Beyond the Capitol: Historic Tours and Museums

Beyond the Capitol are historic tours and museums, where Missouri's stories are preserved and new ones are in the making.

Tyler Beck Photography

Missouri State Museum

The Missouri State Museum allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history of the Show-Me State. Located in the state Capitol, the museum houses an impressive collection of exhibits in the History Hall, Missouri Veterans Gallery, Resources Hall, and Foundations Gallery that portray the state's natural and cultural history. Capitol tours are offered year-round (reservations required).

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Missouri State Penitentiary & Museum

In conjunction with the Missouri State Penitentiary history and ghost tours, the MSP museum provides additional historical information about the infamous prison that operated for 168 years. The museum houses MSP memorabilia and a replica cell that demonstrates the living conditions at the prison. Visitors can view descriptive displays about prison industries, contraband, inmate craftsmanship, the Riot of 1954, and much more.

Jefferson Landing State Historic Site | Lohman Building

After the seat of government moved to the city of Jefferson in 1826, the lower end of Jefferson Street became a lively commercial and transportation hub on the Missouri River. Built in 1839, the Lohman Building served as a grocery store, warehouse, tavern, telegraph office and hotel for the growing capital city. Business boomed in the 1850s with the coming of the Pacific Railroad, and the city became the transfer point for goods coming from east by rail and heading west by steamboat. Post-Civil War, river traffic slowed as the railroad offered cheaper and faster transportation. The Lohman Building was then used as storage, a factory, and offices.

The Lohman Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It was restored and opened to the public in 1976.

Missouri State Capitol

Dominating the skyline in all directions, the Missouri State Capitol is a monument to its citizens. The building, which covers three acres, is a museum of public art, remarkable not only for its quality and abundance but also as a faithful reflection of the themes, events, and people of Missouri. Artwork in the Missouri State Capitol includes pieces by notable artists such as Thomas Hart Benton and Sir Frank Brangwyn. The three-point perspective paintings scattered throughout the hallways are a popular attraction within the Capitol walls.

The legislative session takes place from January through mid-May. The public may attend a session in the House or Senate chambers to witness the law-making process firsthand.

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Missouri Governor’s Mansion

The Missouri Governor’s Mansion has been the official residence of Missouri’s governors since 1872 and is one of the oldest governors’ homes in the United States. Located on 10 acres overlooking the Missouri River and the Missouri State Capitol, the Mansion is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in eight months and completed in late December 1871, with much of the work performed by prisoners of the nearby penitentiary. The Mansion was designed by noted St. Louis architect George Ingham Barnett and is an example of Second Empire architecture, a style characterized by the patterned mansard roof popular in the 1860s. Through the years, the Mansion has been restored and improved, but the impressive characteristics of the original Mansion remain. 

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Soldier’s Memorial Plaza at Lincoln University

This monument is a permanent tribute to the Lincoln University founders: the brave and benevolent men of the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantries who served gallantly in the Civil War. In 1866, these same men helped to found what was then Lincoln Institute to help soldiers like themselves and other Black Americans get an education. Lincoln is one of the state's two historically black colleges or universities (HBCUs) and the only one founded by former slaves. Today, Lincoln is open to and proudly attended by students of all backgrounds and ethnicities.

Lincoln University is the first and only HBCU to house its own police academy. Launched in 2021, the Lincoln University Law Enforcement Training Academy has received national recognition and praise for its aim to recruit and train minority law enforcement officers.