The State Historical Society of Missouri

Founded in 1898, the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) collects, preserves, and publishes material that expands our understanding of the history and culture of Missouri and its region. From six research centers in Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla, St. Louis, and Springfield as well as online, visitors can explore collections of Civil War diaries, political papers, genealogy records, photographs, maps, oral histories, rare books, published works, and much more. The rare book and manuscript collections feature familiar names such as Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lewis & Clark, Rose O’Neill, and Jesse James. SHSMO boasts the largest collection of local and state newspapers in the country, with more being preserved and digitized every day.

Our Columbia headquarters houses an impressive art collection and gallery, which features major works by many renowned Missouri artists such as George Caleb Bingham and Thomas Hart Benton. Rotating exhibitions range from work by and about pop culture icons both past and present like Walt Disney, Ginger Rogers, and Rose O’Neill, to the political cartoons of Tom Engelhardt and Daniel Fitzpatrick. Our centers also host many free educational events, lectures, exhibitions, and films each year related to Missouri and its place in the western expansion of the United States.