City of Columbia Historic Preservation Commission

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

History on Elm presents
Shannondale’s Brotherhood Economics
by Don Love and Mike Luster
Tuesday, May 12 at noon
Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm Street, Columbia, MO
FREE | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
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When the 1930s Depression gripped the Heartland, the Evangelical and Reformed Church sent Vincent Bucher to the impoverished Ozark mountains to lead a new mission church. Before President Franklin D. Roosevelt created programs to lift Americans out of poverty, Bucher was organizing cooperatives to market folk art, cream and strawberries. Working together, families could make their hard-scrabble farms productive, improve the abused forest to create jobs, and build bridges (literally) to unite isolated communities. Bucher called his approach “brotherhood economics.”
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This season of History on Elm is generously sponsored by Central Bank and Central Trust, Shortwave Coffee, and the State Historical Society of Missouri.
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03/09/2026

03/09/2026

Did you know that Anna Bell would have been 200 years old in April? We want to celebrate with a party! The old AME church at 225 Selma was named Anna Bell Chapel to honor all of her hard work and efforts to make the church possible. The event is free and family friendly.

03/07/2026

Pictured are farm residences of Col. E. C. Brott and Geo. P. Harvey located three miles southwest of Brookfield, Missouri in Linn County, ca. 1876. Linn County was officially recognized as a county in January of 1837. See more illustrations and plat maps of Linn County from the digitized 1876 historical atlas here: https://tinyurl.com/LinnCountySHSMO.
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"An illustrated historical atlas of Linn County, Missouri, 1876," page 17, ca. 1897, The State Historical Society of Missouri.
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03/06/2026

"The US at 250: A View From Japan," presented by Sayuri Shimizu, the Dunlevie Family Chair in History at Rice University
Friday, March 13th, 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
📍Tiger Hotel, 23 S. 8th Street, Columbia MO
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To celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, in partnership from the State Historical Society of Missouri, is bringing scholars from around the globe to Columbia throughout the Spring 2026 semester to share thoughts on the nation’s semi-quincentennial anniversary from an international vantage point. The program begins at 5 p.m. with a reception to follow. Seating will be available on a first-come basis. Arrive early to secure your spot. This series is free and open to the public. We encourage anyone who plans to attend to register using the RSVP link below:
https://shsmo.org/events/2026/america-250-view-japan
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🗺️: "Atlas of Atchison County, Missouri: containing maps of townships of the county, maps of state, United States and world, farmers directory, analysis of the system of U.S. land surveys," pg. 42, ca. 1921, The State Historical Society of Missouri.
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03/06/2026

For St. Louisan Virginia Minor, the evidence was undeniable: Women didn’t need to “win” the right to vote, because they already had it.

As the U.S. presidential election dawned on October 5, 1872, one dress punctuated the thousands of black suits shuffling into the Old Courthouse to cast their vote.

When Minor got to the front of the line, her a ballot was flatly refused. Claiming her constitutional rights had been infringed upon, Minor had her husband file a civil suit on her behalf, as married women were forbidden from filing their own lawsuits in Missouri until 1889.

The case ran all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, whose justices shrank to dodging responsibility, ruling that it was up to the individual states to decide which of their citizens would be allowed to vote.

Undeterred, Minor continued fighting for women’s suffrage until her death in 1894 – more than 25 years before the right to vote was finally secured nationwide in 1920.

Minor understood that major change is often driven by many losing battles, each one laying the groundwork for what comes next, and you can learn more about her incredible life through I Am St. Louis Stories: https://bit.ly/4b1Y7fO

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

Nelle Peters also had a hand in designing several prominent buildings right here in Columbia, including the Beverly and the Belvedere apartment buildings in downtown Columbia!

03/06/2026

Delve into the lesser known tales of people, places and events that have shaped St. Louis. Part of 314 Day. Presented by Elizabeth Eikmann, PhD. For adults. This program is being held at several branches; sign up at https://buff.ly/84CuVdJ.