Missouri State Archives

#OnThisDay in 1884, one of Kansas City’s most prolific architects, Nelle Peters, was born in North Dakota. After moving to Kansas City in 1907, she found work as a draftswoman with an architectural firm before striking out on her own in 1909. Peters designed many structures over the next several decades, specializing in apartment buildings and hotels. One of only a few female architects to have an independent practice at that time, she designed over 1,000 buildings during her career, mostly in the Kansas City area. In 1924, Peters was commissioned to design the city’s Ambassador Hotel. When it opened in 1925, the Ambassador was the largest hotel in Kansas City and its many features even included a rooftop garden. Pictured are a few photographs from the Ambassador Hotel Historic District’s National Register File.

Just a reminder that we’re open by appointment this Saturday, Dec. 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! Email us at [email protected] to schedule a visit.

Did you know that 2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife? This image from our Urban League of Greater Kansas City Photograph Collection shows African American nurses aiding a doctor with a mass well baby examination. At the time, many of the city’s hospitals and clinics were racially segregated. Interested in the records of Missouri midwives and other health professions? Email our reference staff at [email protected] for information on our Board of Healing Arts and Board of Nursing collections.

#OnThisDay in 1990, Fulton’s Westminster College dedicated its Breakthrough sculpture, one year after the Berlin Wall fell. Artist Edwina Sandys, Winston Chruchill’s granddaughter, presented her large work, created from eight sections of the actual Berlin Wall, before a crowd of more than 7,000. Pictured is Sandys addressing the crowd with her sculpture in the background and then-Gov. John Ashcroft sitting to the left. Former President Ronald Reagan also attended and spoke at the event.

#OnThisDay in 1908, Martha Gellhorn was born to noted suffragist Edna Gellhorn. Martha would become one of the foremost war correspondents of the 20th century. During World War II, she disguised herself as a stretcher-bearer and stowed away in the bathroom of a hospital ship to become the only female journalist present for the Normandy landing on June 6, 1944. Gellhorn was also present for the liberation of Dachau and later reported on the Nuremburg Trials. Throughout the remainder of her life, Gellhorn reported on almost every major world conflict, including the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 when she was 79. She passed away following a long battle of cancer in 1998 at the age of 89.

Today’s #NationalBisonDay, celebrating the huge ungulates (hooved animals) symbolic of the American prairie! Although hunters extirpated bison from Missouri long ago, we now once again have a few captive and semi-captive herds. (P.S. Don't call them buffalo! Buffalo live in Africa and Asia!) The bison in this 1987 image from our Division of Tourism Collection were photographed in Barton County’s Prairie State Park.

Are you an educator with students participating in the Missouri State Archives-sponsored 2021 central region National History Day in Missouri competition? Consider attending this virtual webinar hosted by the Missouri State University's Department of History on Friday, Nov. 13!

In November, Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate the rich ancestry, traditions and achievements of the United States’ earliest inhabitants. European settlement forced the removal of most native peoples living in Missouri by the mid-1830s, but they left a rich legacy that is still existent to this day. Shown here is a dancer in native dress at the 1998 Missouri State Pow Wow from our Division of Tourism Photograph Collection.

Last Friday, we were visited by three of the 10 agents of decayMold, Fire and Water. Though we managed to keep them at bay, we always have to be vigilant to keep our collections safe! The full cast of culprits includes: 1. Inappropriate Temperature... 2. Inappropriate Relative Humidity 3. Light 4. Pests 5. Physical Forces 6. Contaminants and Pollutants 7. Water 8. Fire 9. Theft, Vandalism and Dislocation 10. Neglect See more

Election Day is here! Be sure to make your voice heard and vote, like President Truman in this photograph from our Publications Non-Portrait Collection.