Hidden in Plain Sight: A Missouri History Podcast

Preserving a Legacy | Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site | Monroe County, Missouri

Travel to the Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site in Florida, Missouri, to explore the small cabin where Samuel Clemens—later known as Mark Twain—was born, and to hear of his daughter Clara, who protected his legacy and helped support efforts to preserve his home.

How Brotherhood Economics Regenerates an Ozark Forest | Shannondale Community | Shannon County, Missouri

Travel to Missouri’s beautiful Ozark region, and to Shannon County, to explore the Shannondale community and its historic role in restoring forest land stripped bare by early twentieth-century logging.

A Missouri-Style Presidency: The Truman Home, Independence Missouri

This episodes takes us to the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri, a place closely connected to the life of First Lady Bess Truman and the hometown roots of President Harry S. Truman. There, we explore the story of Bess Wallace Truman, who grew up in Independence and was famously private, trying our best to uncover her personality by reading letters and interviewing site park ranger at and Truman afficianado, Jeffrey B Wade.

Alma Nash Marching for Women's Suffrage: Nodaway Historical Society, Maryville, Missouri

Travel to the Nodaway County Historical Society in Maryville, Missouri, to explore the story of Alma Nash, the leader of an all-women's band that traveled to Washington, D.C., where they marched in a suffrage parade in 1913. We speak with historian Elyssa Ford and with Melissa Middleswart of the Nodaway Historical Society, who help explain the cultural world that made the band possible, and the impact it had on the community.

Elected County Clerk Before Women Could Vote: Jasper County Courthouse, Carthage, Missouri

Travel to Carthage, Missouri’s Jasper County Courthouse, a striking historic building connected to an unusual moment in the history of women and public office. There, we speak with Jasper County Clerk and former Missouri State Representative, Charlie Davis, who shares the story of Annie White Baxter, who in 1890 was elected Jasper County Clerk—decades before women had the right to vote in Missouri. Her victory meant that an all-male electorate chose a woman to hold one of the county’s most important administrative offices, an extraordinary outcome for its time.