Latest News & Announcements

Author and Columbia University professor Samuel G. Freedman will deliver a presentation on how the crusade for civil rights won the White House and the election of President Truman at the 1948 Democratic Convention. The author will speak about his recent book, Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights, April 3, 2 p.m., at the State Historical Society of Missouri, 605 Elm Street, Columbia. The public is invited to this free program.

The Hazel Henderson Papers, recently donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri’s National Women and Media Collection, offers study of an environmental thought leader whose work included nine books and hundreds of articles on sustainability and the growing “green” economy.  Henderson is best known as a futurist, whose book, The Politics of the Solar Age, published in 1981, forecasted the need for the current transition from the fossil fuel era to the 21st century green economy worldwide.

A public open house and reception will be held on Thursday, March 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the State Historical Society of Missouri, 605 Elm St., Columbia, featuring costumes worn by Hollywood actress Ginger Rogers during her lengthy career as an entertainer. The exhibition Ginger Rogers: Dressed to Impress opened in March and runs through August 2024 at the SHSMO Art Gallery. A public reception is in conjunction with the Missouri Conference on History, which will be held in Columbia March 13-15.

A trailblazing journalist who wrote stories about the Ozarks and covered much of its development throughout the 20th century is featured in a new biography, Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton, written by Susan Croce Kelly. The author will speak about her recent book as part of the State Historical Society of Missouri’s History on Elm series, Tuesday, March 12, noon- 1 p.m., at the Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia.

This week begins a new series, Stories from the Archives, on KSMU Ozarks Public Radio, written and hosted by SHSMO Archivist Haley Frizzle-Green. Airing at 8:30 a.m. on the last Monday of each month, Frizzle-Green will highlight collections from Southwest Missouri region. For the inaugural episode, listeners will learn about the Mark Twain National Forest Historical Photograph Collection and wildfire prevention efforts of the 1930s. 

SHSMO congratulates Bill Eddleman, coordinator of the Cape Girardeau Research Center for producing and hosting the 50th episode of “Tales from Days Gone By,” airing on KRCU Public Radio and available for download on the station’s website. The series explores the rich history of Southeast Missouri including unique places, celebrated figures, and interesting stories of ordinary people.  

An upcoming public program will look at the centuries of Indigenous presence in the state as part of the History on Elm series in February. Author and historian Greg Olson will discuss the resiliency of Indigenous Missourians who survived and evolved despite extreme challenges they encountered. The public program titled: Points, Pots, Pipes, and Powwows, will be held Tuesday, Feb. 13, noon- 1 p.m.

In the latest series of Our Missouri, host Sean Rost explores the lives of several influential Missourians and their contributions to art, politics, radio and television, conservation and environmentalism, breaking racial barriers, and philanthropy.

A dazzling collection of costumes worn by Hollywood star Ginger Rogers will be on display at the State Historical Society of Missouri in March. The public can get a sneak peak of this stunning collection on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, during the History on Elm noon series at the Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia.

The State Historical Society of Missouri is awarding Center for Missouri Studies fellowships to two history scholars in 2024. Jenna Lyons, a visiting assistant professor at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, has won a fellowship award for her proposed study, “‘Dear Mr. President’: Bertha Bless, the Missouri Press Club, and the National Federation of Press Women.” John W.