MoHistory

Caroline May Bruggeman was born in Illinois in May 1881. Specific details about her early years and upbringing are scarce. However, she learned how to play piano and read sheet music, like many others during the late 19th century. It’s possible that she took piano lessons in some capacity, though she lacked any formal musical …

Continue reading "From Ragtime to Lullabies to Hillbilly: The Compositions and Legacy of Carrie Bruggeman Stark"

Listen to an episode about the 1904 Aeronautic Competition on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. For many visitors, going to the 1904 World’s Fair was about seeing the newest technology from around the globe. From the wireless telegraph to electric lights, Fairgoers were inundated with the kinds of technology that would change the world …

Continue reading "Mystery at the 1904 Aeronautic Competition"

The list of directors for whom Affton native John Goodman has worked is a Hollywood who’s who, including Robert Zemeckis, Arthur Hiller, John Landis, Kevin Smith, Stephen Spielberg, and (in multiple films) the Coen brothers. But years before Goodman ever stepped foot onto a Hollywood soundstage, he was “knocking ‘em dead” on the stage at …

Continue reading "John Goodman’s First Director"

June Bosley jokes that when the doctor delivered her on April 13, 1935, they almost took her for deceased. The doctor slapped her three times but got no reaction. She laughs, “But he decided to hit me one more time, and my mother said, ‘You haven’t shut up since.’” Born to Preston T. and Alma …

Continue reading "June Bosley’s Voice"

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 "Archer Alexander, American Hero"

Listen to an episode about Antoine Saugrain on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. When St. Louis was established in 1764, it was a small trading outpost. Its founders had grand visions for what that trading outpost might become, but one thing that they probably never imagined is that St. Louis would become a home of …

Continue reading "The Doctor Who Shaped Early St. Louis"

The Lindbergh 100 project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-30-19-0454-19. Work on the Lindbergh 100 Project continues. We’ve reached the final stage of collections management work on the project, which entails rehousing the entire collection. Our collections specialists will work methodically throughout the summer to make sure that …

Continue reading "Behind the Scenes: Housing the Lindbergh Collection"

Anna Maria von Phul was the earliest known woman artist working in what was then called the Missouri Territory. Born in Philadelphia and raised largely in Kentucky, she spent her last half-decade in and around St. Louis. Her artwork illustrates life in the Missouri Territory during the 1810s and 1820s, including the people, culture, architecture, …

Continue reading "Anna Maria von Phul: Year by Year"

Black modistes displayed their skill and brilliance as they wove and stitched together pieces of fabric to create beautiful ensembles. One such woman was Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hobbs Keckly (also spelled Keckley), whose skillful hands and ingenuity brought her into prominence as a dressmaker as recounted in her memoir, Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a …

Continue reading "Elizabeth Keckly: A Gifted Modiste"

Sophia von Leveling was giving up her homeland forever; there would be no return trips to Germany. In 1833, at the age of 27, she left home for a fresh start and freedom. I first encountered Sophia’s story after I began volunteering with the Library & Research Center as a German translator earlier this year. My first …

Continue reading "Sophia von Leveling Flees to a Free Country"

Listen to an episode about St. Louis Hop on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. In the 1950s, television reshaped the nation’s relationship with popular music. Shows like American Bandstand brought your favorite singers into your living room, and let you see the latest dances, clothing fashions, and attitudes that went along with their songs. Plenty …

Continue reading "St. Louis’s Own “American Bandstand”"

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 "How Times Beach Became a Ghost Town"

“You must carry your own baggage. Bear this in mind when packing,” proclaimed a document that also reminded new Marine Corps Women’s Reserve recruits that “umbrellas may not be carried when marching in ranks” and “civilian clothes must be sent home as soon as uniforms are issued.” These general instructions marked the transition of women from …

Continue reading "Pack Lightly: A Tale of Early Female Marines"

As a resident of St. Louis, imagine getting a ticket for driving at least 2.5 times the speed limit in Forest Park. You might think that successfully contesting that ticket would be a long shot. But Rose Pfeiffer of 4908 Berlin Avenue (now Pershing Avenue) found luck after she experienced that exact scenario in 1907. …

Continue reading "Rose Pfeiffer’s Speeding Ticket"

Listen to an episode about Tom Turpin on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. For music lovers who came through St. Louis in the early 20th century, there was only one place in town to go: Tom Turpin’s Rosebud Café. This sprawling bar and nightclub was located on Market Street in the heart of Chestnut Valley—a historic African American entertainment and gambling district. …

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In Part 1, I introduced the tale of James and Gretchen Hetzel, a St. Louis couple who decided to spend their honeymoon bicycling around the world on a tandem bicycle. They made it all the way to India before having to turn back. Newspaper accounts of their journey mostly agree on the timeline; however, there …

Continue reading "Jim and Gretchen’s Excellent Adventure—Part 2"

At the dawn of the 20th century, the International League of Wheelmen offered a prize for the first couple to circumnavigate the globe by tandem bicycle. St. Louis newlyweds James and Gretchen Hetzel, both avid cyclists, were eager to try. Newspaper accounts of the Hetzels’ journey read like popular adventure novels of the time, in …

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St. Louis’s history of residential segregation is similar to many other urban cities like Milwaukee, Detroit, and Memphis. The city’s hidden real estate gems combined with its legacy of racism meant that segregation became more fixed and evident as public policies and private practices sought to restrict Black people from purchasing or occupying homes in …

Continue reading "The Legacy of Shelley v. Kraemer"

When New York-born actor, producer, and theater owner Noah Miller Ludlow arrived in St. Louis in 1819 with the goal of establishing the area’s first permanent professional theater, he was disappointed by what he found. Ludlow had recently been introduced to St. Louis newspaper publisher Isaac N. Henry, who informed him that although the population …

Continue reading "How Noah Miller Ludlow Brought Drama to St. Louis"

For more than 100 years, the statue of Thomas Jefferson has loomed large inside the Missouri History Museum. The statue has stood in a place of honor. The statue has stood as the first public monument to the country’s third president. The statue has stood as a symbol rather than as a historic artifact. We …

Continue reading "Interpreting a Monument: The Thomas Jefferson Statue at the Missouri History Museum"