Videos

SHSMO executive director Gary Kremer connects the past to the present in his latest book as he ponders why history played out as it did over the course of two centuries since Missouri’s admittance to the Union.

For centuries, the violin has been both a “people’s instrument” as well as a “palace” instrument that spans the globe. Whether called “violin” or “fiddle” (they are the same, just with differing customs of learning and performance), it continues to be enjoyed across many different traditions and communities. 

This pre-recorded webinar, moderated by Daniele Griego, education coordinator at the State Historical Society of Missouri, focuses on the 2024 theme for the National History Day Contest. Kansas City regional coordinator Mark Adams and NHD educator Dr. Heather Van Otterloo of Joplin Public School District, offers resources and topic ideas for the upcoming contest season.

Bill Eddleman, coordinator of the State Historical Society of Missouri Cape Girardeau Research Center presents the 16th installment in his basic genealogy series on the topic: “Salt, Schools, Swamps, Military Bounties, and Homesteads: Researching Non-standard Federal Lands.”

David Steward was the featured speaker in the State Historical Society of Missouri’s annual My Missouri Lecture on Oct. 28, 1 p.m. at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia, Mo. Steward is the founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, the largest Black-owned company in the United States. The civic and business leader will be in conversation with Gary Kremer, executive director of the State Historical Society, about how Steward’s upbringing in Clinton, Mo. and his Missouri experiences contributed to his success in building a technology company in St. Louis.

In 1972, Norma E. Short of Stover, Missouri, gained national attention for her role in a project called “Skylook.” A journalist by trade, Short rose from a columnist at the Salem Post to compiling and editing international reports of unknown objects in the sky. In this episode of Missouri Mysteries, Sean Rost, SHSMO assistant director of research, explores the curious case of Norma E. Short. This program was recorded live on Zoom on Oct. 18, 2023.

Learn about the history of the Western Conservatory of Music, originally established in Rolla in 1882. Later, the music school would move briefly to Carthage, then Kansas City, and finally to Chicago. Dr. David Samson, Missouri S&T assistant professor of music, talks about the history of the conservatory. Dr. Sampson's presentation was held before an audience at Missouri Science and Technology Curtis Laws Wilson Library in Rolla on Oct. 17, 2023, and recorded on Zoom. The presentation was cosponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri and Missouri S&T Archives.

Learn more about the history of the Missouri University of Science and Technology radio station in Rolla, which has trained students in broadcasting since 1963. Dr. Jeff Schramm, KMNR’s faculty advisor, explores the station's 60-year history on campus. Unlike commercial radio, KMNR's format has been a free-form radio station, offering a wide variety of music and programs for its listeners. This program aired on Zoom 10-10-23 and was cosponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Missouri S&T Archives.

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.

National History Day in Missouri (NHDMO) is a unique opportunity for middle and high school students to explore the past in a creative, hands-on way by producing a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website on a topic of their choosing. Watch as NHDMO Coordinator Danielle Griego, PhD, announces the 2022 state contest award winners.