Episode 7: Missouri's Bicentennial – Michael Sweeney

Season Description

Premiering in September 2018, the Our Missouri Podcast's inaugural season opens with Bob Priddy discussing his book, “The Art of the Missouri Capitol.” From that auspicious start, listeners can explore all corners of the state from Kansas City and the Missouri River Valley to the Governor's Mansion, the Ozarks, and the Land of Big Red Apples. Season 1 also features conversations on key topics, including Genealogy, National History Day, and Missouri's Bicentennial.

Episode Description

As the calendar turns from 2018 to 2019, we are one year closer to Missouri's bicentennial in 2021. Since 2013, several state-wide organizations, including the State Historical Society of Missouri, have been tasked with the opportunity to develop and promote events related to this special occasion. This episode features Michael Sweeney talking about his travels throughout the state as the bicentennial coordinator for the State Historical Society of Missouri. Michael also explains how the hard work put in by members of the Bicentennial Alliance and other local organizations has produced a multi-faceted series of programs and events to celebrate Missouri's 200th birthday.

 

Episode Image: Christmas on the Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, 1939 [J. C. Nichols Company Scrapbooks (K0054), SHSMO]

About the Guest

Michael Sweeney

Michael Sweeney holds a master's degree in library and information science from the University of Missouri and a PhD in American Studies from the University of Kansas. Prior to rejoining the State Historical Society of Missouri as the bicentennial coordinator in 2017, he served as the director of collections at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Michael has written for the Jackson County Historical Society Journal, and his most recent article, "Fateful Bargain: Race, Money, and Politics in the Origins and Development of Kansas City's Paseo YMCA," appeared in the April 2018 edition of the Missouri Historical Review.

Episode Transcript