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Upcoming Events
The Thursday Evening Speaker Series is free of charge and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Unless otherwise noted, programs will be held at the Missouri State Archives, located at 600 W. Main Street in Jefferson City. The series is underwritten by the Friends of the Missouri State Archives.
[Presentation Videos from past events are available at the following location:
Missouri State Archives Presentation Videos.]
Historic Jefferson City Hotels
Thursday, January 15, 2026 @ 7 p.m.
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While the Capital City grew from a frontier wilderness, hotels were an anchor, such as the 80-year City Hotel. When hundreds of legislators arrived every two years, hotels were a necessity, as were boarding houses like the Lansdown sisters. As arguments continued whether the Capitol should move elsewhere, hotels were always at the forefront of amenities and progress. The Hotel Madison and the Monroe House thrived with expansions, renovations and innovations. These substantial structures also housed community social events, from ladies’ teas at the Central Hotel to dances behind the Farmers Home, and civic meetings, from organizing to build a bridge across the Missouri River to political debates. Some of the city’s most scintillating moments occurred at these gathering places, including the Pulitzer shooting, the surrender of Frank James, and the visit of a Russian grand duke.
Presented by author Michelle Brooks
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Hannibal's Invisibles
Thursday, February 19, 2026 @ 7 p.m.
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In Hannibal’s Invisibles, G. Faye Dant, a Hannibal resident and the executive director of Jim’s Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center, tells the incredible story of the Black community in this small Missouri town, giving voice to a history that has been marginalized far too long. Hear first-hand accounts from those who survived enslavement, faced racism after emancipation, endured Jim Crow, and contributed to the triumphs of the civil rights movement. These are the stories of Black doctors, entrepreneurs, and teachers who helped uplift the community, and remembrances of the countless individuals who gave richness and meaning to Hannibal’s everyday life. The vintage photographs and historical documents collected here are a celebration of these resilient people who built and sustained this corner of the Midwest, despite the immense obstacles they met at every turn.
Presented by author G. Faye Dant
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Not In Our Wildest Dreams
Thursday, March 19, 2026 @ 7 p.m.
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Not In Our Wildest Dreams explores the role of the Missouri Supreme Court in the state’s past, present, and future through Missouri’s female judges, from the court’s first woman judge—the Honorable Ann Covington—in 1989 to its historic female majority bench today. The film highlights the court’s teamwork in promoting civic education and empowering youth engagement, as well as the personal journeys of the trailblazers behind the black robes.
Documentary will be screened followed by a Q&A with Caitlin Yager from the State Historical Society
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Catching Hell from All Quarters: Anti-Klan Activists in Interwar Missouri
Thursday, April 16, 2026 @ 7 p.m.
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In Catching Hell from All Quarters Sean Rost works to invert the traditional history of what has been termed the second Ku Klux Klan (1915-1930) by examining the efforts of anti-Klan activists, in particular in Missouri, who challenged the growth, recruitment, and political ambitions of the Invisible Empire during the 1920s and 1930s through editorial crusades, educational campaigns, public pressure on elected officials, political investigations, and in some cases counter-vigilantism.
Although anti-Klan activism was nation-wide, Missouri provides an excellent case study for the rise and fall of the second Klan as the organization gained a large membership and obtained a notable level of political power in some parts of the Show-Me State. Significantly, despite membership totals comparable to that of neighboring states, the Missouri Klan did not translate its recruiting success into substantial influence and political power due to significant local opposition from anti-Klan activists.
Presented by author Sean Rost
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