Hidden Black History: Calvary Cemetery

One of the reasons I founded this website is I thought history was being forgotten or overlooked. After nearly a decade, I still find myself being surprised — like when I found this information about Calvary Cemetery, an African American Cemetery established in 1929. It’s another example of how recent institutional racism has existed. A…

MU’s first female journalism graduate portrayed

The late Mary Paxton Keeley spoke from the beyond through an event sponsored by the Friends of the Historic Columbia Cemetery. Keeley, MU’s first female journalism graduate, said through this interpretive event she was on the steps in 1909 when Walter Williams opened the doors to the what is reported to be the world’s first…

Lynching: History finds a home

One of the reasons for this blog is to mark history, and historic homes are, in a way, a marker of history. But for a long time, there wasn’t a marker for a major historic event in Columbia, Missouri: the lynching of James Scott. This article, reprinted with permission from George Kennedy and the Columbia…

Civil War to today reflected in Second Missionary Baptist Church

A historic building helps society recall its history, as demonstrated by this magazine article on the 150-year-history of Second Missionary Baptist Church, now at Fourth and Broadway. Why say it is now at Fourth and Broadway? At one time, Fourth Street was called River Street for the Flat Branch waterway that now runs under Fourth…

This is why you get lost in Columbia, Missouri

Bet you didn’t know that Chapel Hill Road used to be West Boulevard South. Which now makes sense of the fact that the rest of West Boulevard often has addresses such as 121 West Boulevard North. This street name tidbit came out at the April 1, 2014 event honoring the 2014 Most Notable Properties named…

Party set for April 1 to celebrate historic properties

Columbia’s celebration of 2014’s additions to the Notable Properties is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 1 in City Hall at 701 E. Broadway. The event was postponed from Feb. 4 due to a snow storm. This year’s event will feature 15 years of images of the historic properties and introductions by Columbia’s Historic Preservation…

Tour Sacred Historic Spots

If you love historic homes, you probably love history of all kinds and what could be more historic than where we nurture our hearts and souls? That is why I’m posting about the Saturday tours on Oct. 12 and Oct. 19 of Columbia places of worship, offered by Columbia Faith and Values, a nonprofit news organization….