Missouri State Museum

Missouri State Museum The OFFICIAL page for the Missouri State Museum, located in Jefferson City, Mo. just one block northeast of the Capitol building.

The Missouri State Museum, inside the Missouri State Capitol includes a History Gallery, a Natural Resources Gallery, a Missouri Veterans Gallery, and the "Foundations" Gallery (focused on Missouri state Capitol/government). The museum also administers Jefferson Landing State Historic Site (located at 100 Jefferson St., Jefferson City, Mo.) This historic site is significant as a rare Missouri Rive

r landing. The Lohman Building houses an interactive interpretation of an 1850s general store and warehouse and features a film on the history of the site and of Jefferson City. The building also serves as a support facility for the Missouri State Museum. The Union Hotel houses the Elizabeth Rozier Gallery with rotating exhibits emphasizing Missouri's history, art and culture. The ground floor of the former hotel keeps up the tradition of providing transportation to the heartland of the state by serving as the city's Amtrak train station. [The Union Hotel is currently closed to the public for structural repairs.] Jefferson Landing SHS is open seasonally March 1st through the first Saturday in December with hours of operation Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The state park system is composed of 92 parks and historic sites managed by the Dept. of Natural Resources for the benefit of all Missourians. This forum is for speech related to Missouri State Parks. The views, opinions and positions expressed by users providing comments on this page are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Missouri State Parks or any employee thereof. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources considers its social media platforms to be moderated online discussion sites. As a result, comments and posts that violate any of the guidelines listed below may be removed without notice:

• Profane language or content;
• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination against protected classes;
• Advertisements, prize contests, or giveaways. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial, or non-governmental agency;
• Apparent spamming or trolling, including comments with
links to external online sites;
• Copyrighted or trademarked images or graphics. Imagery posted should be owned by the user; and
• Comments, photos, or videos that suggest or encourage
illegal activity. Continued violations of any portion of this policy may result in the restriction of the individual’s right to comment on the official Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ social media platforms.

Jefferson Landing State Historic Site celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! Throughout the year we'll share stories...
05/26/2026

Jefferson Landing State Historic Site celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! Throughout the year we'll share stories and images (in non-chronological order) of its 50 years as a historic site.

The worldwide COVID pandemic caused closures and lead to a wide variety of guidelines for social distancing. While the Jefferson Landing buildings closed during the COVID shut-down, we still endeavored to bring the community together in a safe way. Following social distancing protocols, we even gridded out Lohman lawn in six foot squares for our Backyard Concerts.

Painting six foot squares on a lawn was not on our "Historic Site Management" bingo card!

Image of Lohman Lawn with orange grid lines.

Jefferson Landing State Historic Site celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! Throughout the year we'll share stories...
05/19/2026

Jefferson Landing State Historic Site celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! Throughout the year we'll share stories and images (in non-chronological order) of its 50 years as a historic site.

Architect W. Philip Cotton Jr. lead the design for rehabilitation of Jefferson Landing. The three historic buildings on site had seen a lot of changes in their 120+ year history by 1970, including total incorporation into the Tweedie Shoe factory. This c. 1975 rendering gives Cotton's concept of the site and how it connects to the larger City of Jefferson. This detailed drawing gives an accurate, if heavily forested, view of what the site would become.

Study nature with Missouri Natural, the Missouri State Museum’s newest exhibit. We’ll provide weekly prompts to help bui...
05/17/2026

Study nature with Missouri Natural, the Missouri State Museum’s newest exhibit. We’ll provide weekly prompts to help build your nature journal.

Make some art today! We chose to watercolor because its colorful, inexpensive and portable. We bought our whole water color kit from a chain discount store, including a small easel/desk, for $30. We threw all our stuff in tote we got for free, added a jar filled with water, and off we went to paint. Does our painting look like our setting? Hmmm. Did we enjoy being outdoors, listening to the birds and seeing fish jump in the water. YES!

Talent is not at the heart of nature journaling (as evidenced by our weekly posts). Enjoying and observing nature is. Take some time today to enjoy nature today from your backyard, local park or the closest Missouri State Park or Historic Site. Draw, paint, take a picture, write a poem or just use your senses to enjoy all nature has to offer.

Today is International Family Day!Families look different to everyone. They can be biological, adoptive or made up of un...
05/15/2026

Today is International Family Day!

Families look different to everyone. They can be biological, adoptive or made up of unrelated people who always have your back. Whatever your definition of family, take some time today to reach out and connect with your favorite family member or members.

This family or friend group image is from the Missouri State Museum's African American Portrait Collection. They are currently unidentified, but we can appreciate their desire to capture a moment of togetherness.

This year, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of Jefferson Landing as a State Historic Site. We're going to celebrate by ....
05/14/2026

This year, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of Jefferson Landing as a State Historic Site. We're going to celebrate by . . . temporarily closing the Lohman building museum. The museum will be closed June-October 2026.

Never fear! We will reopen after construction is complete on a reconstructed galleried porch and sidewalk. Planning the replacement porch has been a fun challenge. Team members from Missouri State Parks, Office of Administration, and SOA Architecture explored several design options. The porch has been an iconic feature of the Lohman building since the 1840s. An exact replica based on historic images was not possible because early images showed no balustrades on the porch railing--not exactly safe. The porch design had to include features that could have been used during the building's active historic period (c. 1840 to c. 1910) and meet modern code requirements as a second means of egress for staff working on the upper floors. Relative ease of maintenance was also a factor. The new sidewalk will provide a smoother and ADA accessible path along the north side of the building.

These conceptual images are courtesy SOA Architecture. Keep your eyes on this space as we follow along with construction and give updates on when we'll reopen in the fall. We're planning a 50th anniversary celebration when the porch is complete!

P.S. Despite construction, Jefferson Landing will still host its annual Backyard Concert series this summer. The first concert is June 13!

Thank you for everyone who joined us for the Mother's Day tea this past Saturday. It was lovely seeing you all and we lo...
05/12/2026

Thank you for everyone who joined us for the Mother's Day tea this past Saturday. It was lovely seeing you all and we look forward to next year.



Images: Courtesy of the Jefferson City News Tribune 5/11/2026.

Study nature with Missouri Natural, the Missouri State Museum’s newest exhibit. We’ll provide weekly prompts to help bui...
05/10/2026

Study nature with Missouri Natural, the Missouri State Museum’s newest exhibit. We’ll provide weekly prompts to help build your nature journal.

It is Mother's Day! Did your mom, or some other woman in your life, inspire you to learn more about nature? If so, who was it? What did they do to spark your curiosity or teach you? Take some time today to reflect on who and what they did? Can't think of a particular person? That's okay! What about Mother Earth herself? What has she taught about herself or yourself?

Write prose, a poem, draw a picture, whatever you want. This is your journal! As we often demonstrate--you don't need to have great handwriting, spelling skills or the best grammar. This journal is yours!

Stagecoaching in MissouriThe expansion of stage coach routes across Missouri is closely tied to the designation of post ...
05/06/2026

Stagecoaching in Missouri

The expansion of stage coach routes across Missouri is closely tied to the designation of post roads by the U.S. Postmaster General. Postal roads might be named due to increased population in an area or through petitions from local communities to Congress. Missouri saw a boom in postal road designations in the mid-1830s through 1850s. Postal "roads" included canals, rivers, railroads and land routes. Overland routes were not always accessible by stage. Postal transportation bids and contracts often designated mail to be carried by horse, cart, wagon, two-horse stage or four-horse stage. Some contracts allowed for mail to be carried by horse for a few months of the year and stage or wagon the rest. In some communities, horse was the preferred route due to reliability. On Jan. 6, 1824, the editor of the Missouri Intelligencer noted the arrival of a four-horse stage carrying mail between Louisville, Kentucky and Franklin, Missouri. As an aside he noted that the "New Line" stage was "not so regular as horse."

This map of Illinois and Missouri in 1839 shows postal roads, canals and riverways. Burr, David H. “Map of Illinois & Missouri,” London: John Arrowsmith, 1839. Available online at the Dave Rumsey Map Collection: www.davidrumsey.com.

Address

First Floor, State Capitol 201 W Capitol
Jefferson City, MO
65101

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+15737512854

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Missouri State Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Missouri State Museum:

Shortcuts

Share

Category