Podcasts about Missouri Historical Society

The Missouri Historical Society has flung open a vault of artifacts it's been collecting since the 1860s. A new rotating exhibition at the Missouri History Museum gives visitors a chance to experience dozens of self-contained stories behind these objects — from a massive bird-hunting rifle to adorable kids' clothing from the last century. Museum tour manager Ryan Deloach shares his highlights from “Collected.” Also, the historical society's president, Jody Sowell, reacts to the news of cancelled grants totaling $250,000 after cuts by the Trump Administration to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

We can't think about the future without first understanding our past. That's the message in this week's episode as we head to Forest Park to the Missouri History Museum. We sat down with Jody Sowel, the President of the Missouri Historical Society and one of the most fascinating interviews I've had in a while. Jody is a transplant of St. Louis but you'd never know it. He has a passion and a deep knowledge of our city that rivals those born and raised here. If you haven't been to the history museum in a while, listen up because you'll be shocked about everything new they have to offer and explore. We chat about it all as they gear up for some pretty big milestones.

On this episode of the STL Bucket List Show, host Luke Farrell sits down with Jody Sowell, President and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society, to discuss the organization's ambitious campaign to preserve and share St. Louis history. With a goal of raising $36 million, this initiative is already funding groundbreaking projects, including the 1904 World's Fair exhibit, the upcoming Collected exhibit in 2025, and the citywide St. Louis Birthday Bash in 2026. The campaign will culminate in 2027 with Gallery STL, a transformative 12,000-square-foot exhibit that will immerse visitors in St. Louis' history like never before.Jody shares his passion for storytelling and his vision for how history can strengthen the community. From Thursday Nights at the Museum to the innovative New to St. Louis program, MHS is making history accessible and engaging for all. Tune in as we explore the past, present, and future of this incredible city and how these projects are shaping its next chapter.Support the show

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 5! If you didn't hear the last episode, then go do it! S05E04 is Part 1 of this conversation with Peter Tao, one of the co-founders of the award-winning architectural design firm in St. Louis, TAO + LEE Associates, Inc.  In this episode, we continue our conversation with Peter, AKA The Accidental Historian, and we talk more about how his family has supported his journey into researching and telling Chinese American history, his love of hockey (specifically the St. Louis Blues), the documentary Day One, his advice for people with historical artifacts or stories to tell, and so much more. Peter also briefly mentions how he's the current Board President of the OCA chapter in St. Louis. We recommend you check them out as well as the OCA National Center. And finally, don't forget to support The Missouri Historical Society's St. Louis Chinese American Collecting Initiative. They collect pictures and stories of Chinese Americans in St. Louis. You can donate money or contribute artifacts to help! If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 4! Peter Tao and his real life partner Helen Lee are the force behind TAO + LEE Associates, Inc. an award winning St. Louis based design firm. They provide Architectural, Planning, Interiors, and Creative Design services for a diversity of project types, sizes & applications. Their projects have been built both domestically and internationally.  That alone would have interested us enough to have a conversation with Peter, but he's also heavily involved in the St. Louis community, working to raise awareness of the history and stories of Chinese Americans and the greater Asian Pacific Americans who have lived in Missouri. Inspired to dig deeper to help honor his father's centennial birthday back in 2017, Peter has gone on to write blogs, curate historical artifacts, and contribute to historical documents. One of his latest pieces is an essay entitled "Why Should We, the Chinese, Meet at the Fair?" in the book in the book The Wonder and Complexity of the 1904 World's Fair.  His deep dive into family and Chinese American history resulted in him creating his site (and great nickname) The Accidental Historian. On the site, you can find pictures of his family's history as well as posts about a variety of topics including The Life Balance Equation and There Were Chinese in the South? If that wasn't enough, he's still heavily involved in The Missouri Historical Society's St. Louis Chinese American Collecting Initiative that collects pictures and stories of Chinese Americans in St. Louis. You can donate money or contribute artifacts to help! In Part 1, we discuss architecture, how he got into history, things he'd like people to know about Chinese Americans in St. Louis, and more. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Brady Wolf, Curator of Indigenous Collections at the Missouri Historical Society, sits down with Debbie Monterrey to discuss how museums nationwide are pushing to return artifacts to descendents of native populations.

A history of St. Louis' Chinese restaurants sheds light on the role these establishments have played in taste-making and community-building for more than 150 years. The Missouri Historical Society's Magdalene Linck discusses who owned some of the best-known Chinese restaurants in St. Louis, what they served beyond the plate, and how changes in Chinese food options over time reflect changes in the local population as well as diners' palates.

Few editions of the Olympics can out-crazy the 1904 Games hosted in St. Louis. Adam Kloppe, public historian at the Missouri Historical Society, shares the many ways St. Louis left its mark on Olympic history — including its hot mess of a marathon and being the first modern Games to award a medal to an African American athlete.

Welcome to Episode #45 of Mission Of Spe Podcast. In this episode of the Mission of Speed podcast, Mark is joined by Mark Sundlov who is the Soldiers Memorial Director at Missouri Historical Society. They discuss the museum's role in preserving the military history of St. Louis and the significant renovations completed in 2018 that transformed the museum into a vibrant downtown attraction. The conversation also highlights the museum's involvement in community events such as the Market Mile race and the Veterans Day parade. Mark emphasizes the importance of ongoing public and private support to maintain the museum and its mission. The episode is filled with fascinating trivia and a deep dive into the rich history of St. Louis, making it a valuable listen for history enthusiasts and local residents alike.In today's episode, you will hear about such topics as: Mark's Journey to Soldiers Memorial Exciting Exhibits and Events at Soldiers Memorial Community Engagement and Social History Chronological Journey Through Military History Reach out to Soldiers Memorial at Missouri Historical Society: Website:https://mohistory.org/memorial Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/soldiersstlouis/

The Missouri Leviathan was an enormous skeleton made of fossilized bones that were excavated and assembled by Albert C. Koch. Was it a hoax, or just bad science?  Research:  Lotzof, Kerry. “Missouri Leviathan: the making of an American mastodon.” Natural History Museum (London). https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-making-of-an-american-mastodon.html Wanko, Andrew. “Great River City: The Missouri Leviathan.” Missouri Historical Society. 12/12/2019. https://mohistory.org/blog/great-river-city-the-missouri-leviathan Missouri State Parks. “At Mastodon State Historic Site.” https://mostateparks.com/page/54983/historic-site-history Phillips, Nicholas. “This odd creature from Missouri once gained international fame.” St. Louis Magazine. 5/8/2020. https://www.stlmag.com/culture/missouri-leviathan-albert-koch-mastodon-kimmswick/ Ashworth, William. “Scientist of the Day: Albert C. Koch.” Linda Hall Library. 5/10/2022. https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/albert-c-koch/ Mackenthun, Gesa. “Albert Koch.” Universitat Rostock. 3/4/2016. https://www.iaa.uni-rostock.de/forschung/laufende-forschungsprojekte/american-antiquities-prof-mackenthun/project/agents/albert-c-koch/ Buckley, S.B. “On the Zeuglodon Remains of Alabama.” American Journal of Science and Arts, Band 52. Dana, James D. “On Dr. Koch's Evidence with Regard to the Cotemporaneity of Man and the Mastodon in Missouri.” American Journal of Science and the Arts, Vol. IX, May 1875. Hoy, P.R. “Dr. Koch's Missorium.” The American Naturalist Volume 5, Issue 3. May, 1871. https://doi.org/10.1086/270728 Krause, Stefan. “From Prehistory to Deep History: The Coloniality of Counting Time.” Universitat Rostock. Proceedings of the Geological Society of London. Vol. 3, Part 2. No. 87. 1842. Hensley, John R. “Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis.” Vol. 33, No. 1. McMillan, R. Bruce. “Objects of Curiosity: Albert Koch's `1840 St. Louis Museum.” The Living Museum vol. 42, no. 02,03; 1980. Via Illinois Digital Archives. McMillan, R. Bruce. “More than a Fossil Hunter: The Life and Pursuits of Charles W. Beehler.” The Confluence. Spring/Summer 2013. Hazen, Robert M. "Phenomena, comment and notes." Smithsonian, vol. 22, no. 7, Oct. 1991, pp. 28+. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A11373982/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=99bffd4a. Accessed 22 May 2024. Bruce Mcmillan, R. "ALBERT C. KOCH'S MISSOURIUM AND THE DEBATE OVER THE CONTEMPORANEITY OF HUMANS AND THE PLEISTOCENE MEGAFAUNA OF NORTH AMERICA." Earth Sciences History, vol. 41, no. 2, July 2022, pp. 410+. Gale In Context: Science, dx.doi.org/10.17704/1944-6187-41.2.410. Accessed 22 May 2024. Mcmillan, R. Bruce. "ALBERT KOCH'S HYDRARCHOS: A HOAX OR A BONA FIDE COLLECTION OF BONES." Earth Sciences History, vol. 42, no. 1, Jan. 2023, pp. 84+. Gale In Context: Science, dx.doi.org/10.17704/1944-6187-42.1.84. Accessed 22 May 2024. Rieppel, Lukas. “Albert Koch's Hydrarchos Craze: Credibility, Identity, and Authenticity in Nineteenth-Century Natural History.” From: Science Museums in Transition: Cultures of Display in Nineteenth-Century Britain and America. 1 ed. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2017. muse.jhu.edu/book/52515 Koch, Albert C. “Description of Missourium, or Missouri leviathan : together with its supposed habits and Indian traditions concerning the location from whence it was exhumed; also, comparisons of the whale, crocodile and missourium with the leviathan, as described in 41st chapter of the book of Job.” Louisville, Ky. : Prentice and Weissinger. 1841. “The Missourium.” The Farmers' Cabinet and American Herd-Book : Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, and Rural and Domestic Affairs 1841-12-15: Vol 6 Iss 5. Veit, Richard. "Mastodons, Mound Builders, and Montroville Wilson Dickeson–Pioneering American Archaeologist." Expedition Magazine 41, no. 3 (November, 1999): -. Accessed May 24, 2024. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/mastodons-mound-builders-and-montroville-wilson-dickeson-pioneering-american-archaeologist/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we invite you to meet us in St. Louis, Louis, for a conversation about the 1904 World's Fair. Joining our discussion is Adam Kloppe, a public historian with the Missouri Historical Society who worked on the new World's Fair Exhibit at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, which opened in April 2024.  We discuss both the new perspectives and harsh realities faced when creating the exhibit, as well as the innovation, grandeur, and spectacle of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition that still inspires wonder and awe to this day. 

Dr Jody Sowell, President and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society joins Debbie Monterrey to preview a new exhibit at the Missouri History Museum opening this weekend.  Gateway to Pride opens June 7.   Getty Images  

Before the Stonewall Riot in 1969, queer love, experiences and struggles for civil rights were woven into the fabric of American — and St. Louis' — culture. The Missouri History Museum will unveil the Gateway to Pride exhibit, highlighting queer history for the first time since the Missouri Historical Society's founding in 1866.

The Eads Bridge is a structure of distinction, not only for its design and materials, but also for its place in regional history and culture. A new exhibit at the Missouri History Museum commemorates the bridge's 150th year. Amanda Clark, public historian at the Missouri Historical Society and content lead for the “Eads Bridge at 150” exhibit, discusses the legacy of the bridge a century and a half after its completion.

On this week's episode presented by Busey Bank, Josh is joined by Dr. Jody Sowell, president and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society. Jody came to St. Louis in 2003 to pursue a doctorate in American Studies at St. Louis University and fell in love with our town. Eighteen years ago he took a small, temporary position at the History Museum and the rest is well…Under his leadership, the museum has been focused on community engagement and leaning hard into a cross cultural, multi-layered look at St. Louis history. He's overseen 8 of the 10 most visited exhibits in the history of the museum. Josh and Jody talk about their shared appreciation for the power of an American Studies degree, the upcoming 1904 World's Fair exhibit and building culture through communication and cheerleading. Lots of great leadership lessons in this one. Let's go…

If you live in a historic house or just love historic architecture, you'll enjoy hearing from this episode's guest, Dennis Northcott. Northcott is an archivist at the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center, specializing in genealogy and house history. Through a variety of digitized resources, he passionately assists researchers in their quest to uncover the stories hidden in their home, as well as the fascinating details that bring to life its past residents, making house history research more accessible and intriguing than ever before. The Missouri Historical Society's Library and Research Center is open to the public, and no membership is required. Staff members are available to assist you with your research and help answer your questions, no matter how farfetched they may seem. Listen and follow House of Lou on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or most places podcasts are available. Thank you to Karr Bick Kitchen & Bath for sponsoring this episode.  From design and construction to interiors, Karr Bick serves as a one-stop-shop for all the essentials needed to create spaces that are #NothingOrdinary. Schedule a free design consultation at karrbick.com. Got an idea for a future House of Lou episode?  We love hearing from our audience. Send your thoughts or feedback to Veronica at vtheodoro@stlmag.com or to podcasts@stlmag.com. We can't wait to hear from you! Looking for more inspo? Subscribe to our Design+Home newsletter to receive our latest home, design, and style content in your inbox every Wednesday. And follow Veronica (@vtlookbook) and St. Louis Magazine on Instagram (@stlouismag). Interested in being a podcast sponsor? Contact Lauren Leppert at lleppert@stlmag.com. Mentioned in this episode: History Museum Library & Research Center Andrew Raimist  Pilgrim Congregational Church on Union  Washington University History Department  City of Maplewood  Hacienda Restaurant on Manchester  Sievers Photo Studio  Magic Chef Mansion Gingerbread houses in South City  City of Webster Groves  Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park Landmarks Association of St. Louis Westmoreland and Portland Places: The History and Architecture of America's Premier Private Streets, 1888-1988, by Julius Hunter Saint Louis Art Museum, Unpacking the Imperial Hotel at 100: Frank Lloyd Wright and the World You may also enjoy these SLM articles: How to search for the history of a St. Louis home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Join Johnny Rabbit on a journey through the history of education in St. Louis, starting from Pierre Laclede's founding of the city in 1764. Explore the evolution of schools, from private French language schools to the establishment of public schools, kindergartens, and universities. Learn about key milestones, influential educators like Susan Blow, and significant events like the Louisiana Purchase World's Fair in 1904. Discover how St. Louis played a role in the women's rights movement and the birth of the telephone. 

A new Missouri Historical Society collection is highlighting the life of a prominent Black St. Louis physician. Dr. John H. Gladney was the first Black ear, nose, and throat specialist in the city.

While the U.S. was on the brink of Civil War, a secret organization of Black men convened in St. Louis to plot an insurrection. We take a look at that clandestine plan and how an insubordinate war hero ticked off President Lincoln with his antics to free enslaved Missourians with Cicely Hunter of the Missouri Historical Society and Cathy Hart from the Friends of Father Dickson Cemetery.

In a packed hour two, Sam Moore leads off, of the Missouri Historical Society. He is followed up by Mike Brown, to talk about your money. Tom Snyder also joins the show to discuss postcard collecting. 

Welcome to the STL Bucket List Show! In this episode, hosts Luke & Marissa Farrell, joined by Sam Moore, Director of Public History at the Missouri Historical Society (MHS), explore the dynamic history of St. Louis. Discover MHS's founding mission in 1866, with over half a million annual visitors to the Missouri History Museum and a vast artifact collection supported by 4,500 members.Uncover MHS's core components: the Missouri History Museum, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, and the Library & Research Center. Soldiers Memorial, downtown, currently features the evocative exhibit "Vietnam at War & at Home." Meanwhile, the Missouri History Museum, nestled in Forest Park, is a nationally accredited institution showcasing local and regional history.Explore how the museum keeps history alive with rotating exhibits like "Coloring STL" and "Soccer City." Join Luke & Marissa and their guest, Sam Moore, for an engaging journey through St. Louis' past. Experience the stories that have shaped the city, with a glimpse into the vibrant present and exciting future.Support the show

For centuries history has primarily been told from the perspective of white men. What was traditionally considered a “reliable source” has not included the voices of Black people and other people of color. Over the last decade tables have started to turn, and more historians are recognizing there is a lot of work to be done in addressing the interpretation of Black history. Cicely Hunter of the African American History Initiative at the Missouri Historical Society, Pam Sanfilippio of Gateway Arch National Park's museum services, and Vivian Gibson, author of “The Last Children of Mill Creek” discuss the difficulties faced when attempting to provide inclusive interpretation of American history that spotlights the unique experiences of Black Americans.

Just as the US flag had many iterations before it, in 1960, finally became what we know today, the city flag of St. Louis went through several versions before it arrived, in 1964, at the current version. Just press play to hear the whole story. Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content:  Andrew Wanko, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, Politics and Government, Podcast Transcript: I'm Andrew Wanko, Public Historian of the Missouri Historical Society, and here's history on 88-one, KDHX. ——— If you've spent any time in St. Louis, you've surely spotted the red banner with a fleur-de-lis and river-like blue lines that announces the city to the world. But while you might presume St. Louis's flag has flown since the city's earliest days, it's actually a pretty recent addition to our civic symbols. Its barely older than the Gateway Arch, and wasn't the first flag the city had. ——— In 1915, a local civic group launched a contest to design a St. Louis flag, and south side artist Edward Krondl won over 80 other entrants. His design featured Art Hill's statue of St. Louis outlined in blue, with vivid orange and white stripes symbolizing prosperity, purity, and wealth. But when the St. Louis Board of Aldermen saw the color palette they grimaced, and in summer 1916 announced their own flag competition.  ———  The second winning city flag design again featured the statue of St. Louis, now over red white and blue stripes, with four stars symbolizing that St. Louis was the nation's 4th largest city in population. The 1916 city flag became St. Louis's first official one, but its weaknesses quickly showed. The design looked cluttered, the horseback figure of St. Louis was reduced to a blur when the flag was waving, and the stars became meaningless as St. Louis shifted in the population ranks.  ——— With St. Louis's bicentennial approaching in February 1964, Yale University heraldry expert Theodore Sizer came to the rescue. He presented the St. Louis city flag design that now stands beside civic landmarks, waves from front porches, and graces t-shirts and coffee mugs. Sizer's St. Louis flag embodies all five of the North American Vexillogical Association's “good flag design” principles – it's simple enough to draw from memory, has meaningful symbolism, uses limited colors, contains no lettering or seals, and doesn't copy from existing flags. ——— In 2004, the St. Louis flag was named among the top five U.S. city flags, and thousands of voters in a 2020 March Madness-style social media contest crowned St. Louis's flag the world's best.  ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I'm Andrew Wanko and this is 88-one, KDHX, St. Louis. ———  

Sometime phenomenons can begin as a hobby. The craze around Monster Trucks began with a man here in the St. Louis who just enjoyed Souping up his truck for extreme off roading. It, however, became big business over time, and his truck named "Big Foot" became an icon. Just press play to hear the whole story.  Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Adam Kloppe, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, Pastimes and Leisure, Transportation, Business,       Podcast Transcript: I'm Adam Kloppe, public historian with the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History on eighty-eight one, KDHX. ——— My nephew loves monster trucks. I know that probably isn't the thing you were expecting to hear in a two minute history segment, but I promise I'll bring it around. Anyway, he loves those trucks. He loves watching the highlights of the trucks doing stunts or driving over cars with their oversized tires. He has a bunch of the toys, and he convinces his parents (and sometimes his aunt and uncle) to take him to monster truck events. And he's hardly the only kid who goes wild for monster trucks—they are big business, and between the toys, live events, video games, and everything else, the industry brings in over a billion dollars a year. ——— But it turns out that none of us may have heard of monster trucks if not for one St. Louis area man named Bob Chandler. In the 1970s and 80s, Chandler owned an auto shop outside of the city, and whenever he had free time he liked to soup up his truck for extreme off-roading. He was constantly improving on it, eventually outfitting it with tall tires from a piece of agricultural equipment so that it could go to even more outlandish places. The truck was turning heads, and Chandler decided to give it a name—Bigfoot. ——— In 1981, Chandler had an idea. He created a tape of Bigfoot as he drove the truck over some old, junked-out cars. The tape started a sensation. It was passed around among enthusiasts—no one had ever seen a truck do what Bigfoot could. Soon Chandler was getting requests to bring Bigfoot to drag races, tractor pulls, and other events. Bigfoot was often the star of the show, with fans rushing the truck to learn more about it. Other enthusiasts began building monster trucks of their own. Events were scheduled where monster trucks competed against one another in races and stunt competitions, and drivers and mechanics innovated the trucks to perform even wilder stunts. A new industry was born, and it hasn't slowed down in the decades since.  ——— Today, Bob Chandler is still involved with monster truck events, and a new version of Bigfoot still makes appearances at monster truck events all over the country. And if you want to visit Bigfoot, you can—the shop is located in nearby Pacific, Missouri. I guess I'll have to take my nephew out there so he can see the truck for himself. ——— Here's History is a joint production of KDHX and the Missouri Historical Society. I'm Adam Kloppe, and this is eighty eight one, KDHX St. Louis. ———

When thinking about brass band music, one probably instantly thinks about John Philip Sousa, but William Joseph Blue, a Black Man, spent his life sharing his passion for Brass music with the world as well, which is all well documented in his diary. Just press play to hear the whole story. -----   Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Cicely Hunter, Music, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, Black History,  Podcast Transcript: I'm Cicely Hunter, Public Historian from the Missouri Historical Society, and here's history, on eighty-eight-one, KDHX. As a notable bandmaster, talented cornetist, composer, and teacher, William Joseph Blue spent his life sharing his passion for music with the world. He was born to George and Mary Blue on July 25, 1875, in Bloomfield, Missouri. He married Eva Mapp on September 8, 1898, and the couple moved to St. Louis around 1900. ----- Blue's musical expertise made him one of the leading Black artists in St. Louis and earned him the nickname “Professor.” At an Emancipation Day celebration in 1912, he led a brass band of 50 Black musicians playing to an estimated crowd of more than 20,000 people gathered at Handlan's Park, located at Grand and Laclede avenues. ------ Blue enlisted in the US Army during World War I, arriving at New Jersey's Camp Dix training camp on March 7, 1918. Four days later he was appointed assistant band leader for the 350th Field Artillery Band of the 92nd Division, one of the two Black infantry divisions that served in the war. By June 30 he was on his way to the war front in France. ------- The Missouri Historical Society's Collection includes a fragile 136-page diary from Blue that gives the reader vital information and insight into his experiences. Blue recorded details about his enlistment at Jefferson Barracks, his time in training camp, his experiences, and thoughts on military service in France, and poems about the war. Writing about the artillery band's performances in France, Blue noted, “Every concert was received with continuous applause until we gave the last number.” ------ Also, Blue was involved with different band organizations, including his own William Blue Band, he led the Haskell and Blues School of Music in St. Louis, founded the Shriners Band, and organized Sunday concerts at Pythian Hall and Douglass Hall. ------ For more information about St. Louis Black history, please visit our website mohistory.org/aahi. Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I'm Cicely Hunter and this is eighty-eight-one, KDHX, St. Louis. ------      

In the St. Louis region, the name Soulard is instantly recognized as a neighborhood where, among other things, Mardi Gras is held. Names of neighborhoods usually come from somewhere, though In this case, the neighborhood is named after a person who was a great surveyor and map maker, who helped organize the city, and his wife who donated the land where the namesake, famous, market still thrives to this day. Just press play to hear the whole story. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Andrew Wanko, Business, Landmarks, Women's History, People of Note, ——— Podcast Transcript: I'm Andrew Wanko, Public Historian of the Missouri Historical Society, and here's history, on 88.1 KDHX. ——— With its mix of customs, cultures, and even languages, the bustling town of Colonial St. Louis had trouble keeping its property records straight for its first few decades of existence. The person who finally sorted things out is a name any St. Louisan of today will instantly recognize. ——— In 1795, French native Antoine Soulard became the first official surveyor general of Upper Louisiana. The territory stretched from present-day Arkansas to Montana, and in his first year on the job, Soulard would map its 800,000 square miles more accurately than anyone had before. His map was so good, American explorers Lewis & Clark would take along with them on their journey to the Pacific nearly a decade later. But in addition to mapping these vast spaces, Antoine Soulard equally put his talents into mapping the edges and boundaries of the town of St. Louis. ——— After thirty years of real estate deals based on handshakes and verbal agreements, property owners in colonial St. Louis often had misunderstandings about where their land ended and their neighbor's began. Using prominent landmarks and geographic features to set official property boundaries, Antoine Soulard mapped out St. Louis's world through more than 710 land surveys he completed before retiring in 1806. As St. Louis grew outwards, many of the edge lines that Soulard laid out guided the placement of the streets we drive along today.  ——— While St. Louis has changed drastically from the small town that Antoine Soulard knew, the neighborhood, street, and market named Soulard all connect us to him and his wife Julia across two centuries of history. When the two married, they were given a large tract of undeveloped land just south of St. Louis as a wedding present. Antoine Soulard died in 1825, but Julia continued living on the land for another 20 years. In the 1830s she began selling off portions of the Soulard estate to be subdivided into new city blocks. In 1842, she gifted St. Louis a large piece of her land for use as the public market that still bears her name today. ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri History Museum and KDHX.  I'm Andrew Wanko and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis. ———  

There have been many great voices on the airwaves of St. Louis over the years. One of those voices was Bernie Hayes. After developing an interest in radio while serving in the military, he would find his way to St. Louis, and becoming an influential voice, and a pioneer of Black radio. Just press play to hear the whole story. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Cicely Hunter, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, Black History, People of Note, ------ Podcast Transcript: I'm Cicely Hunter, Public Historian from the Missouri Historical Society, and here's history, on eighty-eight-one, KDHX. ———  Black radio listeners who tuned in to KATZ in 1965 would hear the smooth captivating voice of Bernie Hayes, a new disc jockey who had just arrived from the West Coast. Born to John and Alberta Burns in Florida in 1935 and raised in Chicago, Hayes graduated from the University of Illinois and served in the US Air Forces. It was during his time in the military that he developed an interest in radio and began announcing with the Armed Forces Radio Services. Before landing in St. Louis, he was a radio broadcaster in other locations around the U.S. ——— Honing his skill to meet the needs of the Black community, Hayes crafted his segments to stimulate the minds of his viewers with music and knowledge. His style was so dynamic that listeners believed there were two Bernie Hayeses' because of the two completely different sounds that graced the airwaves, with R&B and rock 'n' roll in the afternoon and jazz during the midnight segment. ——— In his book “The Death of Black Radio, Hayes explores the power of Black music and culture, which led to a rapid change that has since dominated the market and made significant gains for non-Black radio professionals. As different Black radio personalities emerged and dedicated themselves to entertaining, educating, and enlightening their audience, there was direct resistance to authentic Black voices. In 1972 and 1977, Hayes and a few of his colleagues led protests that paved the way for many local Black-owned radio stations and their Black employees. With this picket, Hayes declares, “we changed the culture of radio for African American disc jockeys and announcers at KKSS, KWK, KATZ, and Magic 108.” ——— For more information about St. Louis Black history, please visit our website mohistory.org/aahi. Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I'm Cicely Hunter and this is eighty-eight-one, KDHX, St. Louis. ———

When a young Black woman came to town  in the 1920's came to town to make a blues record, she accomplished that and more. Having had a successful recording career in her youth, she decided to form a record label that would keep older blues musicians recording. Just press play to hear the whole story. —— — Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Andrew Wanko, Black History, Women's History, Music, Business, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, Podcast Transcript: I'm Andrew Wanko, Public Historian of the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's history on 88.1, KDHX. —— In 1926, teenager Victoria Spivey sat alone and nervous on a 600-mile, one-way train ride bound for St. Louis. It was a city bigger than any she'd ever seen during her Texas childhood, and a place where she knew no one. But more than anything, Victoria Spivey wanted to make a hit blues record, and St. Louis was where to do it. ——— At the DeLuxe Music Shoppe on Market Street, she sat down at the store's piano, and belted out her chilling original song “Black Snake Blues.” Within a week the obvious hit was being pressed in New York City, and it would sell countless thousands of copies within the year. She became a staff songwriter for the St. Louis Publishing Company, and in 1927 scored her next smash hit. The socially conscious “T.B. Blues” chronicled the discrimination faced by the era's victims of tuberculosis. ——— With an animated voice and distinct nasal moan she called her “tiger squall,” Victoria Spivey captivated 1920s listeners across dozens more records. When the Great Depression dissolved recording opportunities, Spivey pivoted to become an actress. In 1929 she starred in King Vidor's film Hallelujah!, among the earliest major Hollywood productions to feature an all-black cast. The following April, she graced the front cover of The Crisis, the official publication of the NAACP.  ——— Victoria Spivey retired from show business by 1950, but as the folk revival of the 1960s took hold, a new generation of fans on both sides of the Atlantic were seeking her out. In 1962 she founded Spivey Records, and got other older blues musicians – including former St. Louisans Lonnie Johnson and Big Joe Williams - recording again for new audiences. On one Spivey Records recording session, an almost completely unknown young folk singer named Bob Dylan provided backing vocals and harmonica. He wouldn't remain unknown for long, and he and Victoria remained good friends. You can find a picture of them side by side on the jacket of Dylan's 1970 album New Morning, released just six years before Victoria Spivey passed away. ——— Here's History is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I'm Andrew Wanko, and this is 88.1 KDHX, St. Louis. ———

The islands and sandbars in the Mississippi all have interesting stories, and lifespans. Their form is temporary, and dependent on the currents and levels of the River. One of these “Islands” is Arsenal Island, that has had many forms, and roles to play in history throughout the years. Just press play to hear the whole story. ----- Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Amanda Clark, Civil War, Mississippi River, Military, Medical, Rivers, ------ Podcast Transcript: I'm Amanda Clark, manager of the See STL Tours program at the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History, on eighty-eight one, KDHX. ——— Imagine standing on the St. Louis riverfront today, looking across the Mississippi's blank brown surface, your view of Illinois interrupted only by an occasional barge. The swiftly moving current swirling and curling, taking slight detours around bridge piers. ——— Now imagine something totally different – your view being obscured by several large sandbars, covered in trees, with people coming and going from them. Prior to the 1850s, you would be looking across the river at the infamous Bloody Island, site of frequent fights and duels, or down the river at the quarter-mile wide and two-mile long Duncan Island. If you traveled three miles south of downtown, you'd see Arsenal Island, sitting just offshore of the US Arsenal. Not technically islands, but sandbars, they have all shifted and are now part of the shoreline. Though temporary, each island had its own role to play in St. Louis history. ——— Arsenal Island remained in place the longest of the three. It regularly [changed] its position and size, moving enough for Missouri and Illinois to contest ownership multiple times throughout the 19th century. During the 1860s, the island was home to a quarantine hospital and a large cemetery that received the bodies previously buried at City Cemetery as well as Civil War casualties. A farm on the island provided vegetables to patients at City Hospital. When the eastern side of the island began to wash away and threaten the graveyard, the bodies were reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. ——— In the 1880s, a farmer who lived on the island was interviewed about how he and his family, who had alternated their citizenship between two different states, handled the unstable nature of the land mass. His answer was that they just moved their house every couple of years to keep up. ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri History Museum and KDHX.  I'm Amanda Clark and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis. ———

Worker in the early part of the 20th century often had to fight for their rights against low pay and poor working conditions. They were often viewed as disposable. But, in 1933, a group of women banded together to fight for their rights. If that wasn't enough, they inspired women to do the same. Just press play to hear the whole story. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Andrew Wanko, Business, Women's History, Podcast Transcript: I'm Andrew Wanko, Public Historian of the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History on 88-one, KDHX. ——— By the spring of 1933, Carrie Smith had spent 18 years working as a nut picker at St. Louis's Funsten Dried Fruit and Nut Company. It was one of the toughest, dirtiest and lowest paying jobs around. Funsten's thousands of nut pickers, the majority Black women like Carrie, cracked open pecans and separated out the edible portion from the shells. ——— Carrie Smith had watched as her pay was steadily sliced back for doing the same work. By 1933, she was earning just three cents per pound for intact pecan halves, and just two cents for any broken pieces. She and others fumed at the cruel injustice of processing food for a living, while not being paid enough to buy food for their families. At a Funsten nutpickers meeting on May 13, 1933, Smith stood in front of her fellow workers with a Bible in one hand and a brick in the other and shouted, “Girls, we can't lose.” Bolstered by St. Louis's Communist Party, more than two thousand Funsten nutpickers from five St. Louis factories marched out on strike. ——— Funsten's factories ground to a halt as the striking workers clashed with police in the streets of Downtown. Nearly a hundred women were arrested as they marched on City Hall, demanding the Mayor aid their cause. Company president Eugene Funsten made two inadequate appeasement offers to try and break the strikers ranks, but the women remained in solidarity. After eight days, they toppled the giant. Funsten agreed to equal pay for black and white nut pickers, representation in the Food Workers Union, and all wages doubled. ——— The Funsten Nut Factory Strike of 1933 was a monumental labor movement victory led by Black St. Louis women who refused to yield in the face of injustice. A few months later in August 1933, thousands of women working in St. Louis's garment district walked away from their machines in demand of higher wages and union recognition. The call to arms heard echoing up and down Washington Avenue was “do as the nut pickers do.” ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX.  I'm Andrew Wanko and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis. ———

If you were doing well in a profession, would you have the courage to try a different profession, and changing fields drastically? One St. Louis man did just that, walking away from a successful publishing career, and going out into the great unknown. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Adam Kloppe, Business, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, ——— Podcast Transcript: I'm Adam Kloppe, public historian with the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History on eighty-eight one, KDHX. ——— The idea of switching careers is exciting, but it generates all sorts of questions and anxieties. Do you have the experience you'll need to find success? Will the change create financial hardships? Does starting over mean having to go to the bottom of the career ladder? ——— One has to wonder if questions like these were swirling around in the mind of St. Louisan Al Spink in 1890. By this point, Al had created quite a legacy for himself in publishing. He had moved to St. Louis around 1875 to pursue a career in journalism. He focused on covering sports, particularly baseball, and he quickly earned a name for himself as a reporter. In 1886, Al vaulted his career to new heights when he started his own sports publication—The Sporting News. This publication would become one of the most famous sports magazines in America, and its dedicated coverage of baseball even earned it the nickname “The Bible of Baseball.” ——— But back in 1890, Al wanted to try something new. He left the paper he founded to his brother and took his talents to a new stage. Literally. A longtime theater lover, Al had decided to try his hand at becoming a playwright. For the next three years, he worked on a play called The Derby Winner, a romantic comedy centered around St. Louis horseracing. The production was huge—the cast included over 40 people and several racehorses that were trained to run on treadmills during the racing scenes in the show. Needless to say, all of this was quite expensive. ——— The Derby Winner hit the stage of the Grand Opera House in St. Louis on August 25, 1894. The next day, the papers praised the show, but didn't rave about it—the Post-Dispatch, for example, thought it was exciting and well-acted, but that it had a fairly corny plot. Still, the play turned into enough of a hit that Al and his co-producers decided to take the show on the road. ——— But The Derby Winner did not find success outside of St. Louis. Reviews for the show were decidedly mixed, and the crowds dwindled. By the time Al sold his stake in the play in 1896, he was reported to have lost over a quarter of a million dollars—that'd be over nine million dollars today. He eventually returned to St. Louis and went back to publishing, a field he knew he could find success in. ——— Here's History is a joint production of KDHX and the Missouri Historical Society. I'm Adam Kloppe, and this is eighty-eight one, KDHX, St. Louis. ———

James Hannerty's early experience began with him being robbed of his bottom dollar. But, you can't keep a good man down. Mr. Hannerty had charm, charisma, and drive, and soon found himself dominating the theater scene. Just press play to hear the whole story. ----- Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Amanda Clark, Crime, Business, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, ------ Podcast Transcript: I'm Amanda Clark, manager of the See STL Tours program at the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History, on eighty-eight one, KDHX. ——— James Hannerty came to St. Louis in the mid-19th century and made his first headlines in 1861, with a brief story about being robbed of his entire $10 fortune but quickly recouping his loss thanks to his natural charisma. The report ends with a prediction that Hannerty will someday be richer than the newspaper's editor. Over the next few decades it seemed that prediction had merit as he built a successful career managing just about every theater and entertainment venue in the city. Multiple articles attest to his reputation for saving struggling productions and heading the newest attractions. And this is where I found him – while researching the Globe Cyclorama, a short-lived but novel theater experience that placed viewers in the center of a massive circular space, surrounded by a mix of panoramic painted scenery, live actors, and special effects. While many cities boasted cycloramas, featuring different historic events, the Globe immersed audiences in the 1870 Siege of Paris. When ticket sales lagged, Hannerty personally walked the streets, distributing over 2,000 free passes to encourage visitors. ——— By the turn of the 20th century, the enterprising promoter found himself in demand not just for entertainment ventures, but began consulting on product and event advertisements. Hannerty is credited with designing the iconic logo and marketing materials for the 1904 World's Fair. ——— In 1905, he made front page news by leaving the entertainment industry behind and opening the Hannerty Idea Company - a company whose only products were his ideas. In the early 20th century, the concept of not just owning ones ideas but selling them was unheard of. A newspaper profile calls him a “Doctor of Photography Who Prescribes Poses,” detailing how he gave photographers and designers artistic direction on images accompaning stories – radically changing the look and use of pictures in the newspaper. When published, these photos would be accompanied by a branding tagline that they were a “Hannerty Idea.” ——— A few years later, Hannerty left St. Louis for Manhattan, a pioneer of the modern advertising industry. ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri History Museum and KDHX.  I'm Amanda Clark and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis. ———

There was a time that the border between Missouri and Iowa was not quite defined. This led to a controversy and conflict between the governors of the states. Many shenanigans ensued. Just press play to hear the whole story. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Andy Primm, Legal Matters, Politics and Government, ——— Podcast Transcript: I'm Andy Primm, Museum Educator at the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History on eighty-eight-one, K-D-H-X. ——— St. Louis loves honey. Whether we're enjoying some local honey from the farmer's market or raising bees in our own urban hives, the sweet treat is always popular. But here's something you might not know about honey: in 1839, it almost led to war between Missouri and Iowa. This ridiculous series of events is known today as the Honey War. ——— The whole thing started because the northern border of Missouri wasn't clearly defined. Missouri's first Constitution, drafted in St. Louis in 1820, referred to a northern border that “passes through the rapids of the river Des Moines.” The problem? Such rapids did not exist. Over time, several possible borders were proposed, but no one knew which one was correct. ——— In 1839, Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs took decisive action on the matter and strongly asserted Missouri's claim to the most northern boundary possible. Iowa, still a territory at the time, argued for a more southerly line. The two proposed borders were almost ten miles apart. ——— Things escalated quickly from there. Governor Boggs ordered a Missouri Sherriff to collect taxes in the disputed area. Iowans responded by tossing the good Sherriff in jail. An unknown Missourian then took it upon himself to cut down and haul away three valuable honey-producing bee trees from the disputed area. Enraged Iowa authorities convicted the miscreant in absentia and fined him $1.50. In Governor Boggs' estimation, these actions were assaults on Missouri's citizens and property. ——— Boggs dispatched 800 militiamen to the border. Iowa Territorial Governor Robert Lucas responded in kind, sending 300 militiamen of his own. Bloodshed seemed imminent, but the militia commanders quickly agreed that a shooting war over honey trees was in nobody's interest. The bellicose governors relented and allowed the issue to be submitted to the courts. The matter was finally resolved in 1849 when the US Supreme Court split the disputed area roughly evenly between Iowa and Missouri. ——— How sweet it is that cooler heads prevailed! ——— Here's History is a join production of K-D-H-X and the Missouri Historical Society. I'm Andy Primm, and this is eight-eight-one, K-D-H-X, St. Louis. ———

Sometimes sports heroes are heroes in other walks of life. One Black baseball player in the area was embarking on a promising career with the Atlanta Braves when he got a call to duty and was drafted and sent to Vietnam, where he met his fate. Just press play to hear the whole story. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Cicely Hunter, Black History, Civil Rights, Military, Sports, Baseball, ——— Podcast Transcript: I'm Cicely Hunter, Public Historian from the Missouri Historical Society, and here's history, on eighty-eight-one, KDHX.  ——— Stories that integrate the history of war, patriotism, and race can be told through the experiences of Black St. Louisans who served on the battlefield. 58,000 military personnel lost their lives during the Vietnam War and the story of a graduate from Kirkwood High School connects to the local and international story of the Vietnam War. It is the story of Private Udell Chambers that provides an entry point into Black life during the onset of the war.  ——— Private Udell Chambers was born to Tommie and Bettie Chambers on February 22, 1948, and lived with his family in Meachum Park. Gaining notoriety as a strong baseball athlete in high school, Chambers was admired within the community for his welcoming personality and skillset. After graduating in 1966, Chambers began his promising baseball career. As a rookie shortstop player in 1967, crowds heard the ball crack against the bat and soared when he hit 12 home runs and stole 28 bases. While playing in the minor league, Chambers hit .325 in the Class A affiliate. ——— From the baseball field to the battlefield, Udell Chambers had a bright career with the Atlanta Braves that was quickly cut short after he was drafted into the Vietnam War. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment in the 1st Infantry Division. He was later killed in action at the age of 20 years old on June 21, 1968, in Vietnam, during a ground casualty that resulted from a hostile rocket. For his bravery and heroism, Private Chambers was awarded the Purple Heart, National Defense Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and inducted into Kirkwood High School's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. ——— For more information about St. Louis Black history, please visit our website mohistory.org/aahi. Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I'm Cicely Hunter and this is eighty-eight-one, KDHX, St. Louis. ———

There have been many power couples throughout history, and one of those couples were instrumental in the blues community in St. Louis in the early part of the 20th century. Through their music shop, this black couple made a huge impact and helped many people, get gigs and get recording contracts. Just press play to hear the whole story.  ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Andrew Wanko, Black History, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, Music, ——— Podcast Transcript: I'm Andrew Wanko, Public Historian of the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History on 88-one, KDHX. ——— While we often see famous musicians depicted as “lone geniuses,” even the most towering of musical talents have always had help somewhere along the way. For the early blues musicians of St. Louis, one of the best places to find help was the husband-and-wife team of Jesse and Edith Johnson. ——— When music promoter Jesse Johnson opened Market Street's DeLuxe Music Shoppe in 1919, it sat right beside the Booker T. Washington Theatre, the city's largest entertainment venue for Black St. Louisans. The DeLuxe Music Shoppe offered records for sale, but it also functioned as an audition booth and networking hangout for aspiring musicians. Record label representatives often scouted the store, and Jesse Johnson used his extensive industry connections to get dozens of local performers gigs and record deals. ——— In the mid-1920s, Jesse Johnson married local St. Louis blues singer Edith North. She co-ran the DeLuxe Music Shoppe, serving as judge and mentor to the musicians testing out their material. One of them was young Victoria Spivey, who in 1926 took a 500-mile train ride from Texas to St. Louis just to try and make a hit record. Victoria belted out her chilling original song “Black Snake Blues” for Edith, and five days later, the record was being pressed in New York City. It would sell 150,000 copies in its first year. ——— In addition to running the DeLuxe Music Shoppe, Jesse Johnson used his promotional sway to break the color line on the city's excursion boats, getting Monday nights set aside for black patrons. He also brought in national acts like Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to perform in St. Louis for Black audiences. ——— The important role of the DeLuxe Music Shoppe in the early St. Louis blues scene reminds us that the music we hear is always shaped by a historic context. For St. Louis blues legends like Peetie Wheatstraw, Victoria Spivey, Roosevelt Sykes, and Henry Townsend - and for all the artists those musicians later inspired - the helping hands of Jesse and Edith Johnson were vital in getting their voices heard. ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX.  I'm Andrew Wanko and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis. ———

Riding a bicycle is fun. We take it a bit for granted these days, but early in he history of bike riding, it was a sensation. It was also something more. It was a way for women to free themselves from the confines of the oppressive restrains of fashion. Beyond that it was a doorway to personal independence, friendships, increased self-esteem, and the thing society so often stole from women's lives – a source of fun. Just press play to hear the whole story. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Andrew Wanko, Clothing and Apparel, Pastimes and Leisure, Women's History, Transportation, ——— Podcast Transcript: I'm Andrew Wanko, Public Historian of the Missouri Historical Society, and Here's History on 88-one, KDHX. ——— In the summer of 1896, the United States was stricken with “wheel fever.” Bicycling became a verified mania, and St. Louisans were some of the most enthusiastic riders. In 1896 St. Louis reported two million dollars in bicycle sales - at 75 dollars a bike, that's over 27,000 bicycles in a city of 500,000 people. One St. Louis reporter was astonished when he counted more than 2,800 bike riders pass the corner of 4th and Walnut in a single day's morning commute. ——— While complaints were plenty about bicycles clogging streets and “scorchers” flying past pedestrians in city parks, the biggest controversy was that women wanted to ride bikes too, and they were taking off their dresses to do it. Because a long dress made pedaling nearly impossible and could get dangerously snagged in the gears of a bicycle, many women adopted baggy, knee-length pants called “bloomers” that left their lower legs free. —— “With their nether limbs exposed,” as one astonished St. Louis reporter put it, “Bloomer Girls,” dominated news about bicycling.  Women's rights advocates praised bloomers for freeing women from fashion bondage, while others vilified bloomers as immodest or even ruinous to social order. One anti-women-biking St. Louis newspaper article displayed before and after illustrations of “pale beauties” transformed into “perfect frights” by bicycle riding. With windblown hair, sun-flushed cheeks, and of course, bloomers on display, these illustrations meant to terrify must have actually looked wonderfully enticing to countless St. Louis women. —— While “wheel fever” quickly peaked and fizzled across the late 1890s, the battles over women's fashion and freedom that bicycling sparked were part of a much wider pushing back against the Victorian era's strict social rules. For St. Louis women in 1896, bloomers and bicycles were more than just new clothes and transportation – they were a doorway to personal independence, friendships, increased self-esteem, and the thing society so often stole from their lives – a source of fun. ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX.  I'm Andrew Wanko and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis. ———  

Some people are able to channel their hardships and the obstacles they face into art and activism. Maya Angelou's life was not easy, but she was able to do both and more. Just press play to hear the whole story. —— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Cicely Hunter, Civil Rights, Black History, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, People of Note, Women's History, ------ Podcast Transcript: I'm Cicely Hunter, Public Historian from the Missouri Historical Society, and here's history, on eighty-eight-one, KDHX. ——— Maya Angelou's words, “Still I rise,” remains etched into the hearts and the minds of those who read her poetry. The daughter of Bailey Johnson and Vivian Baxter Johnson graced the world with her presence on April 4, 1928. Due to hardships within her parents' marriage which led to a divorce, she moved to Stamps, Arkansas, with her paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson, at the age of 3 years old. She and her brother Bailey—who gave her the nickname “Maya”—continued to move back and forth between their grandmother and parents' homes during their adolescent years. ——— Her career took off after receiving some training as a professional dancer and singer. It was at this point in her life that she changed her name to “Maya Angelou” in 1954. That same year, she traveled to Europe and appeared in a production of Porgy and Bess and learned to speak many languages. ——— Angelou returned to the United States and joined the Harlem Writer's Guild and produced songs, short stories, and poetry while living in New York. She also became involved in the civil rights movement and worked within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. ——— Angelou published her first autobiography in 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and it was an instant success and appeared on the New York Times's nonfiction bestseller's list, was nominated as a National Book Award, and has since been translated to different languages. Since her first publications, Angelou has received many awards for other works she's produced. ——- On May 28, 2014, she passed away at the age of 86 years old. Among the many accolades Angelou has received, she will be a part of the American Women Quarters Program, which is a 4-year program that “celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women…” ——— Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I'm Cicely Hunter and this is eighty-eight-one, KDHX, St. Louis. ———

The founding of a town can have interesting stories, behind it The founding of Brooklyn, Illinois,  is one such story.  Legend has it that Brooklyn developed as a Black settlement, an asylum, and within the Underground Railroad system. Just press play to hear the whole story. ——— Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Cicely Hunter, Black History, Civil Rights,  Podcast Transcript: I'm Cicely Hunter, Public Historian from the Missouri Historical Society, and here's history, on eighty-eight-one, KDHX. ——— Stories of agency, courage, strength, and resilience were told as oral history traditions passed down from generation to generation within Black communities. It is through these stories that many forebearers instructed Black Americans about their lineage, life lessons, and mapping a path forward. The history of Brooklyn, Illinois, incorporates this oral tradition. ——— Brooklyn's story revolves around Priscilla Baltimore, often referred to as Mother Baltimore, who was born into slavery around 1805 in Bourbon County, Kentucky. She was sold off by her enslaver (her biological father) and sold several more times before purchasing her freedom for about $1,100. According to lore, she continued to liberate her family, first her mother and then her second husband, John Tobias Baltimore, by mortgaging her property in St. Louis. ——— Despite the punitive Black codes adopted by Illinois in 1819, which were designed to suppress economic, social, and political power for self-emancipated and free Black individuals, the state was a destination for Black people fleeing Missouri. In 1829, 11 families left Missouri for Illinois with Priscilla and John Baltimore as their leaders. ——— Legend has it that Brooklyn developed as a Black settlement, an asylum, and within the Underground Railroad system. The principles of family and religion were their foundation, and it was through God's power that they were liberated during the antislavery movement. ——— Priscilla Baltimore died in 1882 and many details about her life as a beloved and revered figure within the community appeared in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Along with John Berry Meachum, Mary Meachum, Moses Dickson, and many other pioneers that paved the way for Black liberation in the previous centuries, it's important for us to keep the oral history about Priscilla and John Baltimore within St. Louis regional history. ——— For more information about St. Louis Black history, please visit our website mohistory.org/aahi. Here's history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I'm Cicely Hunter and this is eighty-eight-one, KDHX, St. Louis. ———    

Host Pete Wood takes this episode of The CITY Voice on the road to the Soccer City exhibit at the Missouri History Museum and sits down with Jody Sowell, President of the Missouri Historical Society, to learn all about the rich soccer history and culture that runs deep through St. Louis. America's First Soccer CITY. 

Dr. Frances Levine has been appointed the Interim Executive Director for the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, the Museum. Dr. Levine will lead the Museum as it searches for a permanent Executive Director, to be selected in the coming months.  ------ “Although I retired a few short months ago, I could not pass up an opportunity to lead this incredible team and project,” said Dr. Levine. “I was struck by the impact of the building, the excellence of the Museum exhibits, and the promise of the work we can do together in the St. Louis region and beyond.”  -------   Dr. Frances Levine was the President and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society and Missouri History Museum from spring 2014 until summer 2022 when she retired. Dr. Levine led the successful reaccreditation of the Missouri Historical Society by the American Alliance of Museums in 2019, and the successful integration of the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum into the institutional organization of the MHS. Under her leadership, MHS received the first ever award for Diversity Equity and Inclusion awarded by the American Alliance of Museum in 2017. In 2019, she was named one of the most influential women in business by the St. Louis Business Journal and received a National Urban League Salute to Women Award in 2018. In 2021, she received the Norman A. Stack Award for Community Relations from the Jewish Community Relations Council in St. Louis.  ----- 

You would be hard pressed to talk about sports history without mentioning St. Louis — and that goes for soccer, too. St. Louis' first Major League Soccer team is off to a record breaking first season, but City SC is far from the first notch in the region's soccer timeline. Sam Moore, managing director of public history for the Missouri Historical Society, says St. Louis is justified to claim the title of first soccer capital in the U.S.

Dr. Jody Sowell, President of Missouri Historical Society joins Debbie talking about how the Missouri History Museum can help lift our community. 

Founder and President of the Annie Malone Historical Society, Linda Nance joins Debbie discussing the Missouri Historical Society is taking us behind the scenes with "Meet Me Outside the Fair" Tuesday morning at 11 am at the History Museum.    The Exhibition ground at the World's Fair, St. Louis. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

For centuries history has primarily been told from the perspective of white men. What was traditionally considered a “reliable source” has not included the voices of Black people and other people of color. Over the last decade tables have started to turn, and more historians are recognizing there is a lot of work to be done in addressing the interpretation of Black history. Cicely Hunter of the African American History Initiative at the Missouri Historical Society, Pam Sanfilippio of Gateway Arch National Park's museum services, and Vivian Gibson, author of “The Last Children of Mill Creek” discuss the difficulties faced when attempting to provide inclusive interpretation of American history that spotlights the unique experiences of Black Americans.

Hugh Ferriss was a highly regarded architect and his distinct moody nighttime illustrations of skyscrapers and suspension bridges inspired the backdrops of many fictional worlds. Andrew Wanko of the Missouri Historical Society examines how St. Louis inspired the work.

Hour 2: Johnny is joined by CEO of the Missouri Historical Society, Jody Sowell, about the end of the St. Louis Sound exhibition at the Missouri History Museum ending on the 22nd and Stephanie Bliss, executive director, from the Field House Museum talks about the damage from the cold snap a few weeks ago, preserving the house and the legacy of the famous individuals that occupied that house. Marissa Sandbothe from Oasis STL talks about their programs for older adults and their upcoming event and St. Louis theaters.

Father David Suwalsky of St. Louis University talks the rich art and culture museums on and around campus. Plus, Dr. Jody Sowell the new President of the Missouri Historical Society.

It's our 5-year anniversary of this podcast and to celebrate we're examining something both obscure and of note. Haven't heard of this particular picture book? You aren't alone. Originally published in 1969, the book is perhaps best known as being the last book Langston Hughes, its author, ever worked on. Betsy was just meticulously weeding her library's adult 811s and stumbled upon it. Black Misery is a children's book marketed as an adult title yet in spite of its copyright date it has a lot of similarities to the children's books today that are calling out elements in our own racist culture. Microaggressions and outright racism vie for space on the pages. The central question for us is this: Is this book a picture book for children or not? It's not easy to answer, particularly when you weigh how little change has happened with some of these moments and how beautifully they're called out here verses the use of the n-word and some of the more dated elements. In the end, we do wonder why it hasn't been reprinted in the last few decades. Seems like a forward thinking publisher might benefit from bringing this one back again. Then again, even that sentiment may be overly dated. We live at a time where the need for Black Joy in books for kids is particularly keen. Does it make much sense then to bring out again the true antithesis of the statement? Or does Black Misery have more going on here then its title implies? We take a deep dive into its pages to find out. Show Notes: - Just as a reminder, if you'd like to hang out with us on Saturday, June 25th around 9 or so at the ALA Conference in Washington D.C., just drop us a line at fuse8kate@gmail.com. - Curious about other Langston Hughes books for children? The 1955 publication The Book of Jazz is beautifully remembered by Vox here: https://www.vox.com/2015/4/2/8335251/langston-hughes-jazz-book - You can read what the Missouri Historical Society has to say about Black Misery here: https://mohistory.org/blog/from-the-library-black-misery-by-langston-hughes/ - For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/06/20/fuse-8-n-kate-black-misery-by-langston-hughes-ill-arouni/

Charlie Brennan debates with Sarah Fenske, Alvin Reid, Ray Hartmann and Bill McClellan. They talked about Sam Page, gun laws, Cori Bush, and more. On Next Up, Charlie Brennan and Bill McClellan are joined by Philip Deitch, St. Louis LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce; Ian Darnell, Curatorial Assistant, LGBTQ Collection, Missouri Historical Society; and James Robinson, Artistic Director at Opera Theatre St. Louis, and co-director of their new opera, "Harvey Milk."

The Missouri Historical Society's two-year-old See STL Tour program offers two dozen walking and bus tours that go far beyond what you might expect. Tour guides Amanda Clark and Josiah Gundersen discuss what people take from the tours and how they each fell in love with the city's more unusual stories, locations and characters.