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.

Sept. 14 Zoom webinar on Negro Leagues

This 7 p.m. Sept. event is free but registration is required. Here’s where you can register. https://shsmo.org/events/2021/african-american-experience-kendrick President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Bob Kendrick will discuss the Negro Leagues, where Black baseball players were restricted to playing until 1947 when Jackie Robinson was signed to play the major leagues. Learn more here: https://www.loc.gov/collections/jackie-robinson-baseball/articles-and-essays/baseball-the-color-line-and-jackie-robinson/1940-to-1946/…

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Digital Black History Resource

History geeks rejoice! Here is a link to a 1988 transcription by Charles O’Dell of a 1901-1909 director of Black households in Boone County. This resource is made available by the Daniel Boone Regional Library as part of its new Missouri Bicentennial Collection.  The DBRL’s description: “A unique record of African American history in Boone…

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Respond to MU’s demolition plans

Interested in letting MU know how you feel about the demolition of eight buildings on campus? Here’s information about how you can have your say. The Univesity of Missouri has announced plans to demolish eight buildings, including several which are historic. The buildings are Parker Hall, Noyes Hall, Old Student Health Building, Columbia Professional Building,…

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KBIA: Black Experience in Columbia

In the run up to Columbia’s 2021 bicentennial, KBIA radio station broadcast a series about the Black experience in Columbia. The series is called You Don’t Say. Here’s is one of the pieces: Rev. David Ballenger and Rev. Clyde Ruffin, “We could see the love, and we were taught love,” broadcast June 4, 2020.

App for African-American Trail

An app for Columbia’s African-American Heritage Trail is available free. It is on OtoCast. The app has text, audio, photographs and a map to each of the 22 stops on the trail. The trail markers highlight people, places and activities from J.W. Blind Boone’s house and music to a movie theater that doubled as a…

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History of Columbia — You can help!

This website aspires to grow into a door into the history of Columbia, Missouri. Why? Currently, Columbia has no single entry point to find Columbia’s history. This site is designed to become that portal into the history of Columbia and its places, people and events. Want to join me? I’d love that! The site needs…

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