The American Civil War in Missouri collection contains letters, diaries, maps, and military records. Manuscript collections for the Civil War era are often personal accounts of events and actions of Missourians during the conflict and offer valuable insights into how Missourians experienced the Civil War. These collections also shed …
The Art Collection consists of over 12,000 works of art in a variety of media ranging from paintings and drawings to editorial cartoons and lithographs. The collection focuses on images of Missouri, works by Missouri artists, and works related to Westward expansion. Of particular importance are over fifty paintings, drawings, and prints …
The Civil War eBook Collection represents a small selection of books related to the Civil War in Missouri found in the State Historical Society of Missouri’s collection.
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The Society’s collection of editorial cartoons was started in 1946 with an important donation of works by Pulitzer-prize-winning artist Daniel F. Fitzpatrick. The collection continues to grow, with over 8,000 works from Bill Mauldin, Tom Engelhardt, and many others.
The works graphically and often poignantly reflect the attitudes and …
As part of its ongoing mission to collect, preserve, and make accessible the history of Missouri and the trans-Mississippi West, the Society has assembled thousands of original prints, negatives, postcards, and glass plates of Missouri’s people, urban and rural communities, transportation, and industry.
The collection is an …
The Index to the Manuscript collection provides subject and keyword access to the extensive manuscript collection.
Local historical and genealogical societies in Missouri provide a wealth of information about the history and culture of the people in their communities.
The Missouri Historical Review, an award-winning scholarly quarterly, has served as the cornerstone of the Society’s publication program since 1906. This richly illustrated journal features recent scholarship on all facets of the state’s history. The Missouri Historical Review also contains reviews of and notes on recently published …
Established in 1987, the National Women and Media Collection held by the State Historical Society of Missouri at the University of Missouri documents the roles women have played in media fields, both as media employees and as objects of coverage, how those roles have altered over time, and how attitudes of and towards women have …
The State Historical Society of Missouri is pleased to announce online availability of the Politics in Missouri Oral History Project. One hundred sixty full-text transcripts and fifty-five full-audio recordings of oral histories given by Missouri political leaders and activists form this important collection. The interviews were …
Plat Maps of Missouri
County plat books or atlases contain descriptions of land owners and landmarks. Utilizing the Public Land Survey System each map is divided into township, range, and sections. Identified on the maps are the owners of these divisions of land and sometimes include landmarks such as churches, cemeteries, and …
The single document that knits the TWA story together is the in-house company publication, the TWA Skyliner—published from 1929-2002—which reported on the events of the airline and its staff but also the company’s role in Missouri and the national and international changes within the airline industry. This TWA Skyliner Magazine …
On Thursday, June 2, 1870, the Bolivar Free Press celebrated the beginning of its third volume. This Republican newspaper declared that the “FREE PRESS is now an established institution, fully identified with the community in which it is published and recognized as an advocate of PROGRESS, in every sense of the term. It will aim to …
Like many of its contemporaries, the Boonville Weekly Observer was driven by its party and its editor, but on March 25, 1854, the newspaper had to apologize for the editor’s absence, acknowledging that the “elections spring upon us new candidates, communications seek publication, all showing us conclusively, by the most …
Beginning publication in August 1869, the Buffalo Reflex promised to “labor with untiring zeal to induce the emigrant to settle in our midst, to develop the vast resources of the county, to build up schools, and do what we can towards securing to the people of Dallas county a Railroad.” Featuring poetry and stories—along …
The Bates County Record, the first paper established post-Civil War in Bates county, presented its inaugural issue in 1866. The Record promoted professionalism among newspapers: in its January 1, 1870 issue, it declared that it would never be “guilty of humbugging our readers by advising them to send money to some ‘retired …
When The Loyal Missourian began publication in 1866, it labeled itself as a “political family newspaper—devoted to Agriculture, Commerce, Literature, and General News” and took “Let Loyal Men Rule the People” as its motto.
In the June 28, 1866 issue, the paper encouraged its readers to “Come to Missouri,” claiming …
Launching its first issue on January 22, 1870, the Moniteau County Democrat “resolved to furnish” its readers with a “local, Democratic paper, relying upon the patriotism of the people of Central Missouri to give them such aid and patronage as will sustain them in their new and laudable enterprise.”
Stressing the expense …
The Weekly California News, launched in 1858, had a volatile existence during the Civil War years. In the July 20, 1861 issue, editor C.P. Anderson chronicled the “Destruction of our Office by a Mob.” He reported that on July 14, 1861 “some 200 United States troops…threw our office into a complete wreck, scattering our …
The Carthage Banner began publication in December 1866. Self-styled as a “true index and expounder of home events and happenings,” the Banner was an advocate for the Republican party and for growth in Jasper county after the Civil War. It celebrated the “climate, water, soil, [and] fruit” of the area, hoping to encourage …
The first newspaper published in Charleston, Missouri was the Charleston Courier (est. 1857), “an independent journal devoted to the interests of the people of south-east Missouri.” It was one of the few southeast Missouri papers that continued to be published during the Civil War, although its run was interrupted several …
Columbia’s University Missourian and its later incarnations—The Daily Missourian, The Evening Missourian, and The Columbia Evening Missourian—make up this collection. Established the same year as the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, the Columbia Missourian provided practical experience to journalism students, …
The Commerce Dispatch (est. 1867) was the “pioneer paper of Scott county,” and its editors believed that a local county paper would provide more value than any city journal. Despite focusing on Scott county issues, events, and “local chat,” the Dispatch chose to adopt “something of [a] city air in typography.” Like …
The first newspaper in Ripley county, the Doniphan Prospect, commenced publication on June 19, 1874. Declaring to be “neutral in politics and religion,” the publishers affirmed that the paper’s “aim will be to build up and improve the county of Ripley—to guard and protect the interests of its citizens and to make money for …
Colonel W.B. Rogers took charge of the Trenton Grand River Republican on September 2, 1869. One of the “most influential weeklies of northern Missouri,” the Republican was “constantly improving, wide-awake, and up with the spirit of the times."
According to the History of Grundy County (1881): “In 1873, the high …
Launched in 1852, the Hannibal Tri-Weekly Messenger was the rival of the Hannibal Journal. The Messenger managed this competition comfortably, becoming a daily paper. When the Hannibal Daily Messenger commenced publication on December 7, 1858, it announced that “we deem it necessary to inform our friends that the Tri-Weekly …
The Hayti Herald began publication in 1909 in Hayti, Missouri. William York, the Herald’s first publisher and editor, wrote that “few countries were equal to Southeast Missouri as a place to live and for a small newspaper no better place than Hayti could be found.” The Herald appeared weekly on Thursdays and advocated for …
At the end of June 1865, Charles W. Bowman published the first issue of The Holt County Sentinel in the town of Oregon. Although there was an attempt in the inaugural issue to portray the paper as independent in politics, its radical Republican leanings were evident with the paper announcing that “It is a mistaken idea to …
The Iron County Register took “Our God, Our Country, and Truth” as its motto when it commenced publication in 1867. Although the early editors looked favorably on Conservative politics, they claimed that the Register would neither “advocate nor oppose any measure simply because it is promulgated by a certain party.” …
On August 4, 1871, the Missouri Cash-Book became the first newspaper to appear in Jackson, Missouri since the outbreak of the Civil War. Its salutatory message declared it would be an independent, democratic, “live, wide-awake local journal” that would serve and promote Jackson and Cape Girardeau county while encouraging …
Starting out in 1898 as a four-page paper, The Jasper News declared its politics to be best described by the phrase “The greatest good to the greatest number.” The paper covered developments in southern Missouri, including news from rural towns such as Lebanon, Sheridan, Blue, and Bethel. Under the direction of various …
In its second issue—dated January 3, 1863—the Jefferson City Missouri State Times celebrated President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, claiming that “millions of bondmen are freed from the evils of slavery and enter upon a career of freedom.” The Times proclaimed that this “eminently wise and desirable” act marked …
The Peoples’ Tribune was established October 4, 1865 with the ambitious goal to “preserve the natural and constitutional rights of individuals, promote justice, humanity, and patriotism, and secure the prosperity and happiness of the people.” Initial publisher C.J. Corwin believed this would be accomplished through …
Under the leadership of Col. Robert Van Horn, the Kansas City Daily Journal of Commerce was known for advocating growth and improvements in the city, including building railroads. The daily version of the Journal was published each day of the week except Mondays.
Originally, Van Horn was criticized for publishing on Sundays; …
The Kansas City Deaconess was published by the Kansas City National Training School for Deaconesses and Missionaries (KCNTS) monthly from 1908 to 1943. The newsletter contains stories of young women who brought educational and social services to poor and immigrant populations of Kansas City in the early 20th century. Also Included are …
The Kansas City Daily Journal and Kansas City Journal’s weekday and Saturday editions typically ran 8-10 pages and feature state, national, and international news; local and society details; editorials, book reviews, and serialized literature; and classified ads. Sunday editions, titled the Kansas City Sunday Journal, printed …
The four-page Weekly Graphic, which began publication in 1880, covers town, county, and state news; local and general agricultural markets; immigration notes; county, state, and national politics; general news; and current literature. The Graphic also provides detailed accounts of commerce, real estate transactions, and other …
The Lamar South-West Missourian proclaimed itself to be “a family newspaper—devoted to the home-circle, choice miscellany, agriculture, news, politics and the interests of Barton County." Like many of its contemporaries, the South-West Missourian was compelled to address its readers and remind them to pay their dues. In the …
The Missouri Valley Register launched in 1865, and in 1867 (volume 3, issue 1), the editor—L. Davis—wrote a letter “To our Radical Friends” in which he declared that the “Register has done more to insure the success of Radical principles in this county than any other political agent or agency…our paper became a …
Published weekly during the fall and spring semesters, the Lincoln Clarion is the student newspaper of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. As Arnold G. Parks writes in Lincoln University: 1920-1970, the Clarion “was started in 1932 to serve as an organ of intelligent student opinion and to establish high standards of …
The first issue of the Macon Gazette, published in January 1862, left no doubt to the leanings of the newspaper and the editor and owner Francis Taylor , “As for politics, it is sufficient at the present time to say, that I am a Union man, and that the present gigantic efforts of the National Government for its preservation have …
Claiborne Fox Jackson was one of the founders of the Marshall Democrat which opened its “office west side of the public square, next door to the Post Office.” The paper—which published its inaugural issue on January 15, 1858—promised to cover “industry, trade, political matters, [and] light reading” in its pages and …
A.R. Grigsby established The Saline Republican in 1892. By 1899, the name was changed to The Marshall Republican, and by 1906 J. J. Witt was editor and proprietor. Witt tended to embrace social reform, but complaining about the cowardice of Marshall’s reformers in the February 9, 1906 issue, he stated “Of course, we want …
The Saline County Progress began publication “immediately after the conclusion of a gigantic, cruel, civil war.” Reflecting on its beginnings, the July 23, 1869 issue declared that the Progress had “urged upon all, the Federal and Confederate alike, the immediate resumption of fraternal relations” and encouraged them to …
The Montgomery Tribune was launched in Montgomery City in 1892. A number of editors were associated with the paper during its run, including two transplanted Chicagoans, Ferdinand Wahrer and Charles W. Gurney. Regardless of editorship, the Tribune was proudly Republican. In the March 29, 1901 issue, responding to news that a …
In 1873, the Spring River Fountain and the Lawrence Journal consolidated and became the Fountain and Journal, a paper “devoted mainly to the local interests of Lawrence county.” The Journal claimed that in “politics, we will be neutral; in all things independent, fearlessly espousing the cause of right when duty calls.” …
In 1861, A.M. Sevier’s newspaper, The Neosho Herald, abruptly halted publication when the Confederates took his press to Arkansas and destroyed it. Sevier then joined the Federal Army, but he returned to Neosho after the war and started The Neosho Times.
According to the 1877 edition of Pettengill’s Newspaper Directory and …
The Osceola Herald was the first newspaper to appear in Osceola after the Civil War (July 1866). A Republican paper, the Herald announced that “our columns are open to all who choose to correspond with us, in any matters of local interest to our readers.” At the end of its first year, all readers were pointedly reminded to …
Armed with a year’s supply of print paper, Jacob Sosey commenced publication of the Palmyra Spectator in 1839 under the title Missouri Whig and General Advertiser which was shortened to the Missouri Whig a few years later. According to the “History of the County Press of Missouri,” Sosey “turned the management over to …
Armed with a year’s supply of print paper, Jacob Sosey commenced publication of the Palmyra Spectator in 1839 under the title Missouri Whig and General Advertiser which was shortened to the Missouri Whig a few years later. According to the “History of the County Press of Missouri,” Sosey “turned the management over to …
“Devoted to Literature, Science and Politics” was proudly printed in on the banner of the Platte County Reveille. Keeping true to this moto the Reveille printed an eclectic mixture of poetry and news articles from Missouri and around the world. Politically, the Reveille professes a “staunch independence in its political …
When the Pleasant Hill Weekly Leader sent out its first issue on May 14, 1869, it felt “slightly rebellious” about the longstanding tradition of new journals “delivering an editorial inaugural” and thought that “Here we are” should really be sufficient introduction. However, since custom demanded a more detailed …
Francis M. Taylor purchased The Independent Missourian from E.G. St. Clair in 1855 and renamed the paper The Randolph Citizen. Published from 1855 to 1875 the Randolph Citizen strived to straddle between support of the North and the South. Printed in August 1861, “In regards to the position we deem best to be taken in regard …
The Herald of Liberty (est. 1866) was re-named the Rolla Weekly Herald in 1869. Addressing its readers on January 6, 1870, the Herald scorned the tradition of newspapers presenting themselves as public servants, stating “This we do not propose to do, as we do not consider ourselves as the servants of the public, but a firm and …
A well-known Socialist newspaper, the Benton Scott County Kicker was edited by Phil A. Hafner and published by the Workers Printing Company. Prior to the Kicker, Hafner was editor of the Benton Newsboy, and according to the History of Southeast Missouri, he chose this name in honor of the newsboys who were “always bright and …
Established in 1868, the Sedalia Democrat went through several title changes, moving from the Democratic Press to the Sedalia Democrat to the Sedalia Weekly Democrat.
Despite its fluctuations in name, it had a long run, and The History of Pettis County labeled it the “leading democratic paper of Pettis county and Central …
“If there was a man standing out on the bleak prairie west of Sedalia last night, kicking himself and making the atmosphere blue, that man was the presiding genius of the Bazoo.” J. West Goodwin, “the presiding genius,” was the distinctive and colorful editor of the Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, known for organizing “execution …
On May 8, 1903, the Sedalia Weekly Conservator commenced publication, hoping to supply “useful information on the current issues of the day—social, moral, religious and racial.” Promising a policy “for a higher standard of [C]hristian culture in the home” and a “more progressive and persistent effort in the business …
When the Springfield Leader launched in 1867, it demanded less: fewer laws, reduced taxes, and lower tariffs. Its opening editorial claimed that the “laws of a republic should be few and simple” and that high tariffs only benefited the manufacturers in the northeast while “sapping the hearts-blood out of the people of …
The Springfield Mirror began publication May 5, 1855, voicing the opinions of the American Party. Launching its second volume in 1856, editor Boren stressed that “Agricultural and Educational interests…shall receive attention as before” and that the “early and speedy completion of our Rail Roads is an object greatly to be …
The Missouri Weekly Patriot began publication in Springfield in 1864 and was often regarded as a Radical journal. On June 8, 1865, the paper was enlarged, and the editor affirmed his “wish to publish purely an independent paper, devoted to interests of South-West Missouri.” In addition to its more ambitious agenda, the Patriot …
When the St. Joseph Morning Herald began publication on February 12, 1862, its salutatory message declared: “We link our fortunes and our destiny to the cause of the Union, believing it a just, holy, and righteous cause and shall work with all our might, mind, and strength for its success.” Commencing its second volume on …
The eight-page St. Joseph Observer covered developments in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, and Kansas City as well as major state news items and national politics. The paper frequently includes information about local area agricultural markets and “doings in society” and presents printed serialized literature and excerpts from …
The 1854-1860 years of the Daily Missouri Republican provide extensive coverage of the events leading up to the Civil War, including the conflicts along the Kansas-Missouri border.
The lineage of the Daily Missouri Republican, published between 1837 and 1869, can be traced back to Missouri’s first newspaper, the Missouri Gazette, …
The 1861-1869 years of the Daily Missouri Republican describe the national and local effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Missouri. In addition to the regular daily editions, a Daily Evening Edition was published Monday through Saturday from July 18 to December 31, 1861, featuring additional war news and other breaking …
On May 24, 1870, the St. Louis Missouri Republican office was “destroyed by fire, the loss being estimated at one hundred and eighty thousand dollars…the eight-cylinder Hoe press was destroyed, together with the type and fixtures, but a four-cylinder Hoe press was protected in a fire-proof vault and saved, so that the paper was only …
By 1873, the St. Louis Republican was established in its new building at Third and Chestnut, and according to John Thomas Scharf’s History of St. Louis City and County (1883), its “circulation, prosperity, and influence have increased to enormous proportions,” making it “one of the leading journals of the country.”
The …
The St. Louis Republic’s weekday editions consistently feature reports on local, national, and international politics; local or statewide criminal investigations; society news; financial news, classified ads, marriages and deaths; and editorial comments. The paper averaged 15 pages during the week, with Sunday editions sometimes …
Like all newspapers, the Troy Lincoln County Herald was always searching for subscribers. As it commenced its second volume on December 28, 1866, it emphasized that it was only “$1.50 in advance for a whole year—just 12 ½ cents a month.”
Printing a similar appeal on November 24, 1870, the Herald reminded readers that its …
The Banner of Liberty (1873-1874) was proud of being a local journal and declared that it would represent “the best interests of South Central Missouri, and particularly of Maries county; advocating the interests of labor in the fields, the mines and the workshop.” Sold in 1874, the paper became the Vienna Courier. Despite the …
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The Index to Aerial Photographs is a composite image of each county. The composite images are organized by county and year and contain identification numbers for requesting specific detailed images.
Papers of Missouri Governors. This topic is a subcategory of the Government category. Additional subcategories under the Government category include United States Representatives and United States Senators.
For a complete listing of Governors Papers click here.
One of the five oldest family newspapers in Missouri, the Canton Press was established by J.W. Barrett in 1862 as a Democratic sheet whose motto was “Pledged but to truth, to liberty and law, no favor sways us, and no fear shall awe.” In the first issue, Barrett claimed that “while giving due attention to National …
The State Historical Society of Missouri Digital Collection provides online access to journals, photographs, newspapers, and oral histories telling the story of Missouri’s history, people, and culture.
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