Latest News & Announcements

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.

Columbia Missourian–Blue-cheese-stuffed olives, crackers and red wine were surrounded by 23 glass panels Thursday evening at the opening of the State Historical Society of Missouri’s new exhibit, “Music in Missouri.” The exhibit discusses Missouri’s footprint in music genres such as ragtime, St. Louis blues, Kansas City jazz, Ozark bluegrass and...

Last summer, Byron Smith stood behind his canvas in Peace Park, studying the new Center for Missouri Studies building across the street. Smith wanted to get it right. SHSMO had commissioned him to do an oil painting for the Center’s grand opening celebration in August. For two years Smith had walked past the construction site each morning on his way to work as a custodian for the University of Missouri. As the sun rose over it, the building’s colors and shape would take on new dimensions. A completely new scene would unfold midday when he walked back home.

Register online now for the sixty-second annual Missouri Conference on History to be held on March 11-13 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis-Chesterfield.