EVENTS

Join us for a free, in-person book talk, Last Seen, with Dr. Judith Giesberg on April 26, 2025, from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, followed by a book signing. About the book: Drawing from an archive of nearly five thousand letters and advertisements, the riveting, dramatic story of formerly enslaved people who spent years searching for family members stolen away during slavery. Of all the many horrors of slavery, the cruelest was the separation of families in slave auctions. Spouses and siblings were sold away from one other. Young children were separated from their mothers. Fathers were sent down river and never saw their families again. As soon as slavery ended in 1865, family members began to search for one another, in some cases persisting until as late as the 1920s. They took out “information wanted” advertisements in newspapers and sent letters to the editor. Pastors in churches across the country read these advertisements from the pulpit, expanding the search to those who had never learned to read or who did not have access to newspapers. These documents demonstrate that even as most white Americans—and even some younger Black Americans, too—wanted to put slavery in the past, many former slaves, […]

CLARA BARTON-RED CROSS ANGEL By Award-Winning Actress & Smithsonian Scholar Mary Ann Jung Join us for an interpretive presentation by Mary Ann Jung, as she portrays Clara Barton, on Saturday, May 3, 2025, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, in our education gallery. This special program is free of charge, regular admission applies for entrance to the Museum galleries.  About the Presentation: Clara Barton, America's greatest heroine, faced bullying and bullets with astonishing bravery to save the lives of others as a Civil War nurse. She then went on to create The Missing Soldiers Office and the American Red Cross despite formidable obstacles. Audience members become naysayers and believers, soldiers and nurses to discover what these struggles and accomplishments meant on a personal level. This award-winning show inspires all of us to "Never Give Up!"

Please join us for a free, in-person book talk, Fear No Pharaoh, American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery, with Richard Kreitner on June 14, 2025, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, followed by a book signing. A dramatic history of how American Jews reckoned with slavery—and fought the Civil War. A dramatic history of how American Jews reckoned with slavery—and fought the Civil War. Since ancient times, the Jewish people have recalled the story of Exodus and reflected on the implications of having been slaves. Did the tradition teach that Jews should speak out against slavery and oppression everywhere, or act cautiously to protect themselves in a hostile world? In Fear No Pharaoh, the journalist and historian Richard Kreitner sets this question at the heart of the Civil War era. Using original sources, he tells the intertwined stories of six American Jews who helped to shape a tumultuous time, including Judah Benjamin, the brilliant, secretive lawyer who became Jefferson Davis’s trusted confidante; Morris Raphall, a Swedish-born rabbi who defended slavery as biblically justified; and Raphall's rival rabbis—the celebrated Isaac Mayer Wise, who urged Jews to stay out of the slavery controversy to avoid attracting attention, and David […]

We are pleased to offer a book talk and signing on July 19, 2025, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Saturday, July 19 at 2:00 pm with author, editor, and publisher,  Stephen M. Vest. Stephen Vest will discuss his book "George Graham Vest", with a book signing immediately following the book talk. The 2024 Lessons in History program is free to the public. Regular museum admission applies for entrance to the museum galleries. About the Book: Although the saying “Dog is man’s best friend,” is well known, the man who originally coined the phrase is less celebrated in modern times. However, in the late 1800s, George Graham Vest was a distinguished attorney and politician widely admired for his skills in oration and debate. George Graham Vest—The Life and Times of Dog’s Best Friend provides a detailed look at Vest, who practiced law in central Missouri, serving in the Missouri House of Representatives, the Confederate Congress, the Confederate Senate, and later the U.S. Senate. He also helped establish Yellowstone National Park. Written by descendant Stephen M. Vest, George Graham Vest is a fitting biography to one of America’s best statesmen, long overdue. About the Author: Stephen M. Vest is the editor and […]