The Montgomery County Historical Society (MCHS) is a 501(c)(3) corporation. The Society owns two buildings in Montgomery City that house an extensive genealogical library and a museum of artifacts and antiques. All research requests replies, building staffing/maintenance and website management are donated by volunteers.
If you like what you find here, please become a member and/or make a donation to help us continue our mission. We also welcome contributions of your own research, be it family history or documented historical articles that would interest other visitors.
Pioneer Days, a 96-page illustrated history of the County, has been well-received by both those new to our history as well as long-time residents.
Churchill Museum in Fulton - highly recommended!
Winston Churchill was a fascinating character, brilliant politician, dogged soldier, prolific writer, and a “wise guy.” He offered several insightful quotes about history:
- Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
- The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.
- History … can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future
- History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
Learn more about Churchill and history at America’s National Churchill Museum in nearby Fulton on the campus of Westminster College. Established in 1969, it memorializes the “Iron Curtain” speech Churchill gave at the school on March 5, 1946. The Museum includes the majestic 17th-century church of St. Mary the Virgin, created by British architect Sir Christopher Wren. Badly damaged by London bombings in the Second World War, the building was relocated to Fulton. The largest continuous section of the Berlin Wall in North America, now a sculpture by Edwina Sandys (Churchill's granddaughter), is on the grounds.
A visit is well worth the time – allow for a couple hours to explore.
World War II - Letters Home
This fall, Reedy Press releases Letters Home from WWII: St. Louis, a book by historian Christopher Alan Gordon that examines World War II through the lens of letters written by servicemen and women from the St. Louis region to their families and friends back home, while also exploring the war's impact on the city and surrounding area. Gordon's book features letters compiled from local archives that tell inspiring, enduring, and sometimes heartbreaking stories.
One set of letters features Montgomery County soldier John J. Cunningham writing to his sister, Mildred. Cunningham was stationed in Italy and wrote dutifully to Mildred (Milly), who had left Montgomery City to take a job at a department store in St. Louis. Their letters reveal the deeply personal side of a world at war and remind us of how crucial the mail was in maintaining the morale of those serving thousands of miles away, keeping them in touch with those they loved.
Letters Home from WWII: St. Louis will be available in bookstores and online retailers in late October. Click here.
1876 Montgomery Fair Booklet
Thank you to a website visitor who shared an original 1876 booklet from the “Tenth Annual Fair of the Montgomery City A and M Association.” A scan is found here. There were 53 enclosed acres and a one-mile track. Admittance was 40¢ per person plus various other fees for your child, horse or vehicle..jpg)
The booklet includes many rules for orderliness, safety and fairness of competition. An Art Hall displayed “domestics,” both factory and handmade. Farm produce and animals as well as farm implements and carriages were on display. All persons were “required to pay ten per cent entry fee upon all premiums contended for when the entry is made.” Advertisements from local businesses include all kinds of enticements. The “Grand Trotting Race” and “Grand Running Race” each paid out $150 to first place.
A Great Find - Free MO History Videos
- Crossroads of a Continent: Missouri Railroads, 1851-1921
- Along the Boone's Lick Road: Key Link to the West
- The 1849 Cholera Outbreak in Jefferson City
- Blood Feud on Bull Creek: The True and Complete Story of the Meadows-Bilyeu Feud
- The Missouri Home Guard: Protecting the Home Front during the Great War
- The History of Fort Leonard Wood
- Steamboat Disasters on the Lower Missouri
- Many, many, more!
Famous County Residents
Admittedly, our County is not very well known, but we do have some past residents worth “crowing about.” See the section on Families, Bios, Records and learn about:
- One of Missouri’s first State Supreme Court judges.
- Children’s book author and illustrator.
- Missouri pioneer who was a medical practitioner, writer and geologist.
- Director of Legislative Service for the Missouri Farm Bureau.
- Prohibition Party presidential candidate and college professor.
As always, we welcome any historical documents, etc. that you may wish to share!
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July 14
County Fair
The 78th Anniversary - click here for details.
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July 26
MCHS Board Meeting
The MCHS Board meets monthly on the fourth Saturday at the MCHS building.
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August 8
MoSGA Annual Conference
Click here for detail. Keynote speaker: Judy Russell.
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August 14
Old Threshers Annual Show
Experience the “Way it Was” with antique farm machinery, flea market, games, food, antique cars, music, and more. Click here for more info. ...
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August 23
MCHS Board Meeting
The MCHS Board meets monthly on the fourth Saturday at the MCHS building.
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