exhibition to honor Black History Month at the Center for Missouri Studies.

Disney historian and Columbia resident Dan Viets will present a program “Walt Disney of Kansas City” January 14 at noon at the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO). Viets’ talk is part of the History on Elm series, held at the Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia, noon – 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month. The programs are free and open to the public.

The State Historical Society of Missouri is awarding a Center for Missouri Studies fellowship to a pair of scholars from the Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Education in 2025. Amy Shelton, an adjunct professor and senior researcher at the SLU Policy Research in Missouri Education (PRiME) Center, and Joseph R. Nichols Jr., an associate professor and affiliate research faculty with PRiME, will share the fellowship for their joint research project, “School District Boundaries and the Preservation of Segregation in Suburban St. Louis.”  

The State Historical Society of Missouri has been recognized with a 2024 American Architecture Award in the Institution category, according to an announcement released by AMA this month. MultiStudio (formerly Gould Evans) designed and built the Center for Missouri, headquarters of SHSMO. Last spring, the architectural firm submitted our building design to the annual award program organized by The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The State Historical Society of Missouri will host its 6th Annual Holiday Open House Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia. Visit 17 booths featuring gift items created by local and regional artisans while strolling through the festively decorated Center for Missouri Studies. Refreshments will be served, and the event is free to the public. Books and Missouri-themed gifts will also be available for purchase in the bookstore. 

The State Historical Society is offering several live webinars in December. On December 5 at 1 p.m., Bill Eddleman continues his Basic Genealogy series with “Combining Traditional and Archival Resources to Tell a Life Story: Michael S. Eddlemon.” This presentation documents how “beyond the basics” resources can give us a more complete picture of our ancestors. The story will weave a biography by integrating both traditional and “beyond the basics” sources.

This year marks 50 years since historian Gary Kremer, executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri, published his first essay on the African American experience in Missouri. Kremer will discuss some of his most important findings over the course of a half century of research and writing on the topic of race in Missouri. The public is invited to Kremer’s talk on Tuesday, November 12, 6:30 p.m., at the State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia, Mo. A public reception will be held beginning at 6 p.m.

Internationally acclaimed artist and Missouri native Bryan Haynes will be the featured speaker for History on Elm, Tuesday, Nov. 12, noon, at the State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm Street, Columbia. 

The State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) Executive Director Gary Kremer will retire from his position in October 2025 after more than 21 years with the Society and more than 50 years as a highly regarded leader, educator, and advocate for preserving, publishing and sharing the state’s history. Kremer announced his retirement plans at the recent annual meeting of the State Historical Society of Missouri. During his tenure, Kremer led the organization through tremendous growth in services and facilities to benefit Missourians across the state.