SHSMO On Demand Index

The State Historical Society of Missouri's robust digitization program provides more online access to newspapers, photographs, maps, letters, and other manuscripts. SHSMO Senior archivist Heather Richmond and newspaper librarian Katelyn Ziegler offers tips on getting the most out of these digital collections, whatever your research goals. The workshop covers navigation of our digital collections' website and our digital newspaper collection, including ways to access material, advanced and faceted searches, browsing, and searching by date.

Founded in May 1898 by the Missouri Press Association and established as a trustee of the state a year later, the State Historical Society of Missouri is the premiere organization that collects, preserves, and shares Missouri history. As part of the 125th anniversary, a special History on Elm program featured Missouri author, journalist, and SHSMO trustee Bob Priddy in conversation with Gary Kremer, SHSMO executive director. They spoke at a public program at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia on May 9, 2023, about the Society's legacy and future.

Bill Eddleman, coordinator of the State Historical Society of Missouri Cape Girardeau Research Center, presents the next installment in his genealogy series, focused on getting the most from cemetery research. Family historians often want to locate the burial sites of their ancestors, but it is not as easy as it might seem.

A.J. Medlock, coordinator of the State Historical Society of Missouri St. Louis Research Center, presents a brief history of science fiction fandom in Missouri. Learn about the evolution of this unique Missouri sub-culture, chronicling the formation of the Ozark Science Fiction Association in St. Louis to the Archon, one of the longest-running science fiction and fantasy conventions in Missouri. Featured collections include the Walt Stumper Papers, the USS Discovery Records, and the Amy Newell Verseman Papers.

State Historical Society of Missouri art curator Joan Stack presents visual examples and discusses the importance of such works as George Caleb Bingham's "Order No. 11" and the influence of artist Rose O'Neill who lived in the Missouri Ozarks for parts of her adult life and was active in the suffragist movement. Stack's live presentation on Zoom April 5, 2023, was followed by a Q&A from attendees of the virtual talk.

In this episode, Cape Girardeau Research Center Bill Eddleman focusses on using tax lists in genealogy research. Tax lists are used by few family historians but can provide far more information than most suspect. These lists traditionally have been more difficult to locate than other records, but this is changing as digitized versions appear.

John Brenner, managing editor of Missouri Historical Review hosts author and historian Kelly Schmidt for a discussion of her research on people enslaved by the early Catholic Church in Missouri and the communities they formed to help each other through their hardships, challenge the terms of their bondage, and ultimately seek their freedom. A postdoctoral research associate for the Washington University and Slavery Project, Schmidt is the author of the April 2022 Missouri Historical Review article “Slavery and the Shaping of Catholic Missouri, 1810–1850.”

Larry Gragg, author and Professor Emeritus of History at Missouri University of Science and Technology, presented a program on Nov. 2, 2022, at the State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies that examines the impacts of desegregation in Missouri higher education.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt delivered the annual My Missouri Lecture on Sat. Oct. 29 at the State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia. The senior senator from Missouri reflected on how his upbringing shaped his career in education and politics.

Missouri S&T history emeritus professor, Dr. Larry Gragg delves into American Jewish gangsters (Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky) and their anti-Nazi efforts. This program is part of a series "Missourians and the Holocaust" sponsored by Missouri S&T Archives and State Historical Society of Missouri Rolla Research Center. This program aired Oct. 25, 2022.

Missouri S&T history professor Dr. Petra DeWitt explores homegrown extremists during World War II. This program is part of the series "Missourians and the Holocaust" sponsored by Missouri S&T Archives and the State Historical Society of Missouri Rolla Research Center. The program aired on Zoom Oct.20, 2022.

State Historical Society of Missouri Assistant Director, Research, Sean Rost, explores an old forester’s tale of the Missouri Ozarks. In the third edition of Missouri Mysteries, learn about a creature allegedly lurking in the state’s forests, and how the legend of what forester Ed Woods called “the rarest of scientific specimens” in 1948 came to symbolize conservation and recreation in the Show-Me State. The program aired on Zoom Oct. 12, 2022.

Bill Eddleman, coordinator of the State Historical Society of Missouri Cape Girardeau Research Center provides a thorough overview of researching Civil War ancestors. The program covers how to determine whether your ancestor served; key documents generated by enlistment and service; finding your ancestor and their regiment online; pension files and what can be located in them; and other documents generated by and for Civil War veterans. Examples are used to illustrate research methods throughout.

In 2022, the National Women and Media Collection is celebrating its 35th anniversary at the State Historical Society of Missouri. This invaluable collection includes records of media organizations and professional and personal papers of notable women who worked as reporters, editors, publishers, press spokespersons, and other positions in the print, broadcast, and online media industries.

Watch as David Balducchi, retired from the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC, discusses his April 2021 Missouri Historical Review article, Harry Truman’s Tour of Duty as Missouri Reemployment Director: His Transition from Local to National Politician.

Watch as Greg Olson, independent researcher, writer, and 2020 Center for Missouri Studies Fellow, discusses his article, “White Man’s Paper Trail: Extinguishing Indigenous Land Claims in Missouri.”