Boone County Historical Society

Boone County Historical Society was established in 1924. Located in Columbia, Missouri, United States, the Boone County Historical Museum has been collecting, preserving and exhibiting artifacts and records of the people of Boone County, Missouri.

Overview

The Boone County Historical Society includes both a history museum and an art gallery.^[1][2] The museum owns historical photographs spanning back to the early 20th century, revealing a Columbia that many people have never seen.^[3] The historical society and museum is a cultural and arts destination for the entire Columbia, Missouri and surrounding communities.^[4]

The Boone County Historical Society is the home to the pianist John W. Blind Boone, 125-year-old Chickering grand piano. After belonging to the Walters-Boone Historical Museum for decades, the original piano was hardly playable and continued to deteriorate as a museum piece for the historical society.^[5] The century old piano can now be found as a centerpiece of the Montminy Art Gallery.

Walters-Boone County Museum

The Walters-Boone County Museum was established in 1990 by the Boone County Historical Society. Through the efforts of the historical society's Board of Directors, a large campaign was launched, which allowed the official construction of the museum to start in 1989. The Walters-Boone County Museum has two major exhibit halls and other display areas which make a total of 5,500 square feet of historical exhibit space. The museum also houses a nearly 10,000 square feet of climate-control vaults and storage space.^[6]

The Montminy Gallery

The 4,800 square foot Montminy Art Gallery has 2,800 square feet of exhibit floor space for local, regional and state artists of importance and interest to the Boone County community. The Montminy Gallery was built in 1993 after the death of longtime Columbia artist and University of Missouri professor Emeritus Elizabeth "Tracy" Montminy.^[7] A wide array of art mediums can be found rotating every eight to twelve weeks. Some of the more popular mediums include; paintings, photography and sculptures.

Historic houses and buildings of the Boone County Historical Society

Historic Maplewood House

The Maplewood House was built in 1877 by husband and wife Slater Ensor Lenoir and Margaret Bradform Lenior, each coming from Boone County pioneer families. The house and farm received its name Maplewood because it was located in a grove of large sugar maple trees.^[8] Surviving for over 139 years, the Maplewood House been visited by thousands.^[9]

• Maplewood History – The historical house was built with homemade brick. Showing influence of the Italianate architectural style. With an original T-shaped layout the home was remodeled in 1891. Some of the construction consisted of enclosing the sleeping decks along the south side of the home and adding an additional wing. Some of the aritectuaral features of the home include: corbels, arched windows, bay windows, front balcony and oriole window.
• Maplewood Farm Site – The original farm included 427 acres. The land included: a large pond, utility house, hay barn and a large barn. The animal barn was reconstructed to a summer theater playhouse, called the Maplewood Barn Theater after the property was purchased by the City of Columbia. It was lost to a fire in 2010 and rebuilt and dedicated in 2012.
• Restoration – The City of Columbia purchased 60 acres of the farmland including the Maplewood house in 1970. On November 8, 1970 the park was formally dedicated and renamed the Frank G. Nifong Memorial Park and today is called Historic Nifong Park in recognition of the work of historic preservation undertaken by the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department and the Boone County Historical Society.

Village of Boone Junction

• Gordon-Collins Log Cabin – In 1822, David Gordon, Kentucky settler, built the Gordon-Collins Log Cabin. Serving as his families temporary home while a large house was being built. The cabin was later used a slave home and a place for hired laborers to stay. Currently, visitors can view tools that were common during the new frontier. Some of the tools include: looms, spinning wheels, candle molds and cookware.^[10]
• McQuitty House – In 1910 Luther McQuitty, an African American contractor built this home. Being unique for its vernacular "Shotgun" style of architecture, it is one of few surving homes of its style remaining.

Collections

• Civil War In Missouri^[11][12]
• Boone County Fire Protection District Dedication Exhibit^[13]
• Concerned Student 1950 Protest and Hunger Strike (2015-16 University of Missouri protests) by Jon Luvelli
• 150 Years of Boone County Education^[14][15]
• The Sporting Life: Hunting, Fishing & Conservation in Boone County^[16]

Persons of note

• Ray Beck
• Jane Froman
• William Jewell
• James S. Rollins
• Odon Guitar
• Tom Bass
• Frank Graham
• Jon Luvelli ^[17]
• Henry J. Waters III
• Annie Fisher^[18]
• Harry S. Truman
• T.S. Eliot

References

Coordinates: 38°54′26″N 92°17′38″W / 38.9073°N 92.2939°W / 38.9073; -92.2939