Shows
Our MissouriSummer Series 2025: Mob Rule in the Ozarks - Kenneth C. Barnes (All Aboard, Part 3)Next up in the 2025 Summer Series, host Sean Rost talks with Kenneth C. Barnes about his new book, Mob Rule in the Ozarks: The Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad Strike, 1921-1923.
Episode Image: Scene on the “Devil’s Eye Brow” near Seligman, Missouri, date unknown. [John F. Bradbury, Jr. Postcard Collection (R1551), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Kenneth C. Barnes earned a PhD from Duke University and is professor emeritus of history at the University of Central Arkansas. He is the author of several books, including Nazism, Liberalism, and Christianity: Protestant Social Thought in Germany and Great...2025-07-1425 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2025: Louis Houck - Joel P. Rhodes (All Aboard, Part 2)Continuing the 2025 Summer Series, we return to an earlier episode featuring Joel P. Rhodes, newly named executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri, discussing his book, A Missouri Railroad Pioneer: The Life of Louis Houck.
Episode Image: Academic Hall, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, ca. 1908. [Missouri Postcard Collection (P0032), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Joel P. Rhodes holds a PhD in History from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He served as an associate dean and professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Southeast Missouri State University. In 2025, he was named the new executive...2025-06-3028 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2025: The Durham Museum - Kyle Chattleton (All Aboard, Part 1)Welcome to our 2025 Summer Series which is all about the history of railroads in Missouri. You know the names, the Hannibal and St. Joseph, Northern Missouri, St. Louis and Iron Mountain, Missouri and North Arkansas, Wabash, KATY, Frisco, Rock Island, Missouri Pacific, Kansas City Southern, Houck Line, BNSF, AMTRAK, and many others. From the depot, to the roundhouse, to the shops, and to the tracks, this series takes us all across Missouri and neighboring states to learn about the bygone era when train travel provided the main source of transportation for many Missourians. We will also stop in to...2025-06-1626 min
Our MissouriEpisode 113: The Volunteer State - Jennifer C. Core (State History, Part 7)Did you know that Missouri is tied for 1st place (alongside Tennessee) as the state that borders the most states in the United States? For the second half of Season 7, Our Missouri heads out to the state line to talk with our neighbors about their history, culture, and historical organizations.
Next up in the State History series, Jennifer C. Core, executive director of the Tennessee Historical Society, joins host Sean Rost to discuss the Volunteer State.
Episode Image: Frances Moulder exploring a cemetery in Tennessee, ca. 1950 [Moulder Family Papers (CG0012), SHSMO]
About the G...2025-04-2124 min
Our MissouriEpisode 112: The Bluegrass State - Scott Alvey (State History, Part 6)Did you know that Missouri is tied for 1st place (alongside Tennessee) as the state that borders the most states in the United States? For the second half of Season 7, Our Missouri heads out to the state line to talk with our neighbors about their history, culture, and historical organizations.
Next up in the State History series, Scott Alvey, executive director of the Kentucky Historical Society, joins host Sean Rost to discuss the Bluegrass State.
Episode Image: Kentucky Culture Caravan, 1961 [Arthur Witman Photograph Collection (S0717), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Scott Alvey, a 30-year m...2025-04-0720 min
Our MissouriEpisode 111: The Land of Lincoln - William Furry (State History, Part 5)Did you know that Missouri is tied for 1st place (alongside Tennessee) as the state that borders the most states in the United States? For the second half of Season 7, Our Missouri heads out to the state line to talk with our neighbors about their history, culture, and historical organizations.
Next up in the State History series, William Furry, executive director of the Illinois State Historical Society, joins host Sean Rost to discuss the Land of Lincoln.
Episode Image: Charles Trefts in a Regal Coupe exiting a covered bridge near Springfield, Illinois, ca. 1912 [Charles Trefts P...2025-03-2413 min
Our MissouriEpisode 110: The Hawkeye State - Kelsey Berryhill (State History, Part 4)Did you know that Missouri is tied for 1st place (alongside Tennessee) as the state that borders the most states in the United States? For the second half of Season 7, Our Missouri heads out to the state line to talk with our neighbors about their history, culture, and historical organizations.
Next up in the State History series, Kelsey Berryhill, State Government Records Archivist at the State Archives of Iowa, joins host Sean Rost to discuss the Hawkeye State.
Episode Image: Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa, 1913 [Arnot M. Finley Photograph Albums (C3422), SHSMO]
A...2025-03-1016 min
Our MissouriEpisode 109: The Natural State - Patrick G. Williams (State History, Part 3)Did you know that Missouri is tied for 1st place (alongside Tennessee) as the state that borders the most states in the United States? For the second half of Season 7, Our Missouri heads out to the state line to talk with our neighbors about their history, culture, and historical organizations.
Next up in the State History series, Patrick G. Williams, Secretary-Treasurer of the Arkansas Historical Association, joins host Sean Rost to discuss the Natural State.
Episode Image: Unidentified man standing along the White River Railroad tracks at the Missouri-Arkansas state line, ca. 1908 [Johnson Family Collection (S...2025-02-2423 min
Our MissouriEpisode 108: The Sooner State - Trait Thompson (State History, Part 2)Did you know that Missouri is tied for 1st place (alongside Tennessee) as the state that borders the most states in the United States? For the second half of Season 7, Our Missouri heads out to the state line to talk with our neighbors about their history, culture, and historical organizations.
Continuing the State History series, Trait Thompson, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, joins host Sean Rost to discuss the Sooner State.
Episode Image: Franklin D. Roosevelt Whistle Stop Tour, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1938 [Arthur Witman Photograph Collection (S0836), SHSMO]
About the Guest: T...2025-02-1020 min
Our MissouriEpisode 107: The Sunflower State - Sarah Bell (State History, Part 1)Did you know that Missouri is tied for 1st place (alongside Tennessee) as the state that borders the most states in the United States? For the second half of Season 7, Our Missouri heads out to the state line to talk with our neighbors about their history, culture, and historical organizations.
To open the State History series, Sarah Bell, Director of the Kansas Museum of History, joins host Sean Rost to discuss the Sunflower State.
Episode Image: Friends of Ned Draper stop for a meal in Kansas on their way to Wyoming, date unknown [Draper-McClurg Family Pa...2025-01-2722 min
Our MissouriEpisode 106: Interstate '85 - Marshall Garvey (Covering the Bases, Part 7)In this episode, host Sean Rost talks with Marshall Garvey about his new book, “Interstate ’85: The Royals, the Cardinals, and the Show-Me World Series.”
Episode Image: U. S. Senators John C. Danforth and Thomas Eagleton at a World Series celebration event, 1985 [John C. Danforth Papers (C4532), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Marshall Garvey is a writer and historical consultant. He is the author of “The Hidden History of Sacramento Baseball,” “Ellwood’s Odyssey,” and “Interstate ’85: The Royals, the Cardinals, and the Show-Me World Series.”
2024-12-2315 min
Our MissouriEpisode 105: John Donaldson - Peter Gorton (Covering the Bases, Part 6)In this episode, Peter Gorton joins host Sean Rost to talk about the legendary baseball career of Glasgow, Missouri's John Donaldson, as well as the efforts of the John Donaldson Network to research and document African American baseball players and teams in the United States.
Episode Image: Premiers baseball team, Webster Groves, Missouri, date unknown [Henrietta Ambrose Papers (S0698), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Pete Gorton is a Negro Leagues Historian and a founder of The Donaldson Network, a group of amateur historians dedicated to the rediscovery of the lost baseball career of John Wesley Donaldson...2024-12-0932 min
Our MissouriEpisode 104: Beyond the Box Score - Bridget Haney/Zack Palitzsch (Covering the Bases, Part 5)In this episode, Bridget Haney and Zack Palitzsch, co-curators of "Covering the Bases: The Evolution of Baseball in Missouri," discuss the exhibit's creation, their favorite sections, and oral history clips in the SHSMO collections from baseball legends.
Episode Image: Jenkins Sons baseball team, date unknown [Irene Whitley Marcus Collection (K0452), SHSMO]
About the Guests:
Bridget Haney is a historian for the State Historical Society of Missouri. She earned a PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia. For her dissertation, she focused on Black girlhood in Kansas City in the late 19th and 20th centuries...2024-11-2517 min
Our MissouriEpisode 103: Baseball During World War I - Jim Leeke (Covering the Bases, Part 4)In this episode, Jim Leeke joins host Sean Rost to talk about his extensive research into World War I, Major League Baseball, and the men who participated in both.
Episode Image: Baseball Game in Lafayette County, Missouri, ca. 1910s. [Leonard D. and Marie H. Rehkop Collection of Algert T. Peterson Photographs (C3888), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Jim Leeke is a former news journalist, copywriter, and creative director. He is the author of several books, including “Howell’s Storm: New York City’s Official Rainmaker and the 1950 Drought,” “Sudden Ice,” “Long Shadows: The Farewell to JFK,” “A Hundred Days to...2024-11-1126 min
Our MissouriEpisode 102: From Little Leagues to Major Leagues - Ed Wheatley (Covering the Bases, Part 3)This episode is a throwback to the Meet Me in St. Louis series from 2020 and features Ed Wheatley, President of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society, discussing his book, "Baseball in St. Louis: From Little Leagues to Major Leagues."
Episode Image: Play at home plate, St. Louis Browns vs. Detroit Tigers, 1942 [Joseph Wood Photograph Collection (S0819), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Ed Wheatley is the president of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. He is also the author of several books, including "St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team," "Incredible Cardinals," and "Baseball in...2024-10-2835 min
Our MissouriEpisode 101: Big Cat - Jerry Grillo (Covering the Bases, Part 2)In this episode of the Covering the Bases series, host Sean Rost talks with Jerry Grillo about his new book, Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize.
Episode Image: Cardinals player sliding into home plate, 1941 [Arthur Witman Collection (S0717), SHSMO]
About the Guest: For almost thirty years, Jerry Grillo worked as a staff editor, writer, photographer and designer for newspapers and magazines in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, South Carolina, and Georgia. Presently, he is a science writer at Georgia Tech, as well as a freelancer. He is the author of The Mu...2024-10-1429 min
Our MissouriEpisode 100: Suds Series - J. Daniel (Covering the Bases, Part 1)As the seasons change from summer to fall, baseball, America’s pastime, transitions from the regular season to the postseason and World Series. To open Season 7 and coincide with the exhibit “Covering the Bases: The Evolution of Baseball in Missouri,” which is on display at the Wenneker Family Corridor Gallery at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia from now until January 2025, Our Missouri launches a seven-part series on Missouri’s baseball history.
To lead off the series, host Sean Rost talks with J. Daniel about his new book, Suds Series: Baseball, Beer Wars, and the Summer of ’82.2024-09-3029 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2024: Unexplained in the Archives (Missouri Mysteries, Part 4)If you are an avid listener of Our Missouri, you know that each summer we set aside four episodes for a special summer series. This summer we are headed outdoors to sit around a campfire…albeit virtually…and tell stories with special ghost hosts, Kathleen Seale and Haley Frizzle-Green, for our summer series on…Missouri Mysteries. To conclude the Summer Series, Haley, Katie, and Sean share stories about mysteries they came across while working at the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Episode Image: Children sitting around a campfire, 1940 [Arthur Witman Photograph Collection (S0717), SHSMO]
About the Gu...2024-08-1235 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2024: Piedmont Lights (Missouri Mysteries, Part 3)If you are an avid listener of Our Missouri, you know that each summer we set aside four episodes for a special summer series. This summer we are headed outdoors to sit around a campfire…albeit virtually…and tell stories with special ghost hosts, Kathleen Seale and Haley Frizzle-Green, for our summer series on…Missouri Mysteries. In Part 3, Sean shares one of his favorite unexplained stories...the Piedmont Lights of 1973.
Episode Image: Clearwater Lake, Piedmont, Missouri, 1953 [Missouri Ruralist Photographs (P0030), SHSMO]
About the Guests:
Katie Seale holds a master's degree in history from Oklaho...2024-07-2935 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2024: Blue Pyramid in Phelps County (Missouri Mysteries, Part 2)If you are an avid listener of Our Missouri, you know that each summer we set aside four episodes for a special summer series. This summer we are headed outdoors to sit around a campfire…albeit virtually…and tell stories with special ghost hosts, Kathleen Seale and Haley Frizzle-Green, for our summer series on…Missouri Mysteries. Katie continues the Summer Series with the story of a mysterious blue pyramid in Phelps County, Missouri, and the man who built it.
Episode Image: Image from a newspaper article on the Blue Pyramid, 1977 [St. James Leader-Journal, 18 May 1977]
About the Gu...2024-07-1538 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2024: Strangest of All (Missouri Mysteries, Part 1)If you are an avid listener of Our Missouri, you know that each summer we set aside four episodes for a special summer series. This summer we are headed outdoors to sit around a campfire…albeit virtually…and tell stories with special ghost hosts, Kathleen Seale and Haley Frizzle-Green, for our summer series on…Missouri Mysteries. Haley opens up the summer series with the story of Frank Edwards and the Strangest of All.
For more information on RadiOzark and Strangest of All please visit: https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/springfield/sp0071
Episode Image: Record of “Stranges...2024-07-0122 min
Our MissouriEpisode 99: Sudden Deaths in St. Louis - Sarah Lirley (On the Bookshelf, Part 9)To conclude the On the Bookshelf series, host Sean Rost talks with Sarah Lirley about her new book, "Sudden Deaths in St. Louis: Coroner Bias in the Gilded Age."
Episode Image: James A. Love standing beside the grave of his first wife Ann George and child in Fulton, Missouri, 1888 [James A. Love Papers (C0131), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Sarah Lirley is an associate professor of history at Columbia College. She holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She previously served as a Center for Missouri Studies Fellow. She is the author...2024-05-2726 min
Our MissouriEpisode 98: Broadcasting the Ozarks - Kitty Ledbetter (On the Bookshelf, Part 8)This episode features a conversation with Kitty Ledbetter about her new book, "Broadcasting the Ozarks: Si Siman and Country Music at the Crossroads."
Episode Image: May Kennedy McCord sitting on a porch with a guitar, ca. 1930s [Vance Randolph Ozark Folksongs Collection (C3774), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Kitty Ledbetter is professor emerita of English at Texas State University. She formerly served as editor of the Journal of Texas Music History. She is the author of "Broadcasting the Ozarks: Si Siman and Country Music at the Crossroads."
2024-05-1320 min
Our MissouriEpisode 97: Men of No Reputation - Kimberly Harper (On the Bookshelf, Part 7)This episode features a conversation with Kimberly Harper about her new book, "Men of No Reputation: Robert Boatright, the Buckfoot Gang, and the Fleecing of Middle America."
Episode Image: Main Street in Joplin, Missouri, ca. 1902-1906 [Kay Kirkman and Roger Stinnett Photograph Collection (P0178), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Kimberly Harper holds a master's degree from the University of Arkansas. Presently, she is the editor for the Missouri Historical Review. She is the author of "White Man's Heaven: The Lynching and Expulsion of Blacks in the Southern Ozarks, 1894-1909" and "Men of No Reputation: Robert Boatright, t...2024-04-2919 min
Our MissouriEpisode 96: Ozark Voices - Alex Primm (On the Bookshelf, Part 6)This episode features a conversation with Alex Primm about his new book, “Ozark Voices: Oral Histories from the Heartland,” and his 40+ year career alongside the rivers, gravel bars, forests, and people of the Missouri Ozarks.
Episode Image: Agent Tom Wright at the Lake of the Ozarks, 1953 [Missouri Ruralist Photographs (P0030), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Alex Primm has been a freelance oral historian since the 1980s. He has worked on projects in the Ozarks for the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, and the United States Army. His book, “Ozark Voices: Oral Histories from the Hear...2024-04-1537 min
Our MissouriEpisode 95: Fighting for a Free Missouri - Sydney J. Norton (On the Bookshelf, Part 5)If you missed her keynote address at the 66th Missouri Conference on History, don't worry, because Sydney J. Norton joined host Sean Rost to discuss her new book, Fighting for a Free Missouri: German Immigrants, African Americans, and the Issue of Slavery.
Episode Image: Arnold Krekel, date unknown [Mit Feder Und Hammer: The German Experience in St. Louis Collection (S0941), SHSMO]
About the Guest:
Sydney J. Norton is an independent scholar, translator, and educator in St. Louis. While teaching German at Saint Louis University, she curated "German Immigrant Abolitionists: Fighting for a Free...2024-04-0122 min
Our MissouriEpisode 94: Oracle of Lost Causes - Matthew Christopher Hulbert (On the Bookshelf, Part 4)In this episode, Matthew Christopher Hulbert joins host Sean Rost to discuss his new book, Oracle of Lost Causes: John Newman Edwards and His Never-Ending Civil War.
Episode Image: John Newman Edwards, date unknown [Nancy Ehrlich Collection (P0013), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Matthew Christopher Hulbert is an Elliott Associate Professor of History at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. He is the author of The Ghosts of Guerrilla Memory: How Civil War Bushwhackers became Gunslingers in the American West, winner of the 2017 Wiley-Silver Book Prize, and coeditor of Writing History with Lightning: Cinematic Representations of Nineteenth-Century America.
2024-03-1826 min
Our MissouriEpisode 93: Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks - Susan Croce Kelly (On the Bookshelf, Part 3)In this episode, Susan Croce Kelly returns to discuss her new book, Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton.
To listen to Susan's previous appearance on Our Missouri, check out Episode 21.
Episode Image: Woman using a typewriter, date unknown [Arthur Witman Photograph Collection (S0717), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Susan Croce Kelly serves as managing editor of OzarksWatch Magazine. She is the author of several books, including Route 66: The Highway and Its People, Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery, and Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and T...2024-03-0432 min
Our MissouriEpisode 92: John Bradbury & "My Own Commander" - Katie Seale/John Brenner (On the Bookshelf, Part 2)In this episode, host Sean Rost is joined by SHSMO colleagues Kathleen Seale and John Brenner to discuss their memories of the late John Bradbury (1952-2023) as well as his recent book "'My Own Commander': The Civil War Journal of J. J. Sitton, 1863-1865."
To listen to John Bradbury's earlier appearance on the podcast, please check out Episode 24.
Episode Image: Cover of “‘My Own Commander’: The Civil War Journal of J. J. Sitton, 1863-1865”
About the Guests:
Kathleen Seale holds a master's degree in history from Oklahoma State University. A native of the Mi...2024-02-1918 min
Our MissouriEpisode 91: A Man by Any Other Name - Joseph Beilein, Jr. (On the Bookshelf, Part 1)To kick off the "On the Bookshelf" series, Joseph Beilein, Jr. returns to talk about his new book, A Man by Any Other Name: William Clark Quantrill and the Search for American Manhood.
Episode Image: Quantrill’s Raiders Reunion, ca. 1920 [B. James George Sr. Photograph Collection (P0010), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Joseph M. Beilein Jr. holds a PhD in History from the University of Missouri. Presently, he serves as an associate professor of history at Penn State-Erie, The Behrend College. He is the author of Bushwhackers: Guerilla Warfare, Manhood, and the Household in Civil War Miss...2024-02-0526 min
Our MissouriEpisode 90: Ted & Pat Jones - Sean Rost (Historic Missourians, Part 7)In this episode, host Sean Rost concludes the Historic Missourians series with a focus on philanthropists and conservationists Edward "Ted" Jones and Hilda "Pat" Jones.
Episode Image: Ted and Pat Jones at their home in Williamsburg, Missouri, date unknown [Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation]
2023-12-1814 min
Our MissouriEpisode 89: Charles & Elizabeth Schwartz - Elizabeth Engel (Historic Missourians, Part 6)In this episode, SHSMO senior archivist Elizabeth Engel joins host Sean Rost to discuss her recent Historic Missourians biography of artists and conservationists Charles and Elizabeth Schwartz.
Episode Image: Charles and Elizabeth Schwartz with Canadian geese, undated. [Charles and Elizabeth Schwartz Papers (C2217), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Elizabeth Engel, an Iowa native and a University of Iowa graduate, holds a master's degree in library and information science. Her undergraduate work was in English at Iowa State University. She has been with the State Historical Society of Missouri since 2006 and is currently a senior archivist.
2023-12-0410 min
Our MissouriEpisode 88: Dewey Short - Hali Allen (Historic Missourians, Part 5)In this episode, SHSMO archivist Hali Allen joins host Sean Rost to discuss her new Historic Missourians biography on the "Orator of the Ozarks," Dewey Short.
A video of Dewey Short's appearance on the Ozark Jubilee referenced in this episode can be found here.
Episode Image: Dewey Short giving a speech, ca. 1950s. [Dewey Short Papers (C4515), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Hali Allen holds a bachelor's degree in history from Pittsburg State University and a master's degree in library and information science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Presently, she is an archivist for...2023-11-2017 min
Our MissouriEpisode 87: Ralph Foster & RadiOzark - Haley Frizzle-Green (Historic Missourians, Part 4)In this episode, SHSMO archivist Haley Frizzle Green joins host Sean Rost to discuss her upcoming Historic Missourians biography of Ralph Foster, and the traveling exhibit "Broadcasting the Ozarks: A History of RadiOzark Enterprises," which is on display at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia until December 2023.
Episode Image: Ralph Foster, no date [Image courtesy of the Ralph Foster Museum]
About the Guest: Haley Frizzle-Green holds a master's degree in library and information science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Presently, she is an archivist for the State Historical Society of Missouri at the Springfield...2023-11-0612 min
Our MissouriEpisode 86: Arvarh Strickland - Bridget Haney (Historic Missourians, Part 3)In this episode, Bridget Haney, SHSMO Historian, joins host Sean Rost to discuss her new Historic Missourians biography of Arvarh Strickland.
Episode Image: Arvarh Strickland, ca. 1987 [ Arvarh E. Strickland Papers (CA4995), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Bridget Haney is a PhD candidate at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Presently, she is a historian for the State Historical Society of Missouri.
2023-10-2312 min
Our MissouriEpisode 85: Mary Jane Guthrie - Doug Genens (Historic Missourians, Part 2)In this episode, Doug Genens, SHSMO Oral Historian, joins host Sean Rost to discuss his new Historic Missourians biography of Mary Jane Guthrie.
Episode Image: Rocheport Cave, one of Mary Jane Guthrie's bat collection sites, ca. 1900 [Rocheport, Missouri, Photograph Collection (P0089), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Doug Genens earned a PhD in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Presently, he serves as an oral historian for the State Historical Society of Missouri.
2023-10-0916 min
Our MissouriEpisode 84: Paul Henning - Sean Rost (Historic Missourians, Part 1)To open Season 6 of Our Missouri, the roles are reversed as special guest Kathleen Seale sits in the host chair and talks with Sean Rost about the new podcast series on Historic Missourians as well as a biography he co-authored with Doug Genens on Paul Henning.
Episode Image: Postcard labeled “Down Home in the Ozarks,” ca. 1970s [Missouri Postcard Collection (P0032), SHSMO]
2023-09-2518 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2023: Platte City & The Red Crown Tavern (Part 4)With law enforcement still investigating the Union Station Massacre, the Barrow Gang quietly pulled into Platte City’s Red Crown Tavern. By the time they left, in a hail of gunfire, they were arguably one of the most wanted gangs in the United States. In Part 4, co-hosts Sean Rost and Kathleen Seale conclude the Summer Series by recounting the events that unfolded at the Red Crown Tavern, and how its aftermath set the Barrow Gang on a path towards the end of the road.
Episode Image: Highway leading to Tipton, Missouri, 1945 [Charles van Ravenswaay Photograph Collection (P0014), SH...2023-08-1433 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2023: Polk County to Kansas City (Part 3)Only days after the shootout in Columbia, Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Richetti stopped at a repair shop in Polk County. Within hours of their visit, they were in Kansas City, just in time for an event that would later be known as The Union Station Massacre. In Part 3, co-hosts Sean Rost and Kathleen Seale trace Floyd and Richetti’s travels from Polk County to Kansas City to parts unknown.
Episode Image: Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, date unknown [Martin Eichenlaub Postcard Collection (P0009), SHSMO]
2023-07-3140 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2023: The Intersection of Highway 40/Highway 63 (Part 2)On June 14, 1933, Missouri State Highway Patrolman Ben Booth and Boone County Sheriff Roger Wilson were called to the intersection of Highway 40/Highway 63 in Columbia to set up a roadblock due to a bank robbery. In Part 2, co-hosts Sean Rost and Kathleen Seale discuss how the roadblock altered the lives of all involved and left Missouri law enforcement agencies scrambling to find the occupants of a mysterious car.
Episode Image: Missouri State Highway Patrolman on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, ca. 1935 [Charles Trefts Photographs (P0034), SHSMO]
2023-07-1732 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2023: The Barrow Gang in Southwest Missouri (Part 1)In 1933, a crime wave gripped many parts of the United States, including Missouri. During this 4-part summer series, co-hosts Sean Rost and Kathleen Seale examine the history and legacy of the events of the Summer of 1933. In Part 1, Rost and Seale discuss the Barrow Gang and their travels through southwest Missouri during the 1930s.
Episode Image: Empire District Electric Company, Joplin, Missouri, date unknown [Whitaker Family Collection (SP0076), SHSMO]
2023-07-0337 min
Our MissouriEpisode 83: History Keepers - Christine Peoples (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 8)To conclude Season 5 and the series “African American Heritage in the Ozarks,” this episode features Christine Peoples highlighting upcoming programs at Timmons Hall and the legacy of the History Keepers.
Episode Image: Timmons Hall, Springfield, Missouri, 2021 [Courtesy of Andrew Olden]
About the Guest: Christine Peoples is the Timmons Hall Education Coordinator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board
2023-05-0822 min
Our MissouriEpisode 82: News from Home (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 7)This episode is hot off the press! Join us as host Sean Rost discusses the contributors behind the community and society pages of newspapers such as the Kansas City Call, St. Louis Argus, Sedalia Conservator, Joplin-Springfield Uplift, and how they shared important updates on local affairs.
Episode Image: Eddie Bryant and LeRoyce Stevens at the St. Louis Argus newspaper office [St. Louis Argus Photograph Collection (S0586), SHSMO]
2023-04-2412 min
Our MissouriEpisode 81: George Washington Carver National Monument - Curtis Gregory (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 6)In this episode, Curtis Gregory, a park ranger for the National Park Service, discusses the activities and history of George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, and reflects on the life of George Washington Carver.
Episode Image: Statue of George Washington Carver as a young boy, Diamond, Missouri, 1960 [Gerald R. Massie Photographs (P0016), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Curtis Gregory is a park ranger for the National Park Service at George Washington Carver National Monument
2023-04-1014 min
Our MissouriEpisode 80: Frederick Douglass Comes to Springfield (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 5)In this episode, host Sean Rost looks back to Frederick Douglass' 1893 visit to Springfield, Missouri, and examines who Douglass was, why he came to Springfield, and what he advised Missourians to consider at the dawn of a new century.
Episode Image: College Street, Springfield, Missouri, date unknown [Arthur Richard Hill Photographs (SP0067), SHSMO]
2023-03-2816 min
Our MissouriEpisode 79: CCC Co. 1743 - Andrew Olden (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 4)This episode features Andrew Olden, a PhD candidate at the University of Missouri-Columbia and staff member for the African American Heritage in the Ozarks Project, discussing Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1743, an African American unit based at Washington State Park along the banks of the Big River near De Soto, Missouri, in the mid-1930s.
Episode Image: Thunderbird Lodge, Washington State Park, 2021 [Courtesy of Andrew Olden]
2023-03-1325 min
Our MissouriEpisode 78: Voda Curtis Revisited (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 3)This episode focuses on the life of Voda "Bea" Hardy Curtis, and documents the path of her family from slavery to suffrage. The episode also features audio clips from Voda Curtis' 1977 oral history (S0829) housed at the State Historical Society of Missouri's St. Louis Research Center, as well as final thoughts from past oral history interns–Cydney Smith, Cassie Draudt, and Keely Doll–who conducted research on Voda Curtis' life.
Episode Image: Women gathered at what was called the “Negro Service Center” in Joplin, Missouri, 1955 [Whitaker Family Collection (SP0076), SHSMO]
2023-02-2717 min
Our MissouriEpisode 77: From Potosi to the Potomac (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 2)In this episode, host Sean Rost introduces listeners to the life and legacy of John A. Lankford. Born in Potosi, Missouri, in 1874, Lankford achieved immense fame as one of the most celebrated architects of his generation. Listen here to learn about Lankford's journey from Potosi to Washington D.C., along the banks of the Potomac River.
Episode Image: Forge Room at Lincoln Institute in Jefferson City, Missouri, ca. 1903 [Lincoln University Photographs (P1096), SHSMO]
2023-02-1312 min
Our MissouriEpisode 76: Introduction (African American Heritage in the Ozarks, Part 1)In 2021, the State Historical Society of Missouri was awarded an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities and Missouri Humanities for a project titled “African American Heritage in the Ozarks.” Over fifteen months, staff at SHSMO identified and compiled an extensive list of primary and secondary sources related to African American life in the region, provided public programming in numerous Ozarks communities, developed physical and digital exhibits, and conducted more than two dozen oral histories preserving the voices and memories of the people who call, or have called, the Ozarks home.
To b...2023-01-3015 min
Our MissouriEpisode 75: Sports Journalism in the 21st Century (Title IX in Missouri, Part 7)To conclude the Title IX in Missouri series, host Sean Rost talks with four journalists, Kathryn Lucchesi, Maddy Glab, Lauren Michelson, and Dani Wexelman, about the evolution of sports journalism in the 21st Century.
Episode Image: Radio interview between Mary Margaret McBride and Goldena Howard, Columbia, Missouri, date unknown [Mary Kathy Dains Photographs (P0300), SHSMO]
About the Guests:
Kathryn “Kat” Lucchesi is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Prior to joining the Journalism School, she held several positions in media and digital marketing, including Multimedia Director for the University of M...2022-12-1958 min
Our MissouriEpisode 74: AIAW (Title IX in Missouri, Part 6)The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) had a lasting impact on countless Missourians, even though it was only in existence for roughly a decade during the 1970s and early 1980s. In the latest Our Missouri Podcast episode, learn about the legacy of the AIAW and listen to oral history interviewees from the Missouri Sports & Recreation oral History Project (C4377) discuss their memories of the first few crucial years of Title IX and the AIAW.
Episode Image: Southwest Missouri State University women’s volleyball team, 1979 [Courtesy of Linda Dollar]
2022-12-0517 min
Our MissouriEpisode 73: From the Stacks (Title IX in Missouri, Part 5)In this episode, host Sean Rost takes listeners into the stacks to learn about some of the State Historical Society of Missouri's collections that highlight athletics and recreation in the state of Missouri, particularly related to the evolution of opportunities for girls and women in the 20th Century.
Episode Image: Girls Gym Demonstration at Northside Branch Gymnasium in St. Louis, Missouri, 1960 [Gateway Region Young Men’s Christian Association Records (S0473), SHSMO]
2022-11-2114 min
Our MissouriEpisode 72: From Hartville to the Hall of Fame (Title IX in Missouri, Part 4)The lessons learned in Hartville in Wright County impacted Dr. Mary Jo Wynn for the rest of her life. In this episode, host Sean Rost, as well as several participants in the Missouri Sports & Recreation Oral History Project, highlight key moments in Wynn's hall of fame career, including her efforts to expand educational and athletic opportunities for women far beyond the campus of Missouri State University.
Episode Image: Dr. Mary Jo Wynn, SMSU Sports Report, December-January 1978-1979 [Courtesy of Linda Dollar]
2022-11-0720 min
Our MissouriEpisode 71: Red Heads, Co-Eds, & Hillbillies (Title IX in Missouri, Part 3)In this episode, host Sean Rost highlights some of the 1930s and 1940s barnstorming women's basketball teams and players from Missouri, and introduces listeners to Wisconsinite Helen Onson, a former player for several of these teams whose papers and oral history are at the State Historical Society of Missouri.
For a link for the "Out of the Stacks" On Demand program referenced in the episode, check out: https://shsmo.org/on-demand/out-of-the-stacks
Episode Image: Players of the Helen Stephens Olympic Co-Eds basketball team, date unknown [Helen Onson Papers (C4043), SHSMO]
2022-10-2419 min
Our MissouriEpisode 70: Play Days (Title IX in Missouri, Part 2)To compete or not to compete—that was the question educators and athletes debated nationwide between the 1920s-1970s. In the latest Our Missouri episode, learn about how Play Days in Missouri fit into this debate on athletic opportunities for women.
Episode Image: Volleyball game at Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, 1969 [Francis Scheidegger Collection (S0809), SHSMO]
2022-10-1018 min
Our MissouriEpisode 69: Introduction (Title IX in Missouri, Part 1)In this episode, host Sean Rost opens the Title IX in Missouri series with an overview of the early history behind the landmark legislation, and introduces listeners to some of the athletes, coaches, and administrators featured in the Missouri Sports & Recreation Oral History Project.
Episode Image: Girls playing soccer at North Junior High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, 1962 [Francis Scheidegger Collection (S0809), SHSMO]
2022-09-2615 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2022: Marjorie Paxson (NWMC, Part 4)This episode features excerpts from an oral history conversation between Marjorie “Marj” Paxson and Jean Gaddy Wilson recorded in 2007 for the National Women and Media Collection’s 20th Anniversary. Wilson talks with Paxson about her career in media, her role in the establishment of the National Women and Media Collection (NWMC), and her views on the state of journalism for women at the turn of the 21st Century.
Episode & Banner Image: Marjorie B. Paxson, ca. 1950s [Marjorie B. Paxson Papers (C4078), SHSMO]
About the Guests:
MARJORIE “MARJ” PAXSON
Marjorie “Marj” Bowers Paxson was bor...2022-08-0823 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2022: In Their Own Words – Elizabeth Engel, Laura Jolley, Aleksandra Kinlen, and Heather Richmond (NWMC, Part 3)Elizabeth Engel, Laura Jolley, Aleksandra Kinlen, and Heather Richmond from The State Historical Society of Missouri join us to discuss their involvement in the creation of the exhibit, “In Their Own Words: Celebrating the National Women and Media Collection,” The exhibit is on display in the Wenneker Family Corridor Gallery at the Center for Missouri Studies from July to December 2022.
Episode & Banner Image: Marie Anderson and Robert Applegate, ca. 1958 [Marie Anderson Papers (C4074), SHSMO]
About the Guests:
Elizabeth Engel is a senior archivist for the State Historical Society of Missouri and manages the Nati...2022-07-2525 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2022: Women’s Page Journalism & Soft News – Kimberly Voss (NWMC, Part 2)Dr. Kimberly Voss joins us to talk about her writings on women in journalism, particularly her books on Women’s Pages in newspapers and how she utilized the National Women and Media Collection for her research.
Episode & Banner Image: Miami (FL) Herald newspaper staff, ca. 1950s [Dorothy Misener Journey Papers (C3904), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Dr. Kimberly Voss earned a PhD in Mass Communications and Journalism from the University of Maryland. Presently, she is a Professor of Journalism at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida. She is the au...2022-07-1123 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2022: Origins - Jean Gaddy Wilson (NWMC, Part 1)Established in 1987 and celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2022, the National Women and Media Collection documents the roles women have played in media fields, as employees and leaders as well as subjects of news coverage, how those roles have altered over time, and how attitudes of and towards women have changed. The Collection includes records of women’s organizations and professional and personal papers of women journalists, editors, book authors, newspaper and magazine publishers, media company CEOs, journalism and mass communication educators, press secretaries, and public relations personnel, as well as radio, television, and film producers and personalities. To celebrate th...2022-06-2742 min
Our MissouriEpisode 68: Ensign Fountains (Water & Waterways, Part 8)This episode features host Sean Rost discussing the National Humane Alliance and its efforts to distribute and construct multiple Ensign Fountains in Missouri in the early 20th Century.
Episode Image: Ensign Fountain, Clinton, Missouri, 2019 [Courtesy of Sean Rost]
2022-05-0216 min
Our MissouriEpisode 67: “The Thunderbird Spirit” – Andrew Olden (Water & Waterways, Part 7)This episode features Andrew Olden discussing Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1743, an African American unit based at Washington State Park along the banks of the Big River near Desoto, Missouri, in the mid-1930s.
Episode Image: Thunderbird Lodge, Washington State Park, 2021 [Courtesy of Andrew Olden]
About the Guest: Andrew Olden is a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Missouri.
2022-04-1825 min
Our MissouriEpisode 66: “Ozark Voices” – Alex Primm (Water & Waterways, Part 6)This episode features a conversation with Alex Primm about his new book, “Ozark Voices: Oral Histories from the Heartland,” and his 40+ year career alongside the rivers, gravel bars, forests, and people of the Missouri Ozarks.
Episode Image: Fishermen on the Big Piney River, Pulaski County, Missouri, date unknown [Missouri Ruralist Photographs (P0030), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Alex Primm has been a freelance oral historian since the 1980s. He has worked on projects in the Ozarks for the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, and the United States Army. His book, “Ozark Voices: Oral Histori...2022-04-0436 min
Our MissouriEpisode 65: “A River in the City of Fountains” – Amahia Mallea (Water & Waterways, Part 5)Since its earliest days, Missouri has been defined by its rivers. While the Mississippi River gets most of the attention thanks to the literary works of authors like Mark Twain, the Missouri River is actually the longer of the two waterways and travels through more counties in the state than its counterpart. This episode features a conversation with Amahia Mallea about her book, “A River in the City of Fountains,” and the complex history of the great river known as the "Big Muddy."
Episode Image: Louise and Doris Schmidt sitting on a hillside overlooking the Missouri River, Boonv...2022-03-2144 min
Our MissouriEpisode 64: Imagining the Mississippi River – Thomas Ruys Smith (Water & Waterways, Part 4)This episode features Thomas Ruys Smith, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of East Anglia, discussing the cultural life of the Mississippi River and one of its most notable residents, Mark Twain.
Episode Image: A statue of Mark Twain overlooking the Mississippi River, Hannibal, Missouri, 1951 [Missouri Ruralist Photographs (P0030), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Thomas Ruys Smith is Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of East Anglia. He is the author of several books, including “River of Dreams: Imagining the Mississippi Before Mark Twain,” “Southern Queen: New Orleans in the Ninete...2022-03-0744 min
Our MissouriEpisode 63: Farmhouses – Susan Sundermeyer (Water & Waterways, Part 3)Water. Did you ever stop to think just how important water is to your everyday life? From health, sanitation, and nutrition, to transportation, recreation, and cultural identity, water is just as important today as it has been for countless people for generations. Whether it’s the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, or the endless list of rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, and even fountains that dot Missouri’s landscape, this series is all about water. So, with that, let’s dive right in to Water & Waterways. This episode features Susan Sundermeyer discussing the book and exhibit, “Farmhouses: Before the Great Flood of...2022-02-2133 min
Our MissouriEpisode 62: Living Waters/Healing Waters – Loring Bullard (Water & Waterways, Part 2)Water. Did you ever stop to think just how important water is to your everyday life? From health, sanitation, and nutrition, to transportation, recreation, and cultural identity, water is just as important today as it has been for countless people for generations. Whether it’s the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, or the endless list of rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, and even fountains that dot Missouri’s landscape, this series is all about water. So, with that, let’s dive right in to Water & Waterways. This episode features Loring Bullard discussing the historical significance of spring water in the lives...2022-02-0727 min
Our MissouriEpisode 61: Life and Work on the Mississippi – Bonnie Stepenoff (Water & Waterways, Part 1)Water. Did you ever stop to think just how important water is to your everyday life? From health, sanitation, and nutrition, to transportation, recreation, and cultural identity, water is just as important today as it has been for countless people for generations. Whether it’s the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, or the endless list of rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, and even fountains that dot Missouri’s landscape, this series is all about water. So, with that, let’s dive right in to Water & Waterways. This episode features Bonnie Stepenoff, professor emerita of history at Southeast Missouri State University, discus...2022-01-2434 min
Our MissouriEpisode 60: Plattdeutsch, Hochdeutsch, & the Germans in Missouri – Walter Kamphoefner (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 20)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Walter Kamphoefner discusses German history, culture, and life in Missouri, particularly his upbringing in the state's German Heritage Corridor and his new book, "Germans in America: A Concise History."2021-12-2017 min
Our MissouriEpisode 59: ”Gender & the Jubilee” – Sharon Romeo (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 19)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Sharon Romeo discusses how freedwomen and enslaved women fought for their freedom and rights in Missouri during the Civil War.
Episode Image: A group of African American...2021-12-0651 min
Our MissouriEpisode 58: The Civil War on the American Middle Border – Christopher Phillips (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 18)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Christopher Phillips discusses Nathaniel Lyon, Claiborne Fox Jackson, and the Civil War on the American Middle Border.
Episode Image: Home Guard drilling during the Civil War, St...2021-11-2256 min
Our MissouriEpisode 57: ”Lorenzo Greene and Lincoln University” – Antonio F. Holland & Gary R. Kremer (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 17)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Antonio F. Holland and Gary R. Kremer return to discuss their memories of Lorenzo Greene and their years at Lincoln University.
Episode Image: President’s Office at Li...2021-11-0832 min
Our MissouriEpisode 56: ”A History of Missouri” – William Parrish (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 16)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, William Parrish discusses his writings on Missouri's Civil War and Reconstruction history, the origins of the multi-volume "Missouri: The Heart of a Nation" and "A History of Missouri," and...2021-10-2532 min
Our MissouriEpisode 55: ”The Genesis of Missouri” – William Foley (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 15)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, William Foley discusses his publications on Missouri history as well as his memories of Lewis Atherton, John Francis McDermott, and Perry McCandless.
Episode Image: Choteau Mansion in...2021-10-1139 min
Our MissouriEpisode 54: ”Missouri‘s Black Heritage” – Antonio F. Holland & Gary R. Kremer (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 14)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Antonio F. Holland and Gary R. Kremer discuss Lorenzo Greene, Lincoln University, African American History, and the origins of their book, "Missouri's Black Heritage."
Episode Image: African...2021-09-2733 min
Our MissouriEpisode 53: ”On Slavery‘s Border” – Diane Mutti Burke (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 13)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Diane Mutti Burke discusses her award-winning book, "On Slavery’s Border: Missouri’s Small-Slaveholding Households, 1815-1865," as well as historiographical interpretations of slavery in Missouri.
Episode Image: Ridg...2021-09-1341 min
Our MissouriEpisode 52: "German Immigrants, Race, and Citizenship in the Civil War Era" – Alison Clark Efford (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 12)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Alison Clark Efford discusses her book, "German Immigrants, Race, and Citizenship in the Civil War Era," and explains how the immigration experiences of Germans in Missouri shaped their views...2021-07-2628 min
Our MissouriEpisode 51: "Bridging Two Eras" – Virginia Laas (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 11)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Virginia Laas discusses her book, "Bridging Two Eras: The Autobiography of Emily Newell Blair, 1877-1951," and highlights the unique challenges of editing the writings of the noted feminist, suffragist...2021-07-1235 min
Our MissouriEpisode 50: "Mr. Missouri" (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 10)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, host Sean Rost explores the life of "Mr. Missouri"—Floyd Shoemaker—and examines how his scholarship shaped interpretations of Missouri history throughout the early-to-mid 20th Century.
Episode Image...2021-06-2820 min
Our MissouriEpisode 49: "Prairie Fires" – Caroline Fraser (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 9)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. This episode features a conversation with Caroline Fraser about her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder."
Episode Image: Wilder Museum in Mansfield, Missouri, date...2021-06-1445 min
Our MissouriEpisode 48: "Celia, A Slave" – Melton McLaurin (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 8)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. This episode features a conversation with Melton McLaurin about the 30th anniversary of his book, "Celia, A Slave."
Episode Image: Callaway County Courthouse and public square, Fulton, Missouri, ca. 1895 [Gary...2021-05-0315 min
Our MissouriEpisode 47: "American Confluence" – Stephen Aron (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 7)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. This episode features a conversation with Stephen Aron about his award-winning book, "American Confluence: The Missouri Frontier from Borderland to Border State."
Episode Image: Missouri River Sunset, ca. 1903 [Maximilian E...2021-04-1943 min
Our MissouriEpisode 46: Louis Houck and "the Histories" – Joel P. Rhodes (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 6)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Joel P. Rhodes discusses his book, "A Missouri Railroad Pioneer," and offers a historiographical perspective on Louis Houck's writings on early Missouri.
Episode Image: H. D. Williams...2021-04-0527 min
Our MissouriEpisode 45: Michael Fellman's "Inside War" – Joseph M. Beilein Jr. (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 5)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Joseph M. Beilein, Jr. returns to talk about the historiographical legacy of Michael Fellman's "Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri During the American Civil War," which was originally...2021-03-2242 min
Our MissouriEpisode 44: Understanding Civil War Missouri – Louis Gerteis (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 4)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Louis Gerteis discusses his scholarship on Civil War Missouri and reflects on the legacy of colleague and friend James Neal Primm.
Episode Image: Paw Paw Militia in...2021-03-0827 min
Our MissouriEpisode 43: "Gateway to Equality" – Keona Ervin (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 3)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. This episode features Keona Ervin discussing her award-winning book, "Gateway to Equality: Black Women and the Struggle for Economic Justice in St. Louis," which was published by the University Press of Kentucky...2021-02-2223 min
Our MissouriEpisode 42: "Across Our Wide Missouri" - Bob Priddy (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 2)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. This episode features a conversation with Bob Priddy about the origins and history behind his book and radio series, "Across Our Wide Missouri."
Episode Image: G. W. Hill Steamboat on...2021-02-0838 min
Our MissouriEpisode 41: Labor & Fortune on the Missouri Border – Jarod Roll (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 1)In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. This episode features a conversation with Jarod Roll about his contributions to the study of labor history, particularly through his books, "Spirit of Rebellion," "The Gospel of the Working Class," and "Poor...2021-01-2544 min
Our MissouriEpisode 40: William Monks & "A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas" – John Bradbury (Border Wars, Part 7)With the announced renewal of the Missouri-Kansas sports rivalry in 2019, Our Missouri opens the first half of Season 3 with an examination of the origins and history behind this rivalry, while also looking at the conflicts that defined Missouri's borders and identity before, during, and after the Civil War. This episode concludes the "Border Wars" series, and features a conversation with John Bradbury about his edited volume, with Lou Wehmer, of William Monks' memoir, "A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas: Being an Account of the Early Settlements, the Civil War, the Ku-Klux, and Times of Peace."
...2021-01-1124 min
Our MissouriEpisode 39: "Slavery on the Periphery" – Kristen Epps (Border Wars, Part 6)With the announced renewal of the Missouri-Kansas sports rivalry in 2019, Our Missouri opens the first half of Season 3 with an examination of the origins and history behind this rivalry, while also looking at the conflicts that defined Missouri's borders and identity before, during, and after the Civil War. This episode features a conversation with Kristen Epps about her book, "Slavery on the Periphery: The Kansas-Missouri Border in the Antebellum and Civil War Eras," published by University of Georgia Press.
Episode Image: Susan “Suse” Younger, ca. 1855 [B. James George Sr. Photograph Collection (P0010), SHSMO]
About the Gues...2020-12-0727 min
Our MissouriEpisode 38: The Border War of 1960-61 (Border Wars, Part 5)With the announced renewal of the Missouri-Kansas sports rivalry in 2019, Our Missouri opens the first half of Season 3 with an examination of the origins and history behind this rivalry, while also looking at the conflicts that defined Missouri's borders and identity before, during, and after the Civil War. This episode takes the listener back 60 years to the fateful school year of 1960-61 when the rivalry between the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas escalated to such an intense level that both schools debated cancelling future athletic events.
Episode Image: Spectators at a Missouri-Kansas football games...2020-11-2321 min
Our MissouriEpisode 37: "Bushwhackers" – Joseph M. Beilein Jr. (Border Wars, Part 4)With the announced renewal of the Missouri-Kansas sports rivalry in 2019, Our Missouri opens the first half of Season 3 with an examination of the origins and history behind this rivalry, while also looking at the conflicts that defined Missouri's borders and identity before, during, and after the Civil War. This episode features a conversation with Joseph M. Beilein Jr. about his book, "Bushwhackers: Guerilla Warfare, Manhood, and the Household in Civil War Missouri," published by Kent State University Press.
Episode Image: Quantrill’s Raiders Reunion, 1911 [B. James George Sr. Photograph Collection (P0010), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Jo...2020-11-0940 min
Our MissouriEpisode 36: Joseph Smith, Lilburn Boggs, & the "Kingdom of Nauvoo" - Benjamin E. Park (Border Wars, Part 3)With the announced renewal of the Missouri-Kansas sports rivalry in 2019, Our Missouri opens the first half of Season 3 with an examination of the origins and history behind this rivalry, while also looking at the conflicts that defined Missouri's borders and identity before, during, and after the Civil War. This episode features a conversation with Benjamin E. Park about his new book, "Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise & Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier."
Episode Image: Tugboats on the Mississippi River, date unknown [Charles Trefts Photographs (P0034), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Benjamin E. Park...2020-10-2636 min
Our MissouriEpisode 35: "The Border between Them" - Jeremy Neely (Border Wars, Part 2)With the announced renewal of the Missouri-Kansas sports rivalry in 2019, Our Missouri opens the first half of Season 3 with an examination of the origins and history behind this rivalry, while also looking at the conflicts that defined Missouri's borders and identity before, during, and after the Civil War. This episode features a conversation with Jeremy Neely about his book, "The Border between Them: Violence and Reconciliation on the Kansas-Missouri Line," published by the University of Missouri Press.
Episode Image: Birds-eye view of Harrisonville, Missouri, ca. 1902 [State of Missouri Collection (P0018), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Jeremy...2020-10-1223 min
Our MissouriEpisode 34: "Commonwealth of Compromise" - Amy Laurel Fluker (Border Wars, Part 1)With the announced renewal of the Missouri-Kansas sports rivalry in 2019, Our Missouri opens the first half of Season 3 with an examination of the origins and history behind this rivalry, while also looking at the conflicts that defined Missouri's borders and identity before, during, and after the Civil War. This episode features a conversation with Amy Laurel Fluker about her new book, Commonwealth of Compromise: Civil War Commemoration in Missouri, published by the University of Missouri Press.
Episode Image: Grand Army of the Republic cemetery decoration, date unknown [Charles Trefts Photographs (P0034), SHSMO]
About the Guest...2020-09-2835 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2020: Voda Curtis: Suffrage & Civil Rights - Keely Doll (Show-Me Suffragists, Part 4)This episode focuses on the life of Voda "Bea" Hardy Curtis, and documents the path of her family from slavery to suffrage. The episode also features audio clips from Voda Curtis' 1977 oral history [S0829] housed at the State Historical Society of Missouri's St. Louis Research Center, as well as final thoughts from past oral history interns—Cydney Smith, Cassie Draudt, and Keely Doll—who conducted research on Voda Curtis' life.
Episode Image: International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union members in historical costumes at the fiftieth anniversary of suffrage parade, 1970 [League of Women Voters of St. Louis Records (S0530), SHSMO]2020-08-1018 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2020: Carrie Lee Carter Stokes & The WCTU - Janet Olson (Show-Me Suffragists, Part 3)This episode focuses on the life of Carrie Lee Carter Stokes, and explains how the Dexter (MO) schoolteacher rose to become a prominent leader in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the Missouri Equal Suffrage Association.
Episode Image: Temperance rally in New Franklin, Missouri, ca. 1910 [Lilburn A. Kingsbury Collection (C3724), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Janet Olson holds an MA in History from Loyola University in Chicago. She served as the Assistant University Archivist at Northwestern University from 1998-2020. Since 2007, she has served as the part-time Archivist for the Frances Willard House Museum and WCTU Archives.2020-07-2727 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2020: The Clark Family - Ethan Colbert (Show-Me Suffragists, Part 2)This episode focuses on the Clark Family of Bowling Green, particularly Genevieve Davis Bennett Clark and Genevieve Clark Thomson, and how discussions of suffrage in their home eventually made it to the halls of Congress.
Episode Image: Honey Schuck, the home of the Clark family, in Bowling Green, Missouri, date unknown [Champ Clark Home Photograph (P0323), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Originally from Pike County, Ethan Colbert currently serves as a reader interest reporter for the Quincy Herald-Whig. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Champ Clark House.
2020-07-1334 min
Our MissouriSummer Series 2020: Alma Nash & the Maryville Milieu – Elyssa Ford (Show-Me Suffragists, Part 1)This episode focuses on Alma Nash and how Maryville's Missouri Ladies Military Band became key participants in the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession.
Episode Image: Maryville Seminary, ca. 1902 [State of Missouri Collection (P0018), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Elyssa Ford holds a Ph.D. in History from Arizona State University. Presently, she serves as Associate Professor of History, Honors Program Director, and Public History & Museum Studies Director at Northwest Missouri State University. Her book, "Rodeo as Refuge, Rodeo as Rebellion: Gender, Race, and Identity in the American Rodeo," will be published by the University Press of Kansas in 2020.
2020-06-2937 min
Our MissouriEpisode 33: Life, Death, & Coroner's Inquests – Sarah Lirley McCune (Meet Me in St. Louis, Part 9)While this year's Missouri Conference on History may be over, the Our Missouri Podcast invites listeners to "meet us" in St. Louis for a multi-part series focusing on several projects and institutions that document the city's history and cultural identity. This episode concludes Season 2 and features Sarah Lirley McCune discussing her soon-to-be-released book project, tentatively titled, "An Arc of Death," which examines how coroners interpreted the lives and deaths of 19th Century St. Louisans.
Episode Image: Bernard Feversteins horse-drawn hearse, St. Charles, Missouri, 1916 [John J. Buse Collection (S1083), SHSMO]
About the Guest: Sarah Lirley McCune i...2020-05-1824 min