the State Historical Society of Missouri
![The Nelson Hotel, formerly known as Nelson Tavern, in Lebanon, Missouri. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2026-02/1.-nelsons-dream-village.jpg?itok=bNCVuc4O "The Nelson Hotel, formerly known as Nelson Tavern, in Lebanon, Missouri. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]")
At the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 5 in Lebanon, Nelson’s Dream Village was one of the finest…
![Howard Nemerov. [Washington University Libraries, Special Collections, Howard Nemerov Papers]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-Howard_Nemerov.jpg?h=17b87167&itok=5aRtdbee "Howard Nemerov. [Washington University Libraries, Special Collections, Howard Nemerov Papers]")
Howard Nemerov was born on February 29, 1920, in New York City, and died on July 5, 1991,…
During the early hours of December 16, 1811, a series of violent shakes roused inhabitants of the mid-Mississippi…
![This map shows the layout of the small village of Newtonia as it existed during the Civil War. [Courtesy of Larry Wood]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-First-Battle-of-Newtonia.jpg?h=98386c46&itok=8rip4ZYY "This map shows the layout of the small village of Newtonia as it existed during the Civil War. [Courtesy of Larry Wood]")
During the early months of the Civil War, the Missouri State Guard and the Confederate Army combined to win…
![A map of the battlefield at Newtonia on October 28, 1864. [State Historical Society of Missouri Map Collection, 850 P9311]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2024-05/1.-second-battle-of-newtonia.jpg?h=b8936874&itok=blJfH5Ye "A map of the battlefield at Newtonia on October 28, 1864. [State Historical Society of Missouri Map Collection, 850 P9311]")
From the time Confederate forces were driven out of Missouri in early 1862, General …
![Frank O’Hare as a young man. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2022-09/1.%20Francis%20Peter%20OHare.jpg?h=4f4df08b&itok=VCeFjcgi "Frank O’Hare as a young man. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis]")
Francis Peter “Frank” O’Hare was born in New Hampton, Iowa, on April 23, 1877, to Peter…
![Jack Oakie. [University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, JWS25751]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2022-06/1.%20Jack%20Oakie_0.jpg?h=f008bb98&itok=7RltpLAI "Jack Oakie. [University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, JWS25751]")
Jack Oakie was long considered one of the screen’s most notorious scene-stealers. He had a…
![Mo-Hon-Go (Sacred Sun), an Osage woman, and her child. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Image Collection, 021180]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Osage-woman-and-child.jpg?h=238c05a8&itok=9oO6EF7v "Mo-Hon-Go (Sacred Sun), an Osage woman, and her child. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Image Collection, 021180]")
![Henry Clemens Overstolz. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis (New York: Southern History Co., 1899)]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Henry-Clemens-Overstolz.jpg?h=e0a3fa4b&itok=G14kmhh1 "Henry Clemens Overstolz. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis (New York: Southern History Co., 1899)]")
Henry Clemens Overstolz was a St. Louis businessman and politician. He was born on July 7,…
![Jim Owen promoting the Branson Silver Cornet Band, one of his many enterprises. [Courtesy of Trenton Thompson/Findagrave.com]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-03/1-James-Owen.jpg?h=e01d5501&itok=gFy5vygh "Jim Owen promoting the Branson Silver Cornet Band, one of his many enterprises. [Courtesy of Trenton Thompson/Findagrave.com]")
James M. Owen, a young advertising and insurance professional in Jefferson City, left mid-…
![Luella Agnes Owen, circa 1880s. Colorized photograph by Uhlman Photographers, St. Joseph. [Courtesy of the St. Joseph Museums, Inc., object no. P2013.003.00020]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2025-05/1.-luella-owen.jpg?h=e69abb05&itok=3VIUiavE "Luella Agnes Owen, circa 1880s. Colorized photograph by Uhlman Photographers, St. Joseph. [Courtesy of the St. Joseph Museums, Inc., object no. P2013.003.00020]")
Luella Agnes Owen was a female pioneer in the fields of speleology, geography, and geology. She viewed these…
![Benjamin O’Fallon. [Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery, NPG.81.33]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/OFallon_Benjamin.jpg?h=096e177c&itok=8fFddcEx "Benjamin O’Fallon. [Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery, NPG.81.33]")
Prominent in Missouri as an Indian agent and advocate of the American fur-trade interests…
![John O’Fallon. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis, vol. 3]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/OFallon_John.jpg?h=4b482cab&itok=yHEjO0-m "John O’Fallon. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis, vol. 3]")
John O’Fallon, a St. Louis merchant, banker, and philanthropist, was widely praised after…
![The O’Joe Club in Noel, Missouri. [Courtesy of Dorene Stiles and Noel Centennial, 1887–1987]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2026-01/1.-ojoe-club.jpg?itok=-TEcfm4d "The O’Joe Club in Noel, Missouri. [Courtesy of Dorene Stiles and Noel Centennial, 1887–1987]")
The O’Joe Club in Noel, Missouri, was one of the first commercial resorts in the Ozarks. Although it was not…
![Geraldine Page and Rip Torn on stage in Strange Interlude. [New York Public Library Digital Collections, Billy Rose Theatre Division, Friedman-Abeles Photograph Collection, #5026079]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Geraldine-Page-and-Rip-Torn.jpg?h=58818689&itok=x7bZnVuc "Geraldine Page and Rip Torn on stage in Strange Interlude. [New York Public Library Digital Collections, Billy Rose Theatre Division, Friedman-Abeles Photograph Collection, #5026079]")
Geraldine Page was born in Kirksville, Missouri, on November 22, 1924, to Leon Elwin Page,…
![An early edition of the Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser, August 20, 1819. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Newspaper Collection]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Nathaniel-Patten-Boon%27s-Lick-Advertiser.jpg?h=f7ec007d&itok=de0Iqt-i "An early edition of the Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser, August 20, 1819. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Newspaper Collection]")
Nathaniel Patten Jr. could be characterized as Missouri’s quintessential pioneer country…
![John Mason Peck. [Album of Missouri Baptists (St. Louis: Central Baptist Pub. Co., 1904), p. 2]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/John-Mason-Peck.jpg?h=ef195d8b&itok=yT860gN7 "John Mason Peck. [Album of Missouri Baptists (St. Louis: Central Baptist Pub. Co., 1904), p. 2]")
John Mason Peck, a pioneer, Baptist missionary, noted preacher, author, and journalist on…
![Manuel Pérez. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Objects Collection, X04268]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Manuel-Perez.jpg?h=a9b70126&itok=LZTYu_GW "Manuel Pérez. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Objects Collection, X04268]")
Manuel Pérez, Spanish lieutenant governor in St. Louis from 1787 to 1792, was born in…
![Marlin Perkins holding a bison calf. [Marlin Perkins Papers (S0516), State Historical Society of Missouri]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2024-02/1.-marlin-perkins.jpg?h=340ad325&itok=fjnCeB_T "Marlin Perkins holding a bison calf. [Marlin Perkins Papers (S0516), State Historical Society of Missouri]")
Marlin Perkins served as director at three zoos during his career: the Zoological Gardens in Buffalo, New York; the…
![Ivory Perry addressing a crowd at a civil rights demonstration in front of St. Louis police headquarters on September 16, 1965. Photograph by Buel White, © St. Louis Post-Dispatch. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Collection, N22497]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2022-06/1.%20Ivory%20Perry_2.jpg?h=1f1db35b&itok=eqp2V0l3 "Ivory Perry addressing a crowd at a civil rights demonstration in front of St. Louis police headquarters on September 16, 1965. Photograph by Buel White, © St. Louis Post-Dispatch. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Collection, N22497]")
A community organizer, civil rights campaigner, housing specialist, and antipoverty…
![Homer G. Phillips. Painting by Vernon Smith. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Objects Collection, 2016-058-0001]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Homer-G.-Phillips.jpg?h=f2a75ae1&itok=Bgxael7W "Homer G. Phillips. Painting by Vernon Smith. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Objects Collection, 2016-058-0001]")
Homer G. Phillips was born in Sedalia, Missouri, on April 1, 1880. He was raised by an aunt…
Pedro Joseph Piernas, the first Spanish lieutenant governor in St. Louis, occupied that…
![A Union encampment in the Arcadia valley early in the war. Pilot Knob Mountain is at right. [Harper’s Weekly, September 21, 1861]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-Battle-of-Pilot-Knob.jpg?h=f8e16983&itok=52QaphHB "A Union encampment in the Arcadia valley early in the war. Pilot Knob Mountain is at right. [Harper’s Weekly, September 21, 1861]")
![Pippin Place. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2025-08/1.-pippin-place.jpg?h=e4d128fe&itok=_doFS-wE "Pippin Place. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]")
Pippin Place was a legendary Gasconade River resort in the Missouri Ozarks. With the spread of railroads…
![Trusten W. Polk. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Art Collection, 1960.0001]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2022-04/1.%20Trusten_W_Polk.jpg?h=d18f25db&itok=ZhcVkE96 "Trusten W. Polk. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Art Collection, 1960.0001]")
Trusten W. Polk, governor of Missouri and a US senator, was born in Sussex County, Delaware…