Boone County Historical Society facts for kids
The Boone County Historical Society started in 1924. It's located in Columbia, Missouri, USA. This society and its museum collect, keep safe, and show off items and records from the people of Boone County, Missouri.
The place has a history museum, an art gallery, a library for family history, and several old buildings. The museum has old photos from the late 1800s, showing a Columbia that looks very different today. The historical society and museum are important places for culture and art in Columbia and nearby areas.
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Walters-Boone County Museum: A Look Inside
The Walters-Boone County Museum opened in 1990. The Boone County Historical Society worked hard to raise money, and building the museum began in 1989. This museum has two main exhibit halls and other display areas. Together, they offer 5,500 square feet of space to show historical items. The museum also has almost 10,000 square feet of special storage rooms that control temperature and humidity to protect old items.
The Montminy Gallery: Art for Everyone
The Montminy Art Gallery is 2,800 square feet. It shows art from local, regional, and state artists who are important to the Boone County community. The Montminy Gallery was built in 1993. It was named after Elizabeth "Tracy" Montminy, a famous artist and professor from the University of Missouri who lived in Columbia for a long time.
The gallery often changes its art exhibits every eight to twelve weeks. You can see many different types of art here, like paintings, photography, and sculptures.
The society also has a special item: the 125-year-old Chickering grand piano that belonged to the famous pianist John W. Blind Boone. For many years, this piano was in the Walters-Boone Historical Museum. It was old and hard to play, and it was getting worse as a museum piece. Now, this century-old piano is a main display in the Montminy Art Gallery.
Boone County History & Culture Center: A Place for Learning
In 1988, a local businessman named Raul Walters gave money to build a new museum for the society. He did this to honor his parents, Bucky and Lala. Because of his gift, the finished museum was named The Walters Boone County Historical Museum & Visitors Center.
In 1993, the famous artist Tracy Montminy left a gift that allowed for a new 6,000-square-foot addition to the museum. The bottom floor (3,000 square feet) was used to store collections. The top floor (3,000 square feet) became the Montminy Art Gallery.
Around 2009, the organization started calling its different places the Boone County Historical Museum & Galleries. This name helped describe both the history exhibits and the Montminy Art Gallery, as well as the Riverhorse Pavilion, which was built recently. Since 1993, the organization has put on over 100 major art exhibits. It has also hosted many professional music concerts, book readings, and other cultural events.
In 2016, the board of directors made a long-term plan to make the organization even better. They changed its main goal and its name. They decided to focus more on being a culture and arts center, in addition to being a history museum. The board voted to rename the main building and its other places. These places include the Montminy Gallery, The Village at Boone Junction, the Maplewood House, and the Riverhorse Pavilion. All these are now called The Boone County History & Culture Center.
Historic Houses and Buildings: Stepping Back in Time
Historic Maplewood House: A Glimpse into the Past
The Maplewood House was built in 1877. It was built by Slater Ensor Lenoir and Margaret Bradform Lenior, who both came from early Boone County families. The house and farm were named Maplewood because they were in a group of large sugar maple trees. The Maplewood House has stood for over 148 years and thousands of people have visited it.
This old house was built with bricks made right there. Its design shows the influence of the Italianate architectural style. The house originally had a T-shape, but it was changed in 1891. Some of the changes included closing in the sleeping porches on the south side and adding another section. Some special features of the house include: corbels (fancy brackets), arched windows, bay windows, a front balcony, and an oriel window (a window that sticks out from the wall).
The original farm had 427 acres. It included a large pond, a utility house, a hay barn, and a big animal barn. The animal barn was later rebuilt into a summer theater playhouse called the Maplewood Barn Theater after the City of Columbia bought the property. A fire destroyed it in 2010, but it was rebuilt and opened again in 2012.
The City of Columbia bought 60 acres of the farmland, including the Maplewood house, in 1970. On November 8, 1970, the park was officially opened and renamed the Frank G. Nifong Memorial Park. Today, it is called Historic Nifong Park. This name recognizes the work of the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department and the Boone County Historical Society in saving old buildings and places.
Village of Boone Junction: A Collection of Old Buildings
The Village of Boone Junction has several buildings that were moved from their original spots. These include:
- Gordon-Collins Log Cabin – David Gordon, a settler from Kentucky, built this log cabin in 1822. It was his family's temporary home while a larger house was being built. Later, the cabin was used as a home for enslaved people and for hired workers. Today, visitors can see tools that were common during the early frontier days. Some of these tools include: looms, spinning wheels, candle molds, and cookware. It was moved from its first location, which is now Stephens Lake Park.
- McQuitty House – Luther McQuitty, an African American builder, built this home in 1910. It is special because of its "Shotgun" style of architecture, which is rare to find today. It was moved from its original spot in Columbia at the corner of Garth and Worley.
- Easley Store - This store was moved from Easley, Missouri.
Collections: What You Can See
The museum has many interesting collections, including:
- Items from the Civil War in Missouri.
- Archives of The Columbia Daily Tribune newspaper from 1907 to 2015.
- An exhibit about the Boone County Fire Protection District.
- Photos of the Concerned Student 1950 Protest and Hunger Strike (2015-16 University of Missouri protests) by Jon Luvelli.
- An exhibit on 150 Years of Boone County Education.
- "The Sporting Life: Hunting, Fishing & Conservation in Boone County."
- The Civil War Letters of Joseph Cooper Babb by Joseph Babb.
- The Westhoff Photo Collection by Joe Douglass, Henry Holborn, and Wesley Blackmore.
- Postcards from the St. Louis World's Fair & Exposition.
See also
