The World Expo Shanghai was open from May 1 to October 31, 2010. During that time, 73 million people visited the expo in China, which helped to showcase the Missouri History Museum among other international institutions. Read more »

All St. Louisans are used to the question, “So where’d you go to high school?” But have you ever been asked, “So who lived in your house?” I have, and I found the answer where I work, the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center.

Here’s who lived in my house.

A widow had it built in 1885 for her two sons. She bought the land from a local businessman whose family is still in business today. The Harrison boys were both in the fur trade business, one being a trimmer and the other a tanner. They lived in the house for only a few years. In 1891, the Schwarz family moved in. Read more »

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Thoughtful people in our community, seeking to preserve a heritage shared by us all, have donated most of the artifacts in the collection of the Missouri History Museum. A recent donation of an American Indian headdress from the northern Plains began an interesting story of family and place.

Fred Roscoe Smith (1881–1968) was a resident of St. Louis who homesteaded in Montana between the years 1900 and 1916. His wife, Edith, stayed with him one winter, but found the weather to be foreboding and refused to live with him there in the future. She remained in St. Read more »

Here is a curatorial feel-good story about one boy’s letter to Charles Lindbergh and how a copy of it made its way back home.

Over nine years ago, I was in the process of selecting artifacts for a 6,000-square-foot exhibit commemorating the New York to Paris flight that Lindbergh made in 1927. The Missouri History Museum has the largest collection of gifts Lindbergh received for his various flights from 1927 onward, as well as a large archival collection including thousands of letters of congratulations from around the world. Read more »

Since the first human settlement on their banks, the Mississippi and Missouri rivers have given life and meaning to the St. Louis region. The confluence of two of North America’s greatest rivers has provided transportation, food, water, and, sometimes without regard to health, sewer services, for the St. Louis region. Today, with about 3 million people in close contact with the river’s influence, planning for the future is more important than ever.

Regional water management planners and users convened on October 14, 2010, to get the broad view on water in our region. Read more »

The Missouri History Museum lost a good friend recently. Leonor Testa Feliciano, M.D., passed away September 11, 2010, after a valiant battle with cancer. Leonor is remembered among History Museum staff for her long-term commitment to sharing her Filipino culture and heritage. A warm, compassionate, and outspoken adviser, she pushed our exhibition teams to present objects and stories that put people first. Read more »

Ten years ago, if you asked me for my opinion on the most popular month for a wedding, I would have answered May or June. Today, the spring and early summer months still bear witness to many a bride walking down the aisle. However, brides who don’t want to chance a 90-degree wedding day in the summer or wait two years for their dream venue to be available have begun to plan their weddings in the fall. Read more »