Exhibits
Below is some information on some of the exhibits inside the Missouri State Museum.
Galleries
History Hall
In 1919, the General Assembly designated this exhibit gallery as the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. Now referred to as the “History Hall,” it houses exhibits about Missouri’s cultural history. The museum’s current exhibits in the History Hall include:
“Missouri Bicentennial Timeline”
Visitors can follow a river of time that flows through thousands of years of Missouri history. Illustrated by St. Louis artist Dan Zettwoch and stretching 80 feet, the timeline highlights the triumphs and tragedies of Missouri history. Missouri’s state symbols and fun references to Missouri’s culture and folklore are scattered along the timeline. Visit to see what you find hidden in the illustrations.
“Missouri Trailblazers”
Currently the largest exhibit in the museum, "Missouri Trailblazers" highlights the people, places and organizations that blazed a trail in leadership, innovation and creativity. Explore the exhibit to find Missourians who made a difference, even if you’ve never heard of them before. Connect with these trailblazers through artifacts, interpretive panels and games. Artifacts and panels in this exhibit will rotate every few months, so keep coming back to learn more!
“Memory in Cloth”
The Missouri State Museum has a collection of more than 400 military flags and political banners dating from the 1830s to today. “Memory in Cloth” highlights this collection and its conservation. It also asks visitors to consider the history of the flags and how our understanding of their meaning has changed over time. The flags and banners highlighted in this exhibit will rotate every six months, so come back often to see what is on display.
Missouri Veterans Gallery
Opened in 2007, this gallery honors Missouri's veterans. Rotating artifacts feature conflicts from the Seminole War (1835-1842) to Operation Enduring Freedom.
Resources Hall
First designated the Resources Museum in 1921, this gallery was joined with the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in 1923 to form the Missouri State Museum. This gallery displays Missouri's natural resources on the south wall, human resources on the north wall, and the story of how the two have interacted in the center.
Foundations Gallery
This gallery, opened in 2009, features exhibits on Missouri's state government and the buildings that have served as Missouri's Capitol. Artifacts are periodically rotated.
Jefferson Landing State Historic Site and Elizabeth Rozier Gallery
Online Exhibits
Traveling Exhibits
The museum maintains a growing number of traveling exhibits that can be borrowed by schools, museums, libraries and other organizations. Our exhibits explore Missouri’s rich natural and cultural history. We are creating new exhibits and updating old exhibits regularly. To learn more about the traveling exhibits currently on offer, click here.
Artifact Collections
The Missouri State Museum is actively collecting artifacts related to Missouri's cultural and natural history for loan and donation. Please contact the museum at 573-751-2854 or collections.statemuseum@dnr.mo.gov for more information.