History on Elm series offers free public programs at noon on the second Tuesday of each month at the State Historical Society of Missouri. Programs are held September through June. Mark your calendar and join us over the lunch hour!
Tue. Jan. 14, 2025 – Walt Disney of Kansas City
Disney historian and Columbia resident Dan Viets explores Walt Disney's life after the family's move from Marceline, Mo., to Kansas City where Walt spent ten years learning art and pioneering the field of animation. At age 20, Disney founded Laugh-O-Gram Studio and attracted talented artists to work with him in Kansas City.
Tue. Feb. 11 - Restoring Greenwood Cemetery
Shelley and Raphael Morris will show a short documentary and discuss efforts to restore Greenwood Cemetery, a Black cemetery in north St. Louis County that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The film delves into the rich cultural and historical significance of the cemetery, shedding light on the stories of individuals laid to rest and the community that surrounds it.
Tue. March 11 - The Forgotten Stories of Arrow Rock, Mo.
Sandy Selby, author of the new book, Arrow Rock Ink, examines the historic town’s first hundred years through her research in SHSMO’s newspaper archives. Selby has collected newspaper stories, meeting notes, and personal letters that bring to light the celebrations and tragedies that shaped the community. Learn about the ubiquitous oyster suppers, weeks-long revivals, and the town’s relentless quest to attract a railroad.
Tue. April 8 - Cherokee Removal on the Trail of Tears through Southern Missouri
Historical archaeologist Erin Whitson will share her fieldwork and study along the tragic Trail of Tears through Missouri. Whitson explains how archaeological approaches may provide ways to better see aspects of Removal that have been overlooked and how collaborative approaches offer descendants space to explore their histories in the places their ancestors lived and died in.
Tue. May 13 - Lights, Camera, Action! Missouri’s Invention of the Rotoscope
Kathryn Seale, coordinator of the Rolla and Springfield Research Centers, digs into the SHSMO archives that details a 1950s film technology developed by two Rolla, Mo. theatre owners Rowe Carney and Tom Smith. Their invention of the rotoscope used a special single camera for filming and a cinema system to project movies in a 180-degree spectrum on a curved screen.
Tue. June 10 - Men of No Reputation: Robert Boatright, the Buckfoot Gang, and the Fleecing of Middle America
Swindler. Murderer. Scoundrel. SHSMO editor Kimberly Harper's recent book explores Robert Boatright, "dean of modern confidence men" and the colorful members of the Buckfoot Gang of Webb City in Jasper County, which preyed upon victims across North America in one of the largest midwestern criminal syndicates in history. Harpers research exposes a rift in the wholesome midwestern stereotype of 19th and 20th century American society.
No Programs Scheduled for July and August. History on Elm will be back in the fall!
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History on Elm series explores a variety of topics each month, ranging from Missouri art and authors to unique SHSMO collections. The public is invited to attend. Registration is not required. The programs begin promptly at 12 p.m. and lasts one hour.
History on Elm series is held inside Cook Hall at the State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia.