Did you have to miss last night’s ghost tour? Here’s a photo/text peek at the tour which was hosted by Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission. The tour discussed the ghosts and mysteries associated with the Residence on the Quad, the Columns as the remains of Academic Hall, where the Shack once stood, McAlester Hall, the Conley…
Author: diannaobrien
History blogger. Writer. Traveler. Curiosity drives me. I share what I learn at CoMoHistoricPlaces.com. My newest book, Historic Movie Theaters of Columbia, came out in October 2021. My 2017 book, From Melon Fields to Moon Rocks highlighted the life of Columbia resident Charles W. Gehrke, 1917-2009, a scientist and entrepreneur who founded ABC Labs, now Eurofins.
Halloween walking tour on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015
A free walking tour is on tap for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. The tour is being offered by Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission. The tour will meet at 6 p.m. on MU’s Francis Quadrangle. For more information about the Historic Preservation Commission and walking tours, check out this blog: https://comorevamp.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/upcoming-walking-tours/ Oct. 23, 2015 — Historic Preservation Commission…
Horsey history here
Were you too busy to take in the Boone County Stables Tour this past weekend? Not to worry, the Columbia Historic Homes website has you covered. Here are links to information on the Stephens Stables with photos and history about these stables which were built in 1939 and 1952. This history is important because first it…
Scary history on display Oct. 28, 2015
There’s more to history than old buildings — there are the tales within. Those tales, scary and otherwise, will be on display in a history tour set for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. The Columbia Historic Preservation Commission holds historic tours periodically. The most recent was Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015. Several more are scheduled…
Buy history, live in the Gingerbread house
The house at 121 West Blvd., North, often called the Fairy Tale house or the Gingerbread house, is once again for sale. This recent article, “Famed Columbia gingerbread house on the market again,” gives a brief outline of the house and its recent history. Best of all, it does not repeat some of the urban…
Hidden high-rise highlighted twice
Here in 2015, there’s lots of talk about whether downtown Columbia should sport so many high-rise apartment buildings, but in 1910, another high-rise faced a different kind of problem — a shortage of steel. The Guitar Building — which has nothing to do with guitars — at 28 N. Eighth St. was spotlighted in the…
Maplewood:14-foot walls, a $3 million heritage and a $14,400 grant
Fourteen-inch thick walls. Three gifts worth nearly $1 today. And now a $14,400 grant Those numbers are part of the story of Maplewood, a 1977 historic home owned by the City of Columbia and managed by the Boone County Historical Society. Maplewood was built by Columbia pioneer Slater Lenoir in 1877, the house has 14-inch…
Lost Black history spotlighted on Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Black history will be the brought back to life on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 with the unveiling of a marker to highlight a place that once existed — Sharp End — will be highlighted. From 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., members of the Sharp End Heritage Commission and city and state officials will mark the unveiling…
Bungalows and local couple celebrated for historic preservation
The bungalow-studded neighborhood on Hubbell Drive and Lucy and Hugo Vianello will be celebrated at a free event set for 6:30 p.m. May 11, 2015, to highlight historic preservation in Columbia, Missouri. The event, sponsored by Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission, will be held in the historic Missouri Theatre — the building that Hugo and Vianello…
Things that go bump in the day and the night
Interested in what you can’t see? That’s what you’ll learn about at these free downtown historic walking tours, with the first one slated for July 31, 2014. Given by members of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Columbia, the tours will focus on what you can — and can’t see. All four of…
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