Boone County History & Culture Center

09/12/2023

This weekend—September 16-17—is a BIG weekend for your History & Culture Center! It’s the annual Heritage Festival & Craft Show, a huge two-day event that spans all of Nifong Park.

We are still seeking volunteers! Currently, the greatest need is on Saturday in the historic Village at Boone Junction and the Maplewood House.

No special expertise is needed. You just need to be a friendly welcoming presence for visitors wishing to see the 200+ years of local history in the History & Culture Center’s historic buildings!

If you are interested in learning more, send us a message!

📷 Stephen Bybee

09/11/2023

"When Americans lend a hand to one another, nothing is impossible. We’re not about what happened on 9/11. We’re about what happened on 9/12." —Jeff Parness, founder of New York Says Thank You

Jewell Graff posed for this photo in 1920, but it sure shows the spirit of 9/12/01. See other patriotic images in the BCHS digital collections at bit.ly/3Pcb7EK.

09/07/2023

Kalyn Fay at the Smithsonian Folklife! Come hear them live this Friday evening at your History & Culture Center!

09/04/2023

Enjoying your extra time this holiday weekend?! Use it well and take trip down memory lane with this fantastic video highlighting the Haskell Monroe Postcard Collection we are proud to preserve for future generations!

Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZIR22PPFCY&t=247s.

This brief video is a nostalgic look back at Columbia, Missouri, through Boone County Historical Society's photography collections and the Haskell Monroe Pos...

09/02/2023

The August family event was a blast! Visitors filled the The Montminy Gallery to learn more about how photography has changed over time and the BCHS photography collections!

Children tested their skills at rolling film into canisters and created their own versions Civil War tintypes. BCHS volunteers also shared about the important preservation work being done in the Waters Digital Imaging Lab.

Many thanks to all the volunteers that make these events possible!

08/31/2023

08/28/2023

There's still time to come see these great works by Stacia Schaefer Design!

08/25/2023

Thank you for your support during Giving Day! You power every part of our mission!!!

There is still time to make a difference if you didn't have a chance yesterday.

Make a gift at bit.ly/bchs-giving-day-2023.

08/25/2023

Thank you for your support on Giving Day! While we are still making the final tabulations, help further our reach in the community….

Donate now at

Today every dollar goes further thanks to our generous matching donors. Our goal is to raise $25,000, so we need your help! Make sure that local history, the arts and culture are explored for generations by sending a gift of any size. Your gift will make a difference. Your dollars help ensure...

08/24/2023

“BCHS is a leading example of how to engage us in creating a culture of preservation for our community.” –Pat F.

While its critical, preservation is not free…
and we need your help.

A $20 contribution pays for one glass-plate negative storage box, ensuring the proper storage of 30 negatives.

There are funds left to double your impact, making it 60 negatives properly stored!!! Donate today at bit.ly/bchs-giving-day-2023

[Image: Brian Flanagin, BCHS Waters digital lab coordinator, places a negative in an archival box.]

08/24/2023

We’re halfway through Giving Day. We have a way to go on our goal and there are still matching funds left...

So, please make your donation now, like Carolyn, and double your impact!

Here’s why she made a gift:

“We need to know where we came from in order to know where we’re going. Boone County’s history is Missouri’s history is the history of our country. There are sad and tragic stories in our past which we need to learn not to repeat, as well as wonderful and inspiring ones which we might emulate today.” -Carolyn Doyle, BCHS volunteer

Join Carolyn and donate now at bit.ly/bchs-giving-day-2023

[Image: Carolyn helps a visitor write a letter at the Feb family event.]

08/24/2023

“The past is not a fairy tale, it's hard and filled with heartache but also filled with hope and courage and it needs to be preserved. We can learn to avoid making the same mistakes and create a kinder tomorrow.
I am grateful for the Boone County History & Culture Center! My girls and I have created so many wonderful memories there and can't wait to make many more! Please consider supporting BCHS.” -Melissa Hecht, BCHS board director

Every dollar truly makes a difference. Today they are DOUBLED thanks to generous matching donors!

Donate now and join Melissa in impacting future generations: bit.ly/bchs-giving-day-2023.

[Image: During the 2022 Hat Party, the Hecht girls color with friends in the creative corner at the History & Culture Center.]

08/24/2023

“Arts and music and history are important. It's good for the younger people to learn about history and for older people to be reminded and share their knowledge of the past.” –Mary K.

Just a $40 gift makes that possible by outfitting one school field trip with shoe covers to better protect Maplewood’s historic hardwood floors and carpets.
Donate now and it will be doubled, making two field trips possible!
Make your gift at bit.ly/bchs-giving-day-2023.

[Image: BCHS volunteer Ann Baker provides a Maplewood tour for Southern Boone summer school students in June 2023.]

08/24/2023

It’s Giving Day! When every dollar you give is DOUBLED thanks to generous matching gifts!

Gary L. Smith supports the History & Culture Center with both his time and financial donations. Here’s why….

“BCHS and the History & Culture Center are a real gem. Those who live here need to realize how lucky we are to have the Boone County Historical Society. It is a great tribute to the residents of Boone County.”

Every dollar truly makes a difference. Join Gary and donate now at bit.ly/bchs-giving-day-2023

[Image: Gary L. Smith volunteers in the Easley Store during the 2022 Heritage Festival. Photo by Stephen Bybee.]

08/22/2023

We have FOUR events this week! Be sure to join us for these great upcoming ways to enjoy your History & Culture Center.

Wed: Aug 23, 1pm--Where We Are Artist Talk: Marilyn Cummins
Thurs: Aug 24, 10am-4pm--Giving Day
Thurs: Aug 24, 4-5:30pm--Giving Day Barbie-Themed Party
Fri: Aug 25, 7pm--Storytellers Concert: Ruth Acuff

08/21/2023

"When that building was constructed, there was an article in the Kansas City newspapers that described it as 'the dream of the race, realized'," Matt Fetterly, a research librarian at the Boone County Historical Society, said. "That corner is the most important social corner for Black people in Columbia."

The building was built in 1917 and originally served the Black community as a location for jazz concerts and community meetings.

08/15/2023

Thanks to all who joined us for the insightful Things That Matter event with Matt Fetterly last week. There was sooo much local LGBTQIA+ history to cover an hour didn't feel like long enough!

08/10/2023

Art has the power to build bridges, deepen relationships and transform us—if we have the courage to let it.

This transformative power is explored in the current, vivid exhibition Where We Are. Visit soon to see the works of Marilyn Cummins, Jenny McGee and Stacia Schaefer!

08/10/2023

Be there tomorrow at 1 p.m. to hear Columbia’s mostly unknown LGBTQIA+ history! We’d love to pack The Montminy Gallery and ensure more individuals learn these important stories.

FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/662435982459648

08/09/2023

Have your children ever held real film strips? Or tried rolling film?!

Join us between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. this Saturday, Aug 12 to try it out. We know they will

08/07/2023

Here's just one story Matt Fetterly will highlight during the August 10 "Things That Matter" event: https://www.boonehistorycomo365.org/blog/jan7

Be sure to join us from 1-2 p.m. on Thursday for the next session in this dynamic speaker series exploring REAL PEOPLE and REAL STORIES!

On January 7, 1949, the Associated Press reported that four Columbia men had been sentenced by the Boone County Circuit Court for “homosexual activities.” A fifth man, Emery Kennedy Johnston, had already been sentenced. E.K. Johnston, a professor who had been acting dean of the Missouri School o...

08/06/2023

Big news coming soon about a fun, themed event featuring this 1960s artifact in our collection and some of her "friends." Stay tuned!!!

08/03/2023

07/30/2023

“This is like a one-man stand against the river. This is something else.”
–Robert Riesenmy

On July 29, 1993, Riesenmy called his neighbor, Richard Hazell’s home “The Fortress.” Hazell’s home in Wilton, a river hamlet west of Ashland, was built by his grandfather. To protect the family home, Hazell built a 7-foot barricade of sandbags and sand, which successfully safeguarded it through at least late September 1993.

As a nod to all the volunteers who worked together to try and protect what they could, we sandbagged the porch in The Great Flood exhibition hall. Come see it for yourself and learn more about “The Fortress” in this Columbia Tribune’s story from this day 30 years ago.

07/29/2023

Did you know our digital collections currently total 24,900+ (and growing)! If you haven't looked lately it is time to check them out again.

Happy browsing at https://boonehistory.org/digital-collections!

07/27/2023

Did you see the big news?!

If you want a seat in the room at this once-a-year celebration of Boone County's finest act fast!

The 2023 History Makers Boone County Hall of Fame Gala will be held Friday, October 27 on the Stephens College campus.

This grand night is the only chance to see the inductions of our esteemed 2023 enshrinees—Colonel John Clark, The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri and Charles Morgenthaler (posthumous)—as they join the more than 70 exceptional members of the Boone County Hall of Fame.

Tickets are available now. Learn more https://boonehistory.org/hall-of-fame-2023.

07/27/2023

30 years ago, this photo by Steve Levin appeared on the front page of the Columbia Tribune.

It showcases the enduring spirit of local citizens who worked together to reinforce the sandbag levee and protect local towns from the rising waters in 1993.

It was not just the size of the deluge that was so damaging, it was also its DURATION. The water would rise and fall multiple times over a span of five months, creating an air of uncertainty and a teasing hope that dissolved in false victories. The river remained above or near flood stage for 100 days.

Visit and see our new exhibition to learn more about The Great Flood.

07/26/2023

🔥 It is going to be HOT outside this week. But there is a cool seat for you inside the Montminy Gallery!

❄️Stop by, enjoy our AC and be inspired anytime! Plus, there will be refreshments between 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, July 27 to celebrate the new show: Where We Are!

07/23/2023

Revisiting how much fun we had at the "Celebrating Freedom" family event a few weeks ago. 🥳

Many thanks to all the families that joined us and the volunteers who made this possible! Hope to see you at the August 12 event from 10 a.m. to 12 pm. on the "Art of Photography." See info at https://www.facebook.com/events/6531662550189962.

07/17/2023

Did you see the news? The Great Flood exhibition is now open! Plan your trip to see it, and be sure to join us on Wed, July 19 between 4:30-6 p.m. for the opening reception!

Event info: https://www.facebook.com/events/6263056157125673.

07/16/2023

The Boone County Historical Society added another historical site to its esteemed list with the dedication of the Harris Cemetery. The cemetery, located on Tom Bass Road in Deer Park, is one of the most historically significant, well-preserved and unique burying grounds in Boone County.

The patriarchs of the Harris Cemetery include Overton Harris, first sheriff and county collector of Boone County and his wife, Mary Rice Woods, a sister to Anderson Woods who arrived in the area in 1816.

Learn more in July newsletter on page 6! https://boonehistory.org/bchs/uploads/2023/07/bchs-news-notes-july-2023-web.pdf

07/13/2023

Many thanks to all who joined us for Things That Matter today. Col. John Clark was incredibly inspirational and shared impactful lessons about faith, honor and overcoming against all odds.

Be sure to join us August 10 for Matt Fetterly!
https://boonehistory.org/events/things-that-matter-matt-fetterly/