Events in Mid-Missouri Columbia, MO USA
The lead and zinc mines located in the southwestern Missouri counties of Jasper, Newton and Lawrence played a significant role in the industrial development of the United States. Mining brought prosperity, national prominence and a great sense of local pride. The discovery of rich lead and zinc ore in southwest Missouri not only shaped the …
The 1971 book “The Exorcist” by William Peter Blatty and the film it inspired in 1973 shocked American audiences. There were reports of people leaving the theaters due to fear, and even fainting during screenings. What might have added to the shock was the notice that the film and book were inspired by real events. …
The American Civil War has long been understood as a conflict between the North and South, leaving out the Midwest. Perhaps no Midwesterner has suffered more from this lack of understanding than painter, George Caleb Bingham. Through an analysis of Bingham’s controversial painting, Order No. 11 (1868), this talk untangles the complicated legacy of the …
Elected as a member of the Republican Party in 1920, Rep. Walthall Moore became the first Black American to serve in the Missouri General Assembly. As a pioneering figure for Black enfranchisement and civil rights, Moore faced constant hostility and resistance throughout his political career, both from members of the opposition and from members of …
The Missouri State Museum welcomes the public and the winners of the 2022 MoDNR Photo Contest to a reception and exhibit viewing. The winning photographs in three categories are currently on display in the west foyer of the museum, located on the first floor of the Capitol. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources hosts the …
Missouri has long been known as the Gateway to the West, but did you know that even after the end of westward expansion, Missouri still serves a role as a gateway? Join Lucas Schwartze, Missouri State Museum interpreter, as he discusses Missouri’s contributions to space exploration in the past, present and future. The Missouri State …
The shifting tides of governmental and cultural influence on the Louisiana Territory since the early days of European exploration have left a rich and diverse heritage in the state. Join Missouri State Museum Interpretive Aide Clinton Flowers as he leads a detailed look at European exploration and settlement and their impacts on the state's history …
Since ancient times, humans have been expressing themselves through body art. From body paint with clays and natural dyes, to permanent ink tattoos, to the process of scarification, body art is a practice that has continued and grow. Join Carrie Hammond, chief interpreter for the Missouri State Museum, to learn about the methods, reasons behind, …
The Missouri landscape serves as the perfect Southern Gothic setting for the horror film and television genre. The Ozarks, dense forests of sprawling foliage, open plains and rivers, swamps and marshes, plus old graveyards, and foggy landings make for an atmospheric setting. Southern Gothic is a subcategory of the Gothic genre commonly associated with the …
Did you know that Missouri’s rocks record a sea that once covered central North America in the Carboniferous Period around 350 million years ago, which littered the sea floor with crinoids? Almost 300 million years later, the state dinosaur Hypsibema missouriensis roamed the earth after the sea dried up. About 12,000 years ago Mastodons grazed …
As the U.S. anticipated entering World War II, it addressed the need for experience pilots by establishing Civil Pilot Training (CPT) programs at universities and airfields. Only a handful of now Historically Black Colleges and Universities, were selected, since no military arm existed at the time for African-Americans in aviation. Lincoln University was the only …
Enslaved people built the Catholic Church in early Missouri. The Catholic Church formalized in Missouri as the territory transitioned to statehood, both the church and the state establishing themselves in tandem through the labor of enslaved people, which the Missouri Compromise sustained. Historian Kelly Schmidt will share her research on people enslaved by the early …