The State Historical Society has launched a demonstration website for the Missouri Encyclopedia, an online reference work planned for publication during the state’s bicentennial year in 2021.

The Missouri Encyclopedia will offer concise, informative articles on all facets of the history of Missouri and Missourians. It is intended for general audiences.

The demonstration site will also serve as a developmental site, providing opportunities for the Encyclopedia’s staff to experiment with content and design, as well as to receive feedback from the public. The site is expected to undergo numerous changes as it grows and moves closer to the official launch in 2021.

The Missouri Encyclopedia website currently includes a small but growing pool of sample articles as well as a suggestion box encouraging visitors to offer ideas for improving the site and adding further topics. Article proposals will be reviewed by the Encyclopedia’s staff, and approved topics will be assigned to writers. Anyone may write for the Encyclopedia, although article submissions will be subject to review prior to acceptance for publication.

Visit the Missouri Encyclopedia

Two projects commemorating Missouri’s bicentennial in 2021 need your help. The My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project and the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt are both seeking submissions from Missourians in every single county to ensure the final results will be truly representative of the Show-Me State. Accepted submissions will become a permanent part of Missouri’s historical record after touring the state in traveling exhibits during 2020 and 2021.

The My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project invites professional and amateur photographers to capture and share images of unique and meaningful aspects of place in Missouri. Submissions are due November 1, 2019. Two hundred photographs will be selected for the traveling exhibition as well as a digital showcase on missouri2021.org. The images will also be added to the State Historical Society of Missouri’s permanent Bicentennial Collection.

“Photographs provide a window into a time that is really irreplaceable for people trying to understand a specific place and its culture,” Anne Cox, SHSMO photograph archivist, said. “The images from the My Missouri Photo Project will be invaluable to future students, family historians, and scholarly researchers hoping to better understand what the Show-Me State is like today. Plus, we hope it preserves images of places that might otherwise go undocumented.”

Learn More about My Missouri 2021

The Missouri Bicentennial Quilt, a collaborative project of the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Missouri Star Quilt Company, also invites submissions, which are due before September 2, 2019. Individual quilters and quilting organizations are encouraged to submit blocks expressing unique characteristics of Missouri culture and style. Submissions should be 6.5-inch squares, as blocks will be finished at 6 x 6 inches. Entries should have no embellishments, contain no copyrighted images, and be made of 100 percent cotton fabric. A description of the block and its significance to Missouri must accompany each submission.

“Using one quilt block from every Missouri county and the independent City of St. Louis, we’re looking to create a quilt featuring both the diversity of the Show-Me State and its solidarity,” said Michael Sweeney, SHSMO’s bicentennial coordinator.  “Like a patchwork quilt our state is greatly varied, but I’m learning through visits across the state that Missourians are remarkable in the ties that bind us together—our communities, our innovations, and our ingenuity.”

Learn More about the Bicentennial Quilt 

Missouri 2021 is excited to announce that the Missouri State Fair has joined the Bicentennial Alliance!

“The Missouri State Fair is the perfect venue to partner with the Bicentennial Alliance as the showcase for the best of the best from our great state,” said Mark Wolfe, Missouri State Fair Director. “We are proud to work with the Alliance to bring many of the Bicentennial activities and exhibits to the 2021 Fair in Sedalia, August 12-22.”

The Bicentennial Alliance is a coalition of statewide non-profit organizations and government agencies working together to develop and promote projects commemorating the Missouri Bicentennial throughout the Show-Me State. Visit missouri2021.org to see a wide variety of projects that are already underway by Alliance members. 

Missouri 2021 is excited to announce two new members of the Bicentennial Alliance: Missouri State Library and University of Missouri Office of Extension and Engagement. Both bring unique and exciting perspectives to the bicentennial commemoration.

“Part of Missouri’s great heritage is our proliferation of great authors and works about our state,” said Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, whose office includes the State Library. “Our State Library will be coordinating literature-based events to highlight books written by Missourians or based in Missouri, helping to bring a deeper context to the commemoration of our bicentennial.”

“As the state’s oldest public university, the University of Missouri is proud of the role MU alumni played in shaping our state’s rich history,” said Marshall Stewart, MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement. “We are excited to participate in the Bicentennial Alliance and look forward to the 2021 celebrations and the next chapter in Missouri’s history.”

The Bicentennial Alliance is a coalition of statewide non-profit organizations and government agencies working together to develop and promote statewide projects commemorating the Missouri Bicentennial. Learn more here. 

As you explore the Show-Me State this fall take your camera! Missouri 2021 is looking for photos of the state’s tremendous geographic and cultural diversity for the My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project.

Professional and amateur photographers are invited to capture and share the unique and meaningful aspects of place in Missouri. From these submissions, two hundred photographs will be selected to be part of a traveling exhibition in 2021 and a digital showcase on this website. The images will also be added to the permanent Missouri Bicentennial collection at the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Together these pictures will create a snapshot of the state’s physical and cultural landscape during its bicentennial that will be available to researchers, teachers and students, and the public for generations to come.

Learn more

Nearly a century ago, the Missouri State Fair Board published a “handbook of suggestions” for celebrating the Missouri Centennial. Dr. E. M. Violette provided a number of suggestions for local communities:

• unveil historical tablets marking events of “local importance”
• produce a dramatic presentation of Missouri history
• create an exhibit of “historical relics”
• arrange speeches on Missouri history
• enliven the occasion with bands and musical performances

A century later – in our fast paced digital age – what suggestions would you give to commemorate the Missouri Bicentennial in your local community? Please share feedback on Missouri 2021’s Facebook page. You can also read the entire handbook of suggestions online.

Learn more

Missouri 2021 is excited to announce two new members of the Bicentennial Alliance: Missouri Arts Council and Missouri Folk Arts Program. Both bring unique and exciting perspectives to the bicentennial commemoration.

“The Missouri Arts Council has been part of Missouri’s history for over 50 years,” said Michael Donovan, executive director of the 

Missouri Arts Council. “There is no better way to illustrate and celebrate the state’s bicentennial heritage than with the arts. In 2021, Missouri’s Bicentennial will come alive in our visual, literary, and performing arts.”  

The Bicentennial Alliance is a coalition of statewide non-profit organizations and government agencies working together to develop and promote statewide projects commemorating the Missouri Bicentennial.

Learn more

Happy birthday, Missouri!

Today, August 10, 2018, marks Missouri’s 197th anniversary of statehood and places us one year closer to the Missouri Bicentennial in 2021.

Under the Missouri 2021 banner, the State Historical Society of Missouri is coordinating a statewide ccommemoration that incorporates both rural and urban communities in projects, programs, and events.

This year has been a busy year for Missouri 2021. As of today, Missouri 2021 has met with people and grou

ps in 80 counties and the City of St. Louis to talk about planned and proposed Bicentennial-related activities.

Two new partners have joined the Bicentennial Alliance: the Missouri Folk Arts Program and the Missouri Arts Council.

Missouri 2021 has also launched two new programs exploring Missouri’s history and culture at the occasion of its bicentennial in 2021—the My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project and the Missouri 2021 Endorsement Program.

And today, on the state’s 197th anniversary of statehood, Missouri 2021 is unveiling a completely redesigned and updated website.

The new site includes information about all of the ways you can get involved with planning and commemorating Missouri’s 200th year as a state.

Missouri 2021 continues to be active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you are not already following us, we invite you to start now. We are using these platforms to share information about Missouri Bicentennial planning and activities. Missouri 2021 also welcomes queries or comments at contact@missouri2021.org.

Thank you for your interest in the Missouri Bicentennial!

“We want to ensure that Missourians—both at home and abroad—will walk away from the bicentennial experience with a greater appreciation of the state’s history and its diverse communities and cultures. Missourians are a dynamic, innovative, and persistent group of people. The bicentennial is an excellent reason for all Missourians to evaluate who we are and consider who we will be.” – Michael Sweeney, Bicentennial Coordinator

SHSMO’s bicentennial coordinator Michael Sweeney presents at the Friends of Arrow Rock Annual Meeting.

Join the State Historical Society of Missouri at two upcoming bicentennial programs! On June 6 SHSMO’s bicentennial coordinator Michael Sweeney will share what plans are in place for Missouri’s 200th birthday on August 10, 2021, and how you can join in the commemoration. This program will be held at 7 p.m. in the Missouri State Museum’s History Hall, located in the east wing of the Missouri State Capitol, 201 West Capitol Avenue. To access the Capitol after 5:30 p.m., enter through the garage on the east side of the building.

You can also learn more about Missouri’s Bicentennial at 2 p.m. on June 12 in Washington, Missouri. “Your Missouri Story: Finding Your History and Helping Write It through the Bicentennial” will be hosted by the Washington Historical Society at 113 East 4th Street. The session will cover Missouri 2021’s new projects and programs, and attendees will learn tips to help them discover their history within the State Historical Society of Missouri’s vast collection. Since 1898 SHSMO has been entrusted to collect, preserve, and share the state’s history, giving a voice to the people who helped build this country.