MoHistory

The Museum Column I recently had the pleasure of helping welcome 48 people from 28 countries to their new home. The naturalization ceremony that is held at the Missouri History Museum every year is one of my favorite events. The day is filled with so much joy and inspiration. I always stress to the new …

Continue reading "Welcoming New Americans and New St. Louisans"

In 1888 a stray dog roamed into a post office in Albany, New York. Perhaps initially attracted to the scent or texture of the canvas mailbags, the free-spirited Owney—a nickname for Owen—started accompanying them onto mail wagons and Railway Mail Service train cars. As Owney traveled throughout the country, Railway Mail Service clerks proudly placed …

Continue reading "Meeting Owney in St. Louis—and at the Fair"

St. Louis is home to many amazing things: baseball, toasted ravioli, the Arch, just to name a few. But did you know it’s also been home to over a dozen Nobel Prize winners? The city’s long history as a center of scientific research and innovation is evident throughout the list of laureates. William S. Knowles—along …

Continue reading "Bringing Home Gold: St. Louis’s Nobel Prize Winners"

St. Louis has long been home to multiple clubs and organizations for the LGBTQIA+ community. Organizations such as Doorways and St. Louis Effort for AIDS were created to help community members affected by the AIDS pandemic, while others, like Wired Women and Bisexual Alliance of St. Louis, were based on sexual identity. Still other organizations, …

Continue reading "Leather-Levi Clubs in the Gateway City"

The new 1904 World’s Fair exhibit at the Missouri History Museum recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. In its first year, that gallery has earned St. Louis national and international headlines. The good kinds of headlines. The headlines that St. Louis is so in need of. And, unfortunately, the types of headlines St. Louisans talk too …

Continue reading "St. Louis Arts and Culture Earn Headlines"

On Juneteenth, June 19, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum will open a new traveling exhibit, Tuskegee Airmen: America’s Freedom Flyers. Marking the 160th anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth is a fitting opening day for a display that honors the contributions of Black members of the US armed forces. While the …

Continue reading "Soldiers Memorial Salutes Tuskegee Airmen"

June is recognized in St. Louis and around the world as Pride Month. This observance commemorates the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969—a riot following a police raid on a gay bar in New York City that is remembered as a key catalyst of the movement for LGBTQIA+ rights. Pride has been a crucial component of …

Continue reading "Pride in St. Louis Year by Year"

The Society of American Magicians had been around for more than 60 years when it held its 35th annual convention in downtown St. Louis. Founded in New York City in 1902, the organization initially focused on professional magicians—Harry Houdini was one of its presidents. By the time St. Louis hosted the society in May 1963, the …

Continue reading "A Gathering of Magicians at the Jefferson Hotel"

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally ran in Gateway (Spring 2020), the MHS member magazine. It has been edited for length. The views and opinions expressed by the submitters are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missouri Historical Society, its affiliates, or its employees. Like no other natural disaster …

Continue reading "After the Storm: The Black Community’s Response to the 1927 Tornado"

The May 16, 2025, tornado has left St. Louis in shock, its destruction overwhelming and hard to fully grasp. Yet, this is not the first time the city has faced such devastation. Throughout its 261-year history, St. Louis has endured powerful storms, mourned their impact, and come together to rebuild—again and again. According to the …

Continue reading "St. Louis Tornadoes: A History of Resilience"

For the past eight months, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum has hosted Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II. The final day to visit this traveling exhibit and learn its fascinating story is Memorial Day, May 26. As the first American military unit solely dedicated to deception of the enemy, the Ghost Army—formally …

Continue reading "Reflecting on the Ghost Army"

If you have ever found yourself looking at an object in a museum and wondering where it came from, then you are thinking like a curator. Before the Missouri Historical Society adds a piece to its collection, curators first consider the object’s history, including its origin, creators, owners, and significance. Here are four collections with …

Continue reading "Where Did That Come From? Interesting Ways Things Came to MHS"

On May 7, 2025, a towering legend of St. Louis blues music will have the honor of being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s hard to overstate just how important Henry Townsend is to St. Louis’s musical heritage. Local musicians from across a wide spectrum of styles and backgrounds counted …

Continue reading "Celebrating Henry Townsend, the Patriarch of St. Louis Blues"

The Met Gala embraces brilliance of style each year as celebrities make cultural statements with fashion. This year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” has a deep connection to St. Louis’s rich history and incredible local talent. Master tailor Raymond Dennis dressed many St. Louisans with ingenuity and craftsmanship as the operator of Belle & Beau …

Continue reading "Raymond Dennis: Connecting St. Louis Black Fashion to the Met Gala"

  “Learn the lessons here taught and gather from it inspiration for still greater accomplishments.”  These were the words David R. Francis used to open the 1904 World’s Fair on this day 121 years ago. In 1904, these words were meant to welcome the nearly 20 million visitors who would eventually see the Fair during …

Continue reading "Lessons Learned from the World’s Fair"

Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II is a special exhibit open at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum until May 26, 2025. Ghost Army explores the unique history of the US Army’s 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a top-secret unit that waged war with inflatable tanks and vehicles, fake radio traffic, sound effects, and …

Continue reading "The Ghosts of St. Louis"

In 1924, St. Louis piano player Harry Snodgrass won first place in a national contest of radio performers conducted by New York’s Radio Digest. Not long after, the young pianist signed with an agent and started a national tour with a vaudeville group. While St. Louis has produced many acclaimed musicians, Snodgrass’s path to success …

Continue reading "From Prison to Popularity: The Unbelievable Story of Piano Man Harry Snodgrass"

Do you ever wonder what it takes for a painting to be ready for exhibit at the Missouri History Museum? Well, it’s a multi-step process managed by the conservation department that sometimes takes years. For our new core gallery titled Collected, we have 11 paintings initially on display. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at their journey …

Continue reading "From Conservation to “Collected”: 11 Paintings’ Journey to the Gallery"

When Linda Nance and Dr. Arthelda Busch Williams first met, they had no idea how deeply their work and passions would intertwine. Their introduction came through a project at the Missouri History Museum in partnership with the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center, which also brought in the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs …

Continue reading "The NACWC: A Legacy of Impact"

Today I would like to introduce to you the story of a local celebrity who you can meet in our brand-new Collected exhibit. This icon has had her photo projected onto the Empire State Building, shared moments with Betty White, and even been featured on Vans shoes. Any guesses? That’s right, I’m talking about a Mexican …

Continue reading "Mother of the Year: Anna the Wolf"