Our Missouri

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 visit some historic sites that are preserving the history of railroads. So, all aboard. To open the 2025 Summer Series, Kyle Chattleton, Manager of Volunteer & Public Programs, and a Public Historian, at the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, joins us to talk about the Durham Museum and Omaha's role as a gateway to the West. Episode Image: Quincy, Omaha and Kansas City Railroad train leaving Novinger, Missouri, ca. 1920s. [Cyrus R. Truitt Scrapbooks (C1432), SHSMO] About the Guest: Dr. Kyle Chattleton is The Durham Museum's Manager of Volunteer & Public Programs and Public Historian. In addition to regularly sharing stories from the past with the public, he has presented his research at the Society for Ethnomusicology, the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, and the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities. He is originally from Southern California, where he graduated from Chapman University before studying the history of local protests and sounds in Charlottesville, Virginia and at the University of Virginia, where he earned his PhD in 2022. Prior to working at The Durham Museum, he led over 2,000 tours for over 30,000 visitors at Monticello, the historic home and plantation of Thomas Jefferson.

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 Guest: Jennifer C. Core is the executive director of the Tennessee Historical Society.  At THS, she was previously the director of membership and programs and the state coordinator of Tennessee History Day. Core is a folklorist and educator by training with masters degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Indiana University, Bloomington. She formerly held positions at the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Grand Ole Opry archives. She is co-founder and director of the Tennessee Sampler Survey, a not-for-profit devoted to documenting Tennessee's needlework heritage. Her areas of research have included Tennessee outsider and folk art, Middle Tennessee baskets, and West Tennessee Choctaw crafts. As a folklorist specializing in historical ethnography and material culture, she combines methodology from the fields of folklore and history. Core is a former classroom teacher, a native of Knoxville, a resident of Nashville since 2001, and a proud Volunteer. She is the co-author with Janet S. Hasson of Tennessee Samplers: Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800-1900.

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 museum professional, is the executive director of the Kentucky Historical Society, where he is responsible for directing the organization's mission, values, and strategic priorities through programming, publications, exhibits, and other public resources. His career began as an education volunteer for the Museum of History and Science in Louisville. Over the next 15 years, Alvey played an integral role in implementing a long-range strategic plan to transform the museum into the Louisville Science Center. He joined KHS as design studio director in 2008, became deputy director in 2012, and was named executive director in July 2018.

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 Photographs (P0034), SHSMO] About the Guest: William Furry is executive director of the Illinois State Historical Society and editor of Illinois Heritage, its popular history magazine. He is a former editor of Illinois Times. He is also the author of The Preacher's Tale: The Civil War Journal of Rev. Francis Springer, Chaplain, U.S. Army of the Frontier.

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] About the Guest: Kelsey Berryhill is a State Government Records Archivist in the State Archives of Iowa, a division of the Library and Archives Bureau of the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI). Previously, she was SHSI's Reference Librarian and a Reference Archivist at the Missouri State Archives. You can learn more about SHSI's collections, upcoming programming and events, and planning a visit at history.iowa.gov. 

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 (SP0085), SHSMO] About the Guest: Patrick G. Williams is editor of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly, secretary-treasurer of the Arkansas Historical Association, and professor of history at the University of Arkansas. He earned his BA in history at the University of Texas at Austin and his MA and PhD at Columbia University. He is the author of “Beyond Redemption: Texas Democrats After Reconstruction.”

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: Trait Thompson has led the Oklahoma Historical Society as executive director since January of 2021. Thompson began his career with the state as policy director for former Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman. During that four-year service, Thompson read every bill submitted to the senate, met with citizens from across the state and learned how to work with others to achieve shared goals. In 2014 he assumed the project manager role for the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project, shepherding the preservation and restoration of one of Oklahoma's most important historical artifacts—the State Capitol. He is author of The Oklahoma State Capitol (2022). Thompson is the co-host of A Very OK Podcast, which explores the interesting stories and fascinating personalities that make up Oklahoma's unique history. Look for new episodes each month. OHS members receive updates from Thompson in each issue of Mistletoe Leaves, the bimonthly membership newsletter of the OHS.

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 Papers (C3069), SHSMO] About the Guest: Sarah Bell is the director of the Kansas Museum of History. She attended the University of Kansas where she earned a Masters in Museum Studies and her PhD in History. Her dissertation analyzed the intersection of women's political activities with the Chautauqua Movement at the turn of the 20th century. In 2018 Sarah joined the Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau and has enjoyed presenting to audiences across Kansas. She published an article in Kansas History in Spring 2019 that focused on the Ottawa Chautauqua.    

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.”

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. For more than twenty-four years he has conducted a daily pursuit of a man who newspapers and fellow baseball players of his day referred to as the “Greatest Colored Pitcher in the World.” Gorton is a recipient of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) – Negro Leagues Committee - Tweed Webb Lifetime Achievement Award for preserving the history of the Negro Leagues.

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. Bridget completed her master's degree in history at the University of Central Missouri with an emphasis on 20th-century African American history. She also received a bachelor's degree in history and English literature at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Zack Palitzsch is an archivist at the State Historical Society of Missouri's St. Louis Research Center. He grew up in St. Charles County, and received a bachelor's degree majoring in English literature at Missouri State University as well as a master's degree in library and information science from Indiana University. 

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. 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 Richmond,” “Matty Boy: A Civil War Novel for Young Readers,” “Manila and Santiago: The New Steel Navy in the Spanish-American War,” “The Turtle and the Dreamboat: The Cold War Flights That Forever Changed the Course of Global Aviation,” “Ballplayers in the Great War: Newspaper Accounts of Major Leaguers in World War I Military Service,” Nine Innings for the King: The Day Wartime London Stopped for Baseball, July 4, 1918,” “From the Dugouts to the Trenches: Baseball during the Great War,” “The Best Team Over There: The Untold Story of Grover Cleveland Alexander and the Great War,” and “The Gas and Flame Men: Baseball and the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I.”

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." 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 St. Louis: From Little Leagues to Major Leagues."

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. 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 Music and Mythocracy of Col. Bruce Hampton as well as Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize.

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. About the Guest: Jonathan “J.” Daniel currently works in communications for Indiana University, and spent twenty years working in sports, both in front and behind the camera. He spent five seasons producing Rays Magazine, a weekly television show about the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, and also worked as a sports producer at Fox affiliates in Tampa and Chicago. He is the author of Phinally!: The Phillies, the Royals, and the 1980 Baseball Season That Almost Wasn't and Suds Series: Baseball, Beer Wars, and the Summer of '82. He blogs at https://80sbaseball.com/.

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. About the Guests: Katie Seale holds a master's degree in history from Oklahoma State University. A native of the Missouri Ozarks, she worked at the State Historical Society's Springfield Research Center before becoming the coordinator for the Society's Rolla and Springfield research centers. 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 Research Center.

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. About the Guests: Katie Seale holds a master's degree in history from Oklahoma State University. A native of the Missouri Ozarks, she worked at the State Historical Society's Springfield Research Center before becoming the coordinator for the Society's Rolla and Springfield research centers. 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 Research Center.

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. About the Guests: Katie Seale holds a master's degree in history from Oklahoma State University. A native of the Missouri Ozarks, she worked at the State Historical Society's Springfield Research Center before becoming the coordinator for the Society's Rolla and Springfield research centers. 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 Research Center.

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 About the Guests: Katie Seale holds a master's degree in history from Oklahoma State University. A native of the Missouri Ozarks, she worked at the State Historical Society's Springfield Research Center before becoming the coordinator for the Society's Rolla and Springfield research centers. 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 Research Center.

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." 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 of "Sudden Deaths in St. Louis: Coroner Bias in the Gilded Age."

This episode features a conversation with Kitty Ledbetter about her new book, "Broadcasting the Ozarks: Si Siman and Country Music at the Crossroads." 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."

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." 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, the Buckfoot Gang, and the Fleecing of Middle America."

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. 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 Heartland,” was published by McFarland.

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. About the Guest: Sydney J. Norton is an independent scholar and the director of German Language Solutions, a company that specializes in language teaching, translation, and cultural programming. Her publications include exhibition catalogs and journal articles on contemporary German art and literature, the performing and visual arts of the Weimar Republic, and German immigrants in Missouri.

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. 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.

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. 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 Times of Lucile Morris Upton.

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. About the Guests: Kathleen Seale holds a master's degree in history from Oklahoma State University. A native of the Missouri Ozarks, she worked at the State Historical Society's Springfield Research Center before being appointed as a Senior Archivist at the Rolla Research Center. Presently, she is the coordinator for SHSMO's Rolla and Springfield research centers. John Brenner is a native of Columbia, Missouri, and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. After beginning his career as a journalist, he entered scholarly publishing in 1994, serving for 18 years as an editor at the University of Missouri Press. A longtime member of SHSMO before joining its staff in 2012, he became managing editor in 2014.

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. 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 Missouri, the editor of William Gregg's Civil War: The Battle to Shape the History of Guerrilla Warfare and the co-editor of The Civil War Guerrilla: Unfolding the Black Flag in History, Memory, and Myth. His new book, A Man by Any Other Name: William Clark Quantrill and the Search for American Manhood, is published by the University of Georgia Press.

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. 

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. 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.

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. 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 the State Historical Society of Missouri.

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. 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 Research Center.

In this episode, Bridget Haney, SHSMO Historian, joins host Sean Rost to discuss her new Historic Missourians biography of Arvarh Strickland. 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.

In this episode, Doug Genens, SHSMO Oral Historian, joins host Sean Rost to discuss his new Historic Missourians biography of Mary Jane Guthrie. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.   About the Guest: Christine Peoples is the Timmons Hall Education Coordinator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board

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.

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. About the Guest: Curtis Gregory is a park ranger for the National Park Service at George Washington Carver National Monument

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 begin the second half of Season 5 and the new series “African American Heritage in the Ozarks,” host Sean Rost introduces listeners to the some of the oral history interviewees and the key themes of Ozarks history that emerged over the course of the project. For more information on the Emancipation Day in the Missouri Ozarks interactive map discussed in the episode, please visit: https://shsmo.org/interactives/emancipation-day-ozarks 

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. 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 Missouri football team; Director of Social Media for Oregon State University Athletics; and multimedia reporter, anchor, and producer at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri. Maddy Glab is a multimedia journalist for Pegula Sports & Entertainment. In that role, she primarily serves as a team reporter for the NFL's Buffalo Bills. Prior to that role, she held several positions in media and digital marketing, including On-Air Talent/Multimedia Producer for the University of Tennessee; Video Producer/Reporter for Stanford University Athletics; and a sports reporter and anchor at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri. Lauren Michelson is a sports anchor for KLKN-TV in Lincoln, Nebraska. Prior to that role, she worked as a sports reporter and anchor at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri. Dani Wexelman is a freelance on-air reporter and producer. In that role, she has worked with MLB Network, Major League Rugby, National Lacrosse League, and Sirius XM Radio. She also co-hosts two podcasts, “Datt's What She Said with Dani” and “Amateur Hour.” She has held several positions in media and digital marketing, including On-Air Talent, Storyteller, and Producer for MLB.com; Editor/Producer for NHL.com; Digital & Social Media Paid Intern for the Harrisburg Senators, and an anchor, reporter, producer for KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri.

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.

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.

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.