MoHistory

EDITOR’S NOTE: In order to bring a plurality of voices to our storytelling, the Missouri Historical Society frequently asks guest writers to contribute to History Happens Here. The views and opinions expressed by guest contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missouri Historical Society, its affiliates, or …

Continue reading "Our Secret Wars"

The Missouri Historical Society’s extensive silver flatware collection contains over 750 pieces. These artifacts date between the 1750s and the 1920s and include a wide variety of styles and manufacturers. To best preserve these valuable objects for future generations, the conservation department embarked on a project to upgrade storage and treat damaged items. The silverware …

Continue reading "Putting a Shine on Our Silver Flatware Collection"

The blog post was originally published April 8, 2021. The last time you topped your dessert with whipped cream out of a can—think Reddi-wip—did you realize it was invented by a St. Louisan? In French, the word for rabbit is lapin. Thus, St. Louis businessman Aaron S. Lapin became known as “Bunny” when he was …

Continue reading "St. Louis Food Firsts"

By the turn of the 20th century, editorial cartoons were a fixture of American print journalism. One of the art form’s most accomplished practitioners, Daniel R. Fitzpatrick, produced daily cartoons for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1913 until his retirement in 1958. Fitzpatrick was a champion of the underdog and a crusader for social justice whose work …

Continue reading "Daniel R. Fitzpatrick: Dean of American Editorial Cartoonists"

EDITOR’S NOTE: In order to bring a plurality of voices to our storytelling, the Missouri Historical Society frequently asks guest writers to contribute to History Happens Here. The views and opinions expressed by guest contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missouri Historical Society, its affiliates, or …

Continue reading "Home Research at the Library & Research Center"

We recently made an unexpected find about long-ago downtown St. Louis . . . in a phonics textbook from 1860! In a lesson about “the obscure sounds of a, e, i, o and u,” a locally published phonics textbook told the following story: The partner of my father lives at the corner of Fifth and …

Continue reading "Peach Tree Phonics"

Before production for the Missouri History Museum’s newest exhibit Soccer City went underway, I didn’t know just how deeply entrenched the sport was in the fabric of St. Louis’s history. I also didn’t realize the staggering number of players who got their start or gained notoriety in the region that later went on to become …

Continue reading "“Soccer City” Stars Roundup"

Listen to an episode about the St. Charles County towns that disappeared on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. World events have a way of altering the things we take for granted—supply chains, stable governments, and even property rights. As the US prepared for entry into a global conflict, the residents of three small Missouri towns learned this …

Continue reading "The Case of the Disappearing Towns"

Listen to an episode about Clark’s St. Lous Natatorium on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. There have been many entertainment and recreational venues in the region throughout the years, but the St. Louis Natatorium was in a class by itself. In the 1880s, Professor Bill Clark, an Irish immigrant and former championship boxer, opened …

Continue reading "The St. Louis Natatorium That Made a Splash"

I, like much of the country, recently watched Barbie and Oppenheimer. Plenty (maybe too much) has been written about both movies, but there is one angle that critics and commentators have missed—what lessons these two movies can teach museums. Believe it or not, there are several. Barbie: Show what is extraordinary about the ordinary. Barbie …

Continue reading "Barbenheimer: Lessons for Museums"

Photographs by Alyssa Vanderweg. As part of the Missouri Historical Society’s Collections Access project, the collections management department recently cataloged, photographed, and rehoused a collection of 42 patent models from the 19th century. Until 1880, the US Patent Office required inventors to submit working models of their inventions with their patent applications. The Patent Office …

Continue reading "Inventing St. Louis: Patent Models"

Although back to school is on the horizon, summer is still in full swing in St. Louis. You may have savored the season by strolling through the park, keeping cool with a sweet treat from Ted Drewes, getting a new view of the city on the St. Louis Wheel at Union Station, or taking part …

Continue reading "Six Ways St. Louisans Spent Summers in the Past"

EDITOR’S NOTE: In order to bring a plurality of voices to our storytelling, the Missouri Historical Society frequently asks guest writers to contribute to History Happens Here. The views and opinions expressed by guest contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missouri Historical Society, its affiliates, or …

Continue reading "Wyman Celebrates 125 Years of Service to St. Louis Area Youth"

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be …

Continue reading "Triple Roles of Judge Christian D. Wolff"

The collections management department has been hard at work increasing public access to our collections. As part of the Collections Access project, we have just finished cataloging, photographing, and rehousing our entire collection of purses—a grand total of 442 objects! This collection also encompasses many different types of personal carrying items like purses, wallets, clutches, …

Continue reading "Highlights from the Purse Collection"

DeVerne and Ernest Calloway were important leaders in civil rights struggles in St. Louis in the mid- to late-20th century. In honor of them and their work, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists still presents the Ernest and DeVerne Calloway award to Black leaders continuing the Calloways’ legacy. Before they met and moved to the …

Continue reading "Ernest and DeVerne Calloway, Activist Couple"

The Female Hospital is the final building in the three-part series focusing on historic public institutions designed to aid St. Louisans in need. Originally called the Social Evil Hospital, it was established in 1873 and was part of the Social Evil Ordinance, an 1870 experiment legalizing sex work in St. Louis. The Social Evil Ordinance intended …

Continue reading "Public Institutions from the Past: The Female Hospital"

Long before YouTube, or television for that matter, entertainment looked quite different. One St. Louis-based artist entertained people by creating a 1,300-foot panorama and sharing it with crowds across the country. Henry Lewis, originally from England, came to St. Louis in 1836. He found work as a carpenter but quickly discovered his true passion was …

Continue reading "Painting the Mississippi"

The 1904 World’s Fair included many elements celebrating America’s patriotic spirit. One of the most popular of these was the Liberty Bell, an icon associated with Independence Day that traveled from Philadelphia to St. Louis for the exposition. A Symbol of Unity Starting several decades after the Civil War, Philadelphia permitted the bell to be …

Continue reading "A National Symbol Visits the Fair"

Listen to an episode about Marguerite Martyn on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. In the early 20th century, journalism was a male-dominated field. In 1905, however, one woman upended the newsroom of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She wrote reports on some of the most important events of early 20th century St. Louis. Her perspective proved …

Continue reading "Marguerite Martyn"