MoHistory

As part of the Missouri Historical Society’s Collections Access project, the collections management department recently cataloged and photographed over 250 chairs in collections storage. Pull up a chair as we dive into a few of my favorites from the collection. Chair from Paddock’s Grove in Moro, Illinois, ca. 1850 This Jacobean-style chair, featuring a tall …

Continue reading "Highlights from the Chair Collection, Part 1"

The idea of two steam-powered paddleboats racing upriver from New Orleans to St. Louis at breakneck speeds of up to 15mph may not sound exciting to people today, but in the mid-1800s, steamboat racing was a spectator sport that drew crowds the St. Louis Cardinals might envy. “Two red-hot steamboats raging along, neck-and-neck, straining every …

Continue reading "Full Steam Ahead: The Great Paddleboat Race of 1870"

In the first part of this two-part series, we explored the author and mixologist behind The Ideal Bartender, Tom Bullock. Bullock’s book was the first cocktail manual published by an African American and was one of the last published before the start of Prohibition in the US. Bullock spent a few decades in St. Louis …

Continue reading "The Ideal Bartender, Part 2"

For this installment of Tasting History, the focus is on cocktails, and more specifically, The Ideal Bartender by Tom Bullock. The Ideal Bartender was published in 1917 in St. Louis, and it was the first cocktail manual to be authored and published by an African American. It was also one of the last cocktail manuals …

Continue reading "The Ideal Bartender, Part 1"

Listen to an episode about the Great Forest Park Balloon Race on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. Each fall, thousands of St. Louisans gather to witness the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. This event has been celebrated by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and is recognized as one of the …

Continue reading "The Great Forest Park Balloon Race"

The Missouri Historical Society (MHS) Collections house a plethora of artifacts and objects that serve as valuable resources for students, scholars, and the community at large—and this includes photographs. Some of these photographs are so representative of St. Louis history that they’ve elevated to become instantly recognizable icons, each with their own story to tell. Here …

Continue reading "Six Iconic Photographs from the Missouri Historical Society Collections"

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"