News & Announcements

Mormon Passage through Missouri: A lecture by Fred E. Woods, Professor of Religious Understanding at Brigham Young University

2009-11-05T09:53:00.002-06:00

4:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 11, in the Jesse Wrench Auditorium, Memorial Union, University of Missouri campus;
reception in will follow.
The event is free and open to the public.

On October 27, 1838, Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs issued the infamous extermination order that caused thousands of Latter-day Saints to flee the state and seek refuge in Illinois across the Mississippi River. The forced exodus during the frigid winter of 1838-39 deeply embittered the Mormons against Missourians, and continued to fester long after the Saints had gathered in the Salt Lake Valley a decade later.

On Wednesday, November 11, the State Historical Society of Missouri and the MU Department of History will sponsor a talk by Brigham Young Professor Fred E. Woods. Woods will discuss the emigration experience of Latter-day Saints who passed through the state of Missouri during the three decades following the extermination order and present several Mormon emigrant accounts recorded during the mid-nineteenth century. Woods reveals a neglected period in Mormon and state history when the Saints continued their journey over hundreds of Missouri miles by boat, rail, and trail in spite of an official government death threat to all those who dared trespass upon Missouri soil.

Professor Woods holds the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding in Brigham Young University’s Department of Religious Education.

State Historical Society of Missouri Hours and Services Cut

2009-11-03T11:53:00.002-06:00

Due to a 25 percent withholding in its fiscal year 2010 state appropriation, the State Historical Society of Missouri is decreasing its hours open to the public to Mondays through Thursdays, 8:00 a.m.-4:45 p.m., effective immediately. The Society will no longer be open for research on Fridays or Saturdays.

The withholding ($364,010), caused by the continued downturn in Missouri state revenues, was made public last Wednesday, October 28. The State Historical Society’s response to the withholding, determined by its board of trustees, was announced at the annual membership meeting in Columbia on Saturday, October 31.

To continue operations and implement the withholding, the Society’s twenty-two staff members have voluntarily taken a 20 percent pay reduction, and three staff positions have been eliminated. These positions included one unfilled position left temporarily vacant due to a 10 percent reduction in the Society’s FY2010 budget on July 1, 2009, one retirement, and one layoff.

The Society will seek private funds to continue its newspaper microfilming program and to print the award-winning Missouri Historical Review. The microfilming program annually preserves over 250 Missouri newspaper titles and adds these papers to the fine collection available for research at the State Historical Society. Missouri newspaper publishers, libraries, and local historical and genealogical societies also rely on purchasing these microfilmed papers for in-house use and to add to their research collections. The Missouri Historical Review is sent quarterly to over 4,800 members of the State Historical Society in Missouri and throughout the United States. Scholars, students, and the public use the journal for the study of the state’s history.

The popular Missouri History Speakers’ Bureau, which furnishes speakers to local civic, historical, and genealogical groups, will be discontinued. The State Historical Society has sponsored 34 Speakers’ Bureau presentations around the state since the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1. A MoHiP (Missouri History in Performance) Theatre production on the life and times of John William “Blind” Boone already scheduled for March 19, 2010, in Columbia will be held. Future performances by MoHiP, the State Historical Society’s reader’s theatre offering original productions based on historical characters and events, will not be scheduled.

“The reduced hours will have a significant impact on genealogists, students, and scholars who make use of the State Historical Society’s collections,” said Gary R. Kremer, the executive director. “And local organizations that have used scholars well-versed on a variety of historical topics will lose access to a much-needed source for speakers.”

The 25 percent withholding reduces the Society’s state funding to 65 percent of the FY2009 appropriation.

Effective November 1 the Society will be open only Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

2009-11-02T09:16:00.000-06:00

State Historical Society Annual Meeting

2009-10-26T10:14:00.001-05:00

Members of The State Historical Society of Missouri will hold their annual meeting October 31, 2009, at the Tiger Hotel in downtown Columbia. This day-long event will feature professional development workshops, a silent auction of valuable art, sports, and history items, research and publication awards, lunch in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom, and a one-woman play about the life of Jane Clemens, mother of Missouri’s most noted author, Mark Twain.

Morning workshops will teach participants about preserving paper and three-dimensional objects in museums and historical societies throughout the state with three sessions: “Paper Preservation 101” with Claudia Powell, document conservation specialist at the University of Missouri-Columbia Western Historical Manuscript Collection; “Collections Preservation” led by Linda Eikmeier Endersby, assistant director of the Missouri State Museum and Jefferson Landing State Historic Site; and “In Storage and On Display” featuring Greig Thompson, the Society’s chief museum preparator.

Executive Director Gary R. Kremer and Society President Doug Crews will give the annual report at 11:30 a.m., highlighting accomplishments from the past year, defining future opportunities, and making awards to accomplished scholars in Missouri history. The $500 Mary C. Neth Prize for the best article on women or gender issues in the past two volumes of the Missouri Historical Review will be given to Dr. Kimberly A. Schreck, Washington University, for “The Patriarch, His ‘Wives,’ His ‘Slaves,’ and His ‘Children’: Contested Wills in the Case of Keen v. Keen.” The Lewis E. Atherton Thesis and Dissertation Awards will be made to recognize outstanding scholarship in Missouri history and to honor Atherton, a former trustee and president of the Society and longtime professor in the University of Missouri Department of History. The $500 Atherton Thesis Prize will go to Peter K. Johnson of Blue Springs for “The Origins and Nature of Indian Slavery in Colonial St. Louis,” and the $1,000 Atherton Dissertation Prize will be awarded to Dr. Adam Arenson, Assistant Professor of History, University of Texas-El Paso, for “City of Manifest Destiny: St. Louis and the Cultural Civil War, 1848-1877.” Carolyn Gilman of the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis will receive the Society’s $750 annual Missouri Historical Review best article award for “L’Anneé du Coup: The Battle of St. Louis, 1780.” And finally, Professor Jay H. Buckley of Brigham Young University will be awarded both the 2009 State Historical Society of Missouri Book Award ($1,000) and the Eagleton-Waters Book Award ($1,500) for his book William Clark: Indian Diplomat. The late Senator Thomas F. Eagleton and Society trustee Henry J. Waters III established the Eagleton-Waters biennial award for recognition of the best work in Missouri political history.

The annual Distinguished Service Award will be given to W. Raymond Wood, Professor Emeritus in the University of Missouri Department of Anthropology. Wood is a longtime supporter and researcher at the Society and the Western Historical Manuscript Collection. Professor Wood is a speaker for the Society’s Missouri History Speakers’ Bureau, has served as a consultant for Society exhibitions and presentations, offered public programs for Society audiences, and has published in the Missouri Historical Review.

A luncheon will be held at 12:30 p.m., followed by MoHiP Theatre’s (Missouri History in Performance) production of Miz Jane, a one-woman play about the life of Jane Lampton Clemens, mother of writer and humorist Mark Twain. Talented mid-Missouri artists Jane Accurso and Dierik Leonhard will support the play with period music.
New to this year’s annual meeting will be a silent auction to include a watercolor landscape painting by Frank Stack, a Mizzou Tiger basketball autographed by head coach Mike Anderson, an original Thomas Hart Benton print, a reproduction of an 1836 map of Missouri, an assortment of wine, and Panera’s “Bread for a Year.”

The general public is welcome and encouraged to attend The State Historical Society of Missouri’s Annual Meeting. The fee for the meeting, luncheon, and entertainment is $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers.

Reservations will be taken through October 28, 2009, online or by calling (573) 882-7083. Free parking is available in the Cherry Street Garage across from the Tiger Hotel, and the hotel is handicap accessible.

Mud and Fire: Mormon diarists cross Iowa, 1846

2009-10-09T09:14:00.002-05:00

The Atherton Lecture Committee, University of Missouri, Department of History, is pleased to present

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
300th Anniversary Professor,Harvard University

Monday, November 9
7:00pm
Keller Auditorium - MU Campus
(Geological Sciences Building)

In 1846, more than 14,000 Mormons (or Latter-day Saints) crossed from Nauvoo, Illinois to Council Bluffs, Iowa. They faced blizzards, thunderstorms, mud and snakes and the fear that the vigilantes who had driven them from Missouri ten years before would resume their attacks. But the greatest difficulties did not come from their enemies or from the elements, but from the demanding ideals of their faith. Their remarkably candid diaries provide unexpected insights into religious and political culture in 19th-century America.

Professor Ulrich is probably best- known for her books Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History and A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard based on Her Diary, 1785-1812.

Plan to join us at the Cherry Street Wine Cellar and Bistro for a reception with Professor Ulrich following the lecture - 505 Cherry Street

With special thanks to the office of the Dean of the College of Arts & Science

National Teach-In on Veterans History

2009-10-07T11:01:00.001-05:00

HISTORY, together with the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress, will host a National Teach-In on Veterans History on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at 12pm EST. Educators and students nationwide can tune-in and view this live webcast online at www.veterans.com. The webcast will be broadcast live from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. [more...]

Monthly Staff Meeting

2009-10-05T11:25:00.002-05:00

The Society will be closed from 8-9:00 a.m. Thursday, October 8 for an all-staff meeting.

Water Damage at The State Historical Society of Missouri

2009-10-01T14:07:00.003-05:00

At approximately 5:30 p.m. yesterday, September 30, 2009, State Historical Society of Missouri Associate Director Lynn Wolf Gentzler was notified by University of Missouri Ellis Library security personnel of a water leak in a storage room of the Society’s headquarters in Ellis Library on the university campus. Upon inspection, Gentzler learned that the “water leak” was the consequence of a malfunctioning sprinkler head from the fire suppression system in a room used to store duplicate copies of documents and publications. The malfunctioning sprinkler triggered the Ellis Library fire alarm, which, in turn, alerted Columbia firefighters who arrived on the scene within minutes. There was no fire.

Gentzler quickly notified Society director Gary Kremer and other Society employees, who assembled immediately to assess the damage to collections and begin the cleanup operation. Damage was confined to multiple, backup copies of state documents, primarily Missouri state agency reports from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Missouri statute provides for the deposit of multiple copies of such reports with the State Historical Society.

No unique, one-of-a-kind materials were damaged. Society staff members are working with university fire personnel to identify and replace aged and potentially faulty sprinkler heads such as the one that precipitated this incident. At no time were any original manuscripts or rare books in danger. Nor was there any threat to the Society’s rich art collection that contains scores of works by Missouri’s two most famous artists, George Caleb Bingham and Thomas Hart Benton. Indeed, contrary to earlier reports, the Society’s art gallery and art storage area contains no sprinkler system.

Cleanup by Society staff will continue through the day on October 1, 2009, with the hope that the process will be completed by the end of the week, October 2. Normal patron services at the Society will not be interrupted by the ongoing cleanup and restoration efforts.

Call for Papers - Missouri Conference on History

2009-09-25T11:51:00.000-05:00

52nd Missouri Conference on History

April 15-16, 2010

Co-sponsored by

Missouri State Archives
The State Historical Society of Missouri

Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, Jefferson City

Call for Papers

Proposals for conference sessions and papers are welcome on any historical topic or era.

The conference is particularly interested in proposals for complete sessions, including panelists, chair, and commentator.

Anyone wishing to organize a session or present a paper should submit a one-page abstract and a one-page curriculum vita by e-mail to:

John Dougan
Missouri State Archivist
Office of Secretary of State
john.dougan@sos.mo.gov

The deadline for submission of proposals is November 15, 2009.

Prize for Best Student Paper

The Missouri Conference on History will present a $250 prize for the best student paper presented at the conference by a registered student participant. Students (undergraduate or graduate) who wish to be considered for the prize should submit an electronic version of the completed paper of between 3,000 and 4,000 words to:

Gary R. Kremer
Executive Director
The State Historical Society of Missouri
kremerg@umsystem.edu

The deadline for submission of papers for prize consideration is February 1, 2010.

University of Missouri Campus Gallery and Museum Crawl

2009-09-10T09:35:00.001-05:00

Follow the “birdie” to the fifth annual MU Campus Gallery and Museum Crawl on Thursday, September 17. Starting at 4:30 p.m. and continuing until 8:00 p.m., attendees can experience exhibitions and activities at the Museum of Art & Archaeology, The State Historical Society of Missouri, the George Caleb Bingham Gallery, the Museum of Anthropology, and the MSA/GPC Craft Studio.

Once again intrepid culture crawlers who visit all five locations and get their Crawl postcard stamped are eligible to win prizes including T-shirts, art posters, free do-it-yourself classes and much, much more. Visitors can pick up postcards at each participating location or print out a copy (pdf).

Entrants need not be present to win but must have all locations stamped and provide an e-mail address on the entry card.
The MU Campus Gallery and Culture Crawl is free and open to the public. Check the Crawl website for information on the exhibits involved.

Lion of the West – a MoHiP Theatre production

2009-09-09T11:22:00.002-05:00

Missouri History in Performance (MoHiP) Theatre will present James Kirke Paulding’s Lion of the West, September 25 at Thespian Hall in Boonville. MoHiP Theatre is a reader’s theatre program of The State Historical Society of Missouri. The play is a lively, loud, and fast-moving farce complete with backwoods heroes, damsels in distress, and English snobbery. Popular musicians Cathy Barton and Dave Para start the evening with music of the period at 7:30 p.m., with Lion of the West immediately following.

Paulding wrote Lion of the West in 1831 and it was a hit from its first performances in St. Louis in 1832. The play won a competition for the best portrayal of an American character—the leading role in the play, Colonel Nimrod Wildfire, who was based on frontiersman and congressman David Crockett. Although the scripted performance went through many alterations and name changes over the years, the widespread popularity of Wildfire remained.

KBIA radio producer and announcer Darren Hellwege will play the role of Wildfire, and Columbia Daily Tribune managing editor Jim Robertson plays the nefarious fake English nobleman intent on marrying into a wealthy American family. He runs up against the upright Colonel Nimrod Wildfire, and sparks fly, amid duels, pistols and backwoods rifles.

Tickets will be sold at Thespian Hall the evening of the performance or may be reserved by calling (660) 882-7977. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for children under twelve years of age.

This program is supported by The Friends of Historic Boonville, Santa Fe Trail Association and the University of Missouri Center for Arts & Humanities.

New Video from the Society and the Western Historical Manuscript Collection

2009-09-02T11:36:00.004-05:00

Labor Day

2009-09-02T11:34:00.001-05:00

The Society will be closed September 5-7 and will resume business on September 8

Conservation Bookshelf awarded to the Society

2009-07-06T14:20:00.001-05:00

Treasured artworks, rare books, historic photographs, maps, and manuscripts held at The State Historical Society of Missouri will be preserved for future generations with help from the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS has now awarded almost 3,000 free sets of the IMLS Bookshelf, in cooperation with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).

“When IMLS launched this initiative to improve the dire state of our nation’s collections, we understood that the materials gathered for the Bookshelf would serve as important tools for museums, libraries, and archives nationwide,” said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of IMLS. “We were both pleased and encouraged by the overwhelming interest of institutions prepared to answer the call to action, and we know that with their dedication, artifacts from our shared history will be preserved for future generations.”

Gary R. Kremer, Executive Director of the State Historical Society stated, “All of our materials will benefit from the Bookshelf, but the greatest area of concern is the art collection. Formal management policies and procedures are fundamental to provide consistent, museum quality care for this valuable resource.” The State Historical Society is planning for a new building, in which expanded storage and exhibit space will be provided for art works, but Kremer explained collections care will not wait for new headquarters: “Our staff seeks detailed information through resources such as the Bookshelf so that when the new building is a reality, best practices will be in place for the transfer, continued preservation, and increased access to the Society’s historical and cultural collections.”

Holiday Hours

2009-06-24T15:22:00.001-05:00

The Society will be closed Friday, July 3rd through Sunday, July 5th.
Have a safe and pleasant holiday.

"Art Explorers" to entertain, teach children about Missouri history

2009-06-24T12:29:00.002-05:00

Parents and children are invited to take a trip back in time through “Art Explorers: Discovering George Caleb Bingham’s Missouri” at The State Historical Society of Missouri from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2009. This interactive program will help children learn about Missouri’s cultural and artistic past through the famed works of George Caleb Bingham and give participants hands-on experience with replica clothing, toys, and other objects from the period, 1810-1880.

Attendees will help Society Art Curator Joan Stack pack a suitcase for a trip back to the 1800s, using Bingham’s paintings as a guide for deciding if an object fits with the time period. Each child will also decorate an “explorer’s telescope” to take home as a memento of the experience.

“Art Explorers” is designed for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with at least one accompanying adult for every two participants. Admission is $5 per child, with no cost for adults. The program is free to Society member families. Registration is required by July 8 and can be made by calling the Society at (573) 882-7083.

Memorial Service for Sidney Larson, Art Curator at The State Historical Society of Missouri for 43 years,

2009-06-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

June 20, 10:30 a.m. -- Memorial Service for Sidney Larson, Art Curator at The State Historical Society of Missouri for 43 years, in Columbia College Launer Auditorium, (map) with a reception following in Dulaney Hall Banquet Room.

Speakers’ Bureau accepting bookings

2009-06-02T14:34:00.001-05:00

The Speakers’ Bureau will accept requests for speakers beginning June 1 for bookings through the end of the year (July 1-December 31) from organizations that have not yet used the service in 2009. Events must be open to the public and organizations are required to guarantee an audience of twenty. For information, visit http://shs.umsystem.edu/speakersbureau/ or call (573) 882-9365.

The Missouri History Speakers’ Bureau provides access to educational experiences in Missouri history for adult groups and organizations. The Speakers’ Bureau provides professional speakers on a variety of topics and time periods in Missouri history and is sponsored in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The MHC is the only statewide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971.

Under Construction: Images of the Gateway Arch by Art Witman opens June 20 at the Society

2009-05-26T10:56:00.001-05:00

The 630-foot Gateway Arch dominates the St. Louis skyline, and images documenting its construction will cover the walls of the State Historical Society’s Main Gallery when Under Construction: Images of the Gateway Arch by Art Witman opens on June 20, 2009.

By its completion in 1965, the Gateway Arch had been 30 years in the making. President Franklin Roosevelt named the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial the first site under the Historic Sites Act in 1935, but it was not until 1947 that architect Eero Saarinen won a design contest to construct the memorial, and work on the Arch did not begin until 1963. St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer Art Witman joined workers high above the city and took breathtaking shots of the monument’s various stages of creation. The resulting mural-sized, full-color photographs were donated by Witman to the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-St. Louis in 1984.

Under Construction will be on display through September 5, 2009. The State Historical Society of Missouri is located in Ellis Library at the intersection of Hitt Street and Lowry Mall on the University of Missouri campus, with parking available in three nearby garages.

Proposals Invited for 2010 Missouri History Speakers' Bureau

2009-05-20T14:37:00.002-05:00

The State Historical Society of Missouri is searching for academic and independent historians, cultural preservationists, Missouri heritage specialists, and gifted speakers to participate in its 2010 Missouri History Speakers’ Bureau. The Bureau, which provides presentations on Missouri history topics to adult nonprofit organizations, including service and church groups, has already scheduled more than 30 talks this year and is looking to keep that momentum going into 2010. Candidates should complete the application process as described on the Society’s Web site, and submit their information by July 15, 2009.

Every year, The State Historical Society’s Speakers’ Bureau chooses presentations by both academic and independent scholars that best illustrate the history of Missouri. The Society seeks to include a diverse group of speakers who will discuss varied topics. Proposals will be accepted based on the originality of the proposed topic, which should have a broad appeal; and the variety and quality of the sources used to develop the talk. The speaker’s ability to engage a wide range of adult audiences will also be considered during the review process.

To find out more about the Missouri History Speakers’ Bureau, including a list of this year’s offered programs, or to support the Society with a donation, visit http://shs.umsystem.edu/speakersbureau/.

Call for Directory Updates

2009-05-06T09:18:00.002-05:00

The State Historical Society of Missouri invites historical and genealogical societies, museums, and preservation groups to submit and/or update contact information for the Society’s online Directory of Local Historical Societies, Museums, and Genealogical Societies.

Please include the organization’s physical address, mailing address, phone number, and, if applicable, web address and e-mail. Please send your organization’s information to Kimberly Harper by postal mail or by e-mail: harperk@umsystem.edu

2009 Missouri Conference on History Awards Announced

2009-04-30T14:09:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to the winners and thank-you to all those who submitted an entry. As usual the scholarship was outstanding and a decision was not easily made.

Best Book Award

The Politics of Everyday Life in Vichy France: Foreigners, Undesirables, and Strangers
Shannon L. Fogg, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Best Article Award

“‘Tom, You’re Not Going to Get [It] On a Silver Platter’: The Inaugural Senate Campaign of Thomas F. Eagleton,” Missouri Historical Review, April 2008
James N. Giglio, Missouri State University

Best Graduate Student Paper

“‘This Is Not a Cotton-Picker’s Dream’: The National Commission on Constitutional Government and the Formation of the ‘New Right’”
Jeffrey D. Howison, Binghamton University

MoHiP Theatre Development Workshop

2009-04-24T14:34:00.002-05:00

Due to scheduling difficulties, the May MoHiP Theatre workshop date has been changed to May 12 (from May 19).

We apologize for any inconvenience.

If you love history and theatre, you won’t want to miss the next Missouri History in Performance Theatre (MoHiP) workshops. For information, call (573) 882-2476.

Students Explored the Individual at National History Day State Contest

2009-04-21T11:18:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, April 4, more than 500 young history enthusiasts participated in the National History Day in Missouri state competition. This annual, all-day event encourages the learning of history by young adults in grades 6-12 through student-created projects. This year’s theme was “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.” [pdf]

Over 2,500 students participated in regional contests across Missouri with the hope of making it to the state contest, and first- and second-place winners in each division qualified for the National History Day contest finals on June 14-18. Prizes are awarded at all levels, including college scholarships for national winners.

National History Day is a yearlong program dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of history in elementary and secondary schools. The annual competition is the nation’s oldest and most highly regarded humanities contest for students in grades 6-12. NHD is open to all types of students—public, private, parochial, and home-school; urban, suburban and rural.

National History Day in Missouri is an educational outreach program of The State Historical Society of Missouri and the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia.

Roundtable Honoring Keith Crown to be held May 2 at the Society

2009-04-09T09:27:00.001-05:00

Watercolorist Keith Crown has touched the lives of many people during his seventy years as an artist and teacher. Join some of these friends, family members, and colleagues as they share stories and memories of the artist during “Travels with Keith Crown: A Roundtable Discussion of the Life and Art of an Extraordinary Painter” on May 2 at 2:00 p.m. in The State Historical Society of Missouri’s Main Gallery.

“Travels with Keith Crown” complements the exhibit Keith Crown: A Retrospective, now on display in the Society’s Main Gallery. Although Crown has called Columbia home for 25 years, he spent 37 years teaching art at the University of Southern California after earning degrees from the Art Institute of Chicago and serving in World War II. He also served as president of the National Watercolor Society, helped found the Los Angeles chapter of Artist’s Equity, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Watercolor USA Honor Society in 2003. Crown’s work hangs in museums and art centers across the country. He has been the subject of a biography, Keith Crown Watercolors, by Sheldon Reich, and his paintings and influences have been discussed by many authors during his career.

Society art curator Joan Stack will lead the discussion, as the panel provides personal insight into Crown’s aesthetic philosophy, working methods, and life history. “Travels with Keith Crown” is free and open to the public. The State Historical Society of Missouri is located in Ellis Library at the intersection of Hitt Street and Lowry Mall on the University of Missouri campus, with parking available in three nearby garages.