The Library

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Local History

FERA and the WPA

As programs such as the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, FERA, prepared to wind down their operations in 1935, the WPA, Works Progress Administration was created to help Springfieldians get paying jobs.

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Local History

Virgil V. Anderson

Virgil Anderson, a World War I veteran, describes the close calls he survived during the War. He was posted as a balloon observer and had made 25 parachute jumps.

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Local History

Old Fairgrounds

The Driving Park subdivision was originally the grounds of the Springfield District Fair Association. The grounds included a race track, lake, and other amenities. In 1902 the land was sold to plat a new housing development. Eventually, the area became part of the Missouri State University's campus.

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Local History

Arthur Paul Moser

An interview with Arthur Paul Moser in 1981 gives insight to his process of searching forgotten towns in Missouri and some interesting facts found during his research.

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Local History

Old City Hall

 A landmark building was torn down in 1914. The Springfield Leader carried a brief history of the building.

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Local History

Mary E. Wilson Home

In 1918, plans for the Mary E. Wilson Home for Aged Women moved forward with the purchase of the former Neale Institute on North Main Street.

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Local History

Georgia Clark

A Drury College graduate became the first full-time woman instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1962.

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Local History

Lincoln School Library Catalog

A new exhibit at the History Museum on the Square includes an item on loan from the Springfield-Greene County Library. The exhibit is called, Community Cornerstones: Springfield’s Black Educators, and will run February 1-May 7, 2023 at the History Museum on the Square.

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Local History

Valentine's Day Dance 1957

Five young men hosted a Valentine's Day dance at the Springfield American Legion Hall in 1957. They were Jerry Fielder, Gary Bareford, Bob Green, Mike O'Neal and Rick Mayse.

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Local History

A.T. Yoachum

The obituary of Augustine Yoachum gives interesting insight to the history of Christian County, the Ozarks region, and some background of the mysterious Yoachum silver dollar.

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Local History

Paul Mueller Convoy

A 1981 shipment of 10 giant milk coolers departed from the Paul Mueller Company in Springfield on their way to Pennsylvania. It represented the largest single shipment in the company's history to that date.

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Local History

Captain John McCoy

Captain John McCoy, who served in the Civil War, traveled to Springfield to apply for a pension. He was a politician in Arkansas before and after the war.

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Local History

Wahshungah monument

The tombstone for Wahshungah, known as the last chief of the Kaw Nation, was carved by W.O. Johnson, a Springfield firm. Bids for the contract were from firms in Guthrie, Oklahoma City, and Kansas City, among others. 

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