MoHistory

Just got done filling out your personal property tax forms this year? Today’s process likely has you thinking about motor vehicles, boats, and business equipment. Some now-obsolete Missouri personal property taxes may surprise you. Watches were among the earliest items subject to personal property tax in Missouri. Gottfried Duden, a German who lived in Missouri …

Continue reading "Obsolete Missouri Taxes: Watches"

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 "From Small Beginnings to Global Reach: 160 Years of UHSP"

History loves to recall those who defy the status quo, who stand up against injustice, and who refuse to be silenced. Frankie Muse Freeman was one of them—a woman whose name should be spoken with respect, not just during Black History Month or Women’s History Month, but in year-round conversations about justice, perseverance, and change. My name is Okunsola M. Amadou, and I’m a midwife, cultural preservationist, and Museum Studies …

Continue reading "Walking in Frankie Freeman’s Footsteps: A Trailblazer’s Reflection"

If my house ever catches fire, I know the first thing I am rescuing (after the family and the cat). Before I search out photos or look for money, I will find Big Bunny. Big Bunny is a stuffed animal that my grandmother-in-law gave my wife when she was a kid. She slept with Big …

Continue reading "The Power of Objects"

The Spector–Smith Family Collection was recently processed into MHS’s photographs and prints collection. The collection contains photographs, negatives, and printed matter featuring images and information regarding Spector and Smith family members, vacations, weddings, and gatherings, from the 1890s to the 1970s. The collection primarily focuses on the lives and relatives of Jerome and Marian Spector. …

Continue reading "Surviving, Not Succumbing: Marian and J. J. Spector"

Over the years, St. Louis has been known for many things—including its booming prostitution industry in the 1800s. Prostitution was common, and police often turned a blind eye to the activities, with many of them enjoying the brothels scattered in the city’s red-light district themselves. Still, selective enforcement was standard for criminalizing prostitution and area …

Continue reading "The Social Evils of Madam Kate Clark"

Okunsola Amadou is a folklorist and midwife who founded the state’s first Black-led midwifery clinic in the heart of Ferguson, Missouri. Read part 1 to learn how Mariah Watkins got her start. Mariah Watkins wasn’t just a midwife. She was a mainstay of the community, a woman who left no one behind. Her legacy transcends midwifery—she was also …

Continue reading "Mariah Watkins: The Midwife Who Inspired George Washington Carver"

Okunsola Amadou is a folklorist and midwife who founded the state’s first Black-led midwifery clinic in the heart of Ferguson, Missouri. Pioneering Black midwife Mariah Watkins lived in the Ozark region of Missouri and became a successful business owner, midwife, healer, and mentor to one of America’s most brilliant minds. She exemplifies a life of resilience, tenacity, and unshakable strength. Mariah Watkins was born into slavery as Mariah Scales …

Continue reading "Mariah Watkins: The Midwife Who Built a Legacy in Missouri"

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 "The Fabric of History: Quilts from the Collections"

St. Louis–born Josephine Baker was a world-renowned African American performer who blurred rigid gender categories with her clothing and appearance, spied for the French during World War II, and later in life became a civil rights activist in the US. Many now revere her as an iconic symbol of the Harlem Renaissance era. Born as …

Continue reading "Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Actor, Spy"

The Laclede-Chouteau Summer Institute was a short-lived summer program that provided advanced classes for low-income students on track to go to college. The St. Louis Board of Education received $60,000 from the Ford Foundation to fund the program over two years. Principals and counselors selected juniors and seniors in the top half of their classes. …

Continue reading "The Laclede-Chouteau Summer Institute"

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 "A Cut Above the Rest: Robert Jerome Wilkinson"

On February 14, we announced our We Are St. Louis capital campaign. This $36 million campaign will make possible a series of projects designed to introduce people to a St. Louis they have never met and to foster the kind of civic pride and connection that is so important to the future of this place. …

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In case you haven’t heard—We Are St. Louis, and we’re committed to sharing more of our collections than ever before. That promise means you’re going to discover more of our collections through educational programming, tours, and exhibits, including Collected. Opening in March 2025, the Collected exhibit will exist solely to get special items from our collections …

Continue reading "Starting off with a Boom: Introducing Curated Collections"

With just six months until the scheduled opening of the 1904 World’s Fair, a St. Louis hero emerged whose work not only assured the Fair’s success but also positively impacted city residents every day since. Yet few even know his name. Sit back and take a sip of water! It’s time to recognize John Wixford’s …

Continue reading "St. Louis’s Unsung Water Purification Wizard, John Wixford"

This is the fourth part of a four-part series looking at the Ghost Army of World War II. Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II is a special exhibit open at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum until May 26, 2025. After its initial operation, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, better known as the Ghost …

Continue reading "A Theatrical Production: The Ghost Army’s Special Effects"

As a sports fan, the NFL jersey and Sports Illustrated Magazine cover featuring Michael Sam grab my attention as I go through the Gateway to Pride exhibit at the Missouri History Museum. But the St Louis Rams uniform and the magazine cover don’t tell the story of the college team that supported him and helped him …

Continue reading "Team Effort: Michael Sam and the Missouri Tigers"

The African American History Initiative (AAHI) strives to promote stories that explore various aspects of the African American experience throughout this region. Among other efforts, this initiative supports the collection of unique artifacts and materials concerning historically underrepresented communities. Here are five artifacts—from a fez to a boating burgee—that offer a glimpse into the collection. …

Continue reading "Black History Highlights: 5 Artifacts from the African American History Initiative"

While many are familiar with the story of iced tea’s popularization at the 1904 World’s Fair, there was also plenty of coffee to go around at the exposition. Countries like Brazil and Guatemala brought enormous amounts of coffee for their displays, and one local coffee company headed by a World’s Fair director quickly became inescapable. …

Continue reading "A Coffee Monopoly at the 1904 World’s Fair"

In the 1930s, things were tough for the Black women working at the Funsten Nut Company. Their job of carefully opening pecan shells and extracting the fragile nutmeats inside was grueling. Working with pecans was difficult because the shells stained hands and clothing and created a dust that caused respiratory problems when inhaled. Black workers …

Continue reading "Exploring History Through the Funsten Nut Pickers"