Established as the sixth branch of the State Historical Society of Missouri, the Research Center–Cape Girardeau is charged with expanding both the study of the southeast region of the state and the preservation of its history.
The center was formed in partnership with Southeast Missouri State University to provide local residents with convenient access to SHSMO resources.
Collections of interest to Southeast Missouri include:
- The Oliver Collection, including the Oliver Family Papers, the Robert Burett Oliver Papers, and the personal papers of Marie Oliver Watkins, the niece of Marie Elizabeth Oliver, who designed Missouri's state flag.
- Records from William "Bill" Emerson, a Republican congressman from the Missouri Bootheel. The Charles M. Barnes Papers documenting the life, both personal and professional, of the New Madrid County businessman.
- Politics in Missouri Oral History Project featuring interviews with prominent southeast Missourians such as Warren E. Hearnes, Marvin E. Proffer, Albert M. Spradling Jr., Frederick DeField, Betty Hearnes, and James E. Spain.
