The house at 10 N. Fourth St., once the home of J.W. “Blind” Boone is slated for complete restoration. The outside has been renovated, but much remains to be done and a $500,000 fund-raising campaign has been kicked off. To highlight the work of Boone, 1864-1927, the J.W. “Blind” Boone Heritage Foundation Board has launched…
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.
Teachers: There’s history in bricks and mortar
One of the things I love about learning about Columbia and Boone County’s historic places is finding new ways to use this information. This article notes that teachers can use historic places such as those in Columbia and Boone County to teach history. A walk through downtown Columbia would allow teachers to discuss the importance…
Downtown retailers
I just found this great article on the history of downtown retailers in my hometown, Columbia, Missouri. While it is enjoyable reading and the photographs are intriguing, the article doesn’t contain a single citation of the source of the information. The article, “There & Gone,” was published on pages 30 and 31 in Veterinary Medical Review,…
Industrial development redux
It is interesting to see how history repeats itself. Once again, those in charge of Columbia’s economic development are casting their eyes toward ways to bring more industrial development to the city. That’s old news. “In 1873 the city government believed that Columbia ‘should give every possible encouragement toward fostering a spirit of manufacturing industris,…
610 W. Broadway correction
Sometimes even journalists like myself get it wrong. That’s when a correction is in order, even when it is a mistake easily corrected such as on a website. A page on my site gave the incorrect name for the owners of this 1917 house at 610 W. Broadway, which was named to the Columbia Most Notable…
See the 2011 Historic Properties
Here’s a link to a PowerPoint with photographs of this year’s Most Notable Properties. Each year, the City of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission names several properties to its Most Notable Properties List. The purpose of the list is to acknowledge Columbia’s outstanding historic features. This year five properties were named to the list: 901 E….
Berry Building Receives State Honor
On Wednesday, Missouri Preservation will present the Preserve Missouri Award to John Ott for his renovation of the Berry Building, a former warehouse and grocery at 1025-33 Walnut Street. Once nearly derelict, today the 33,000-square-foot building gleams with PS Gallery and Independent Staves, a firm that manufactures and sells wine and whiskey barrels all over…
Columbia College’s history referenced by Belleville News-Democrat
The Belleville News-Democrat, bnd.com, has an question and answer section in it online publication. A recent question referenced Columbia College, and the answer includes some very interesting history. Here is the answer and question, reprinted with permission from bnd.com: Q. Every time I turn on the TV, I see ads for various colleges. Are these…
KOMU coverage of 2011 Most Notable Properties
Through this link, you can view KOMU’s coverage of the then-upcoming gala event of Feb. 16, 2011 where the Columbia Historic Preservation Commission announced the five new properties named to the Most Notable Properties List. The coverage by Josh Frydman notes the five new properties will be added to the 118 already on the list….
See history, view 2011 Most Notable Properties
The quote from Brian Treece in the Feb. 15, 2011 article on the five properties named to the Most Notable Properties list sums up the importance of the list: “History is all around us, and sometimes we forget that.” The article includes photographs, a slide show and a map. A free, open to the public…
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