Last updated: 2/15/2011
Jefferson City, Missouri
Street Address
201 W. Capitol Ave.
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Mailing Address
Capitol Bldg., Room B-2
Capitol Building
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Hours

(except for New Years Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas)
Daily
8 AM - 5 PM

Admissions

Free

Museum Type(s)

Staff

Linda Endersby
phone: 573-751-2854
Julie Kemper
phone:
Chris Sterman
phone:
Katherine Keil
phone:
Description

The Missouri State Museum houses an impressive collection of exhibits that portray Missouri's cultural and natural history in its two main exhibit halls - the History Hall and the Resources Hall. There are also exhibits with changing artifacts in the Missouri Veterans Gallery and the Foundations Gallery (state government and the State Capitol). A series of traveling exhibits can be used as educational tools by schools, civic and other groups. Interpretive staff offers various educational programs on aspects of Missouri's natural and cultural history.

The Missouri State Museum is responsible for a large collection of artifacts that consists of approximately 50,000 artifacts and objects from all aspects of Missouri cultural and natural history that have been collected since the museum's inception. The museum's collections include more than 130 Civil War flags and a large collection of World War I flags. Museum staff is currently trying to conserve these fragile textiles and have conserved approximately 45 of the flags as of 2010.

History

In 1919, the Missouri General Assembly designated the first floor of the east wing of the Capitol as the Missouri Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and placed it under the care of the Adjutant General's office. Two year's later, in 1921, the Missouri Resources Museum was created on the first floor of the Capitol's west wing under the Resources Museum Commission, which was charged with the responsibility to collect and place on permanent exhibit examples of the products, flora and fauna of Missouri. The two museums were combined in 1923, and designated collectively as the Missouri State Museum under the management of the Resources Museum Commission. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of State Parks took over the museum in 1978.

Artifact Collections

The Missouri State Museum is responsible for a large collection of artifacts that consists of approximately 65,000 artifacts and objects from all aspects of Missouri history, natural history, and resources history that have been collected since the museum's inception. One of the highlights of the collection is the collection of over 125 Missouri Civil War battle flags. Thirty-three of the flags have been conserved and eleven have been framed.

Educational Programs

Museum staff offer tours of the Capitol building in which the museum is housed. Special events, such as educational programs, accompany exhibit openings about 3-4 times/year.

Governance

Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of State Parks

ADA
Wheelchair Accessible
Exhibitions
Museum Events
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2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

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2025 Tennessee Association of Museums Conference: HOPE

March 11 - 14, 2025

Knoxville, Tennessee

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