The Missouri History Museum in

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

, St. Louis, Missouri, showcases Missouri history. It is operated by the

Missouri Historical Society The Missouri Historical Society was founded in St. Louis on August 11, 1866. Founding members created the historical society "for the purpose of saving from oblivion the early history of the city and state". Organization The Missouri Historica ...

, which was founded in 1866. Museum admission is free through a public subsidy by the

Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District The Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District or ZMD is a cultural tax district in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, Missouri. The district has five subdistricts: the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center, Misso ...

Facilities

Trailnet bike event at Missouri History Museum

The Jefferson Memorial Building, built in 1913 with profits from the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

, is the home of the museum. In 1988, the museum joined the

and began receiving sales tax revenue. In 2000, the Emerson Center, a significant building addition was completed, boosting attendance and exhibition capacity. The Emerson Center, featuring a ground-to-roof southern glass facade, was designed by

Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum HOK, formerly Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum and legally HOK Group, Inc., is an American design, architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm, founded in 1955. As of 2018, HOK is the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering f ...

, and included substantially more exhibition space, as well as an auditorium, classrooms, a restaurant and gift shop. The Emerson Center was selected by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

's Committee on the Environment as an example of architectural design that protects and enhances the environment. It is an example of a green museum.

Collections and exhibits

Carriage display in Missouri History Museum

The museums signature collection includes both national artifacts, as well as Missouri and St. Louis related materials, such as local colonial and native artifacts,

artifacts, and items relating to

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

and his trans-Atlantic flight in the ''

Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlant ...

''. A replica of the ''Spirit of St. Louis'' can be found in the museum. A large number of artifacts from the 1804-1806

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

are also housed in the permanent collection, as St. Louis was the starting point for that venture. Recent travelling exhibits and events have included items related to the Fox Theatre's restoration and renovation, the Road to Freedom tour (celebrating the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

), and, prominently, the Lewis and Clark National Bicentennial Exhibition.

Admission

Admission is free.Its history - St. Louis Business Journal:
bizjournals.com

Exhibits

1904 World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

References

External links

Missouri History Museum Web Site
Missouri History Museum
Online Collections
Missouri History Museum Online Collections {{Authority control Museums in St. Louis History museums in Missouri Forest Park (St. Louis)

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

1866 establishments in Missouri