Here Are The Oldest Photos Ever Taken In Missouri And They’re Incredible
Missouri became a state in 1821 and at the time most of Missouri was still largely unsettled. In 1823 St. Louis became an incorporated city and by the 1860’s St. Louis became the 4th largest city in the nation. In 1853 Missouri officially Incorporated the “City of Kansas” and the estimated population was about 2,500. Missouri’s population continued to swell during the late 1800’s as the state became the launching point into westward expansion. These photos from the State Historical Society of Missouri were taken around the turn of the century and show what life was like all across the Show Me State. While there are some earlier photographs that survive, many of them are portraits or photos of recently constructed buildings that no longer exist today. Here are a few of the interesting examples from the turn of the century that we could find:
The University of Missouri Football Team pose for a photo in 1900.
John William Boone, more commonly known as Blind Boone, was a famous Ragtime musician from Warrensburg, Missouri. This photo shows him being greeted by the people of Clarksburg as he arrives into town for a performance circa 1900.
This photo taken sometime between 1880 - 1900 shows students and teachers in front of Pike College in Bowling Green, Missouri. The college closed in 1922 after a major fire.
Liz is a Missouri native with a B.A. in English from Mizzou and a M.A. in Non-Profit Administration from Lindenwood University. She works for a STL metro-area community college and enjoys writing, traveling, and indoor cycling. Her true passion is forcing her encyclopedic knowledge of Missouri facts on uninterested strangers from across the globe!
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