St. Joseph Museum offers look into American history and culture
Slavery. Civil Rights. The American Civil War. Native American history. All this, plus an exquisite doll collection, await visitors to the St. Joseph Museum and the Black Archives.
Taking a look at the history of African-Americans, from the days of slavery to the struggle for Civil Rights, is the focus of the Black Archives.
The most interesting section to me was the “March to Freedom.” It’s a small room, but it houses a large story. Detailing events and people throughout history, visitors can walk around the room and gain a sense of the struggles and dangers African-Americans encountered, just for their skin tone.
No matter how many times I see the reminder, separate drinking fountains for “White” and “Colored” just set me off. It amazes me that people were mistreated – and still are – just because they look different than someone else.
Standing in the hallway is a mannequin dressed as York, the lone African-American on the Lewis and Clark expedition team in 1806.
Another room celebrates accomplishments of African-Americans, including St. Joe’s Coleman Hawkins, a talented musician.
Mike Rucker, a former Nebraska Cornhusker football star, has a display in the museum. Rucker, a native of St. Joseph, played for the Carolina Panthers for several years in the National Football League.
I was impressed with the display the archives had of President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. The display shows campaign-related memorabilia.
Moving on to the Native American collection, a hallway displays the framed portraits of several key leaders through history – Sitting Bull, Chief Joseph, among them.
The collection is impressive. It was donated from a private collection.
Among the items on display were moccasins, clothes – including a vest worn by Iowa tribe members, weapons, dolls, pottery and jewelry.
A set of bow and arrows impressed me with how well it was displayed.
The collection contains items from tribes around the United States, including the Lakota and Dakota (Sioux), Dine (Navajo), Iowa and Sauk tribes of Missouri.
There is an exhibit that documents a dig in northwest Missouri and the depth the team went to in finding artifacts, such as arrow heads and knives.
The next section we visited focused on the Civil War.
Missouri was aligned with the Union. But, it was a divided state. Sympathies ran deep on both sides.
A Confederate army flag is displayed that lists the battles one unit participated in.
Visitors can take a look at what an Army tent might have looked like in person during the war.
A major part of the exhibit focused on the medical advances during the Civil War. Surgeons are portrayed operating on a wounded soldier.
A nurse is portrayed caring for a patient.
The Civil War resulted in the most significant advancement in medicine in history. Among them:
- Medical records
- First prosthetics
- Triage care
- Hygiene and sanitary care
The last collection in the St. Joseph Museum focused on dolls.
A doll named Miss Hyogo welcomes visitors. She is a Japanese doll of friendship. She originated in 1927.
A display on dolls featuring outfits from the movie “Gone with the Wind” is popular.
The “Wizard of Oz” characters are on display.
A sports section has the action figures of some of the greatest players, including Roger Maris and George Brett.
All in all, the St. Joseph Museum was an interesting visit. You see a variety of exhibits. The entire complex, along with the Glore Psychiatric Museum, takes 2-3 hours to tour. The $6 adult admission fee covers the entire complex.
We recommend making the museum complex part of your visit to St. Joe.
Disclaimer: Thanks to the St. Joseph Visitors Bureau for the complimentary tickets for the St. Joseph Museums complex. However, all opinions and views are ours.