Daniel Boone Regional Library

Databases

• Biography Resource Center
  Do a name search to find biographical information on a huge range of people or browse on categories that include African Americans, Obama Administration, Presidential Election 2008.
• Heritage Quest
  Search the US census 1790-1930, selected Revolutionary War Records, a variety of local and family histories plus articles of interest to genealogy researchers.
• Historical New York Times
  The New York Times 1851-2004 offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue.
• NewsBank
  Special reports on the U.S. Presidency, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and celebrating Black History Month.
• SIRS
  Leading Issues section includes information on civil rights, 2008 election and racial profiling.

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Local Events & Exhibits

• 2009 Original “Blind” Boone Ragtime & Early Jazz Festival
  A three day festival May 31 through June 2 with concerts, seminars and informal jam sessions to “aid a fund to complete historic restoration of the “Blind” Boone Home in Columbia.”
• Black Studies –University of Missouri
  The Black Studies program at the University of Missouri is dedicated to “teach & research the World Black Experience” through courses, events and programs.
• John William “Blind” Boone Piano Concert Series
  Information on the current concert series through July 2009 with guest artists performing on the Boone piano.
• Columbia Values Diversity Celebration
  Annual “community breakfast and celebration of the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
• MLK Calendar of Events Booklet – 2009 State Celebration Commission
  
• We Always Swing Jazz Series
  See full schedule of performers and links to the artists’ websites.

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Local Interest & Places to Visit

• Annie Fisher House
  Designated by the Historic Preservation Commission as one of the city’s “most notable properties” in 2009.
• John William “Blind” Boone and House
  • Blind Boone (John William Boone)
    “A Brief History of John William “Blind” Boone” compiled by Lucille Salerno for the John William Boone Heritage Foundation
  • Blind Boone House – National Register of Historic Places
    Registration form contains history, drawing and other data on the house itself.
  • “Boone Home inches closer to new life”
    Article by Daniel Cailler, published in the Columbia Daily Tribune, Oct.14, 2009.
  • “Remembering Blind Boone”
    A timeline of restoration efforts and latest plans to refurbish the historic home of ragtime pianist John William “Blind” Boone. Article by Sara Semelka published in The Columbia Daily Tribune, Nov. 18, 2008.
  • “In a past life, historic house was red-faced”
    Article by Sara Semelka, published in the Columbia Daily Tribune, 4/24/2009. The latest restoration plans for the exterior include restoring the house to its original color, maroon.
• Columbia Cemetery - Columbia Cemetery – United States Colored Infantry
  “One of the earliest regiments of the United States Colored Infantry is interred at Columbia Cemetery.” Includes a list of 31 members buried here, mainly from Missouri’s 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry. See also Lincoln University.
• Columbia‘s History - Selected articles from the Columbia Daily Tribune
  • “Black women’s social clubs an important part of city’s past”
    Column by Bill Clark published in The Columbia Daily Tribune, Sept. 27, 2006
  • “Preserving pieces of Columbia’s Black Cultural Heritage”
    Article by Kat Hughes published in The Columbia Daily Tribune” May 13, 2008
• Frederick Douglass High School
  A history of Frederick Douglass High School provided by the Columbia Public Schools. Nomination form entry from the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
  
• Lincoln University
  Founded in 1866 by the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantries, Lincoln University now stands as the oldest Historically Black College and University west of the Mississippi and the only institution in America founded by African American Civil War veterans.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Garden - Columbia
  • Columbia Chamber of Commerce
  • “Imagery sets tone, speech links King to new president”
    Article by T.J. Greaney published in The Columbia Daily Tribune, January 20, 2009
  • “Dedication planned for MLK Memorial”
    Notification of the rededication published in The Columbia Daily Tribune, Aug. 25, 2006
• Mid-Missouri Highsteppers
  • “Steppin’ Up”
    Article by Ed Pfueller published in The Columbia Daily Tribune, April 9, 2006.
    This article features a slide show of the competitors at a drill team competition.
  • “Barry drills kids in life’s lessons”
    Article by John Sullivan published in The Columbia Daily Tribune, Feb. 8, 2004
•  Miles Manor Subdivision
  • “Shades of a Bygone Era”
    Article by Dave Moore published in The Columbia Daily Tribune, Feb. 21, 2003.
  • “Dream of opportunity drove pioneer worth remembering”
    Article by Tony Messenger published in The Columbia DailyTribune, Dec. 8, 2004
• St. Paul’s A.M.E.
  African Episcopal Church founded in 1880. The current church building was dedicated in 1892.
  Nomination form entry from the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
• Second Christian Church
  Smallest of the three black churches in Columbia. The present church building was built in 1927.
  Nomination form entry from the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
• Second Missionary Baptist Church
  Founded in 1866 by “recently emancipated slaves and free people of color who banded together”, it was originally called the African Union Church. The current church at 4th and Broadway was completed in 1894. Nomination form entry from the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
• Sharp End Neighborhood
  • “Bottomlands: The Geography of Inequality in Columbia, Missouri”
    Short history of Columbia’s Sharp End neighborhood, now part of the area known as Flat Branch, excerpted from Jason Jindrich’s University of Missouri thesis “Our Black Children.”
  • “Bottomlands: Why White Folks Fled the Flat Branch”
    Short history of Columbia’s Sharp End neighborhood, now part of the area known as Flat Branch, excerpted from Jason Jindrich’s University of Missouri thesis “Our Black Children.”
• Shotgun House on Worley Moved
  The historic shotgun house at the corner of Garth and Worley is being moved to the Boone Junction Historic Village next to the Walters-Boone County Historical Society.

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Genealogy

• The African Names Database
  Part of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database with information on almost 35,000 slaving voyages. “The African Names Database identifies over 67,000 Africans aboard slave ships, using name, age, gender, origin and place of embarkation.”
• African-American Genealogy: What’s Out There?
  Part one of a five part series by Traci L.Wilson-Kleekamp for the Missouri State Archives. Click on the other parts to see the entire presentation.
• Introduction to African-American Genealogy
  A beginner’s guide by About.com’s genealogy expert.
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
  Detailed information and online exhibits about the history of human slavery from early times to the present from the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Partners with the Family History Center to provide genealogical assistance.

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Local Resources

• Black Studies
  The Black Studies program at the University of Missouri is dedicated to “teach & research the World Black Experience” through courses, events and programs.
• Columbia Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
  Short descriptions of the civil war letters of Lewis Riley located in the Western Historical Manuscript collection, the section of the Columbia Cemetery where soldiers from Missouri’s 62nd US Colored Regiment are interred and a photograph of “the home of Ragtime” where J.W. Blind Boone lived.
• Lloyd L. Gaines Digital Collection – MU Law Library
  Lloyd Lionel Gaines was denied admission to the University School of Law in 1936 based on state law. In 1938 Gaines and the NAACP won his case overturning the University’s admission policy. His case was the first of others that led to Brown vs. the Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in public education.
• Western Historical Manuscript Collection
  Inventory of Black Community Photographs, 1958-1963 depicting black businesses and communities in Columbia.

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State Resources

• George Washington Carver National Monument & National Park – Diamond,Missouri
  This National Park and National Monument web site has information on field trips, activities for kids and teaching resources for teachers focused on the life and times of George Washington Carver.
• Missouri Digital Heritage
  Search under Cultures and Communities for digitized collections pertaining to African- American history and culture in Missouri. See also links under individual topics.
• Musicians Local Number 627 - The Cradle of Kansas City Jazz
  History of Musicians Local Number 627, the African-American Musician’s Union by the University of Missouri–Kansas City University Library.
• Missouri State Archives
  A guide to archives on African American history at the State Archives, including a timeline of African American history and links to original documents available online.
• Progress Amidst Prejudice: Portraits of African Americans in Missouri, 1880-1920.
  Includes the African American Portrait Database from the collection of the Missouri State Archives.
• Missouri NAACP
  Information on the local and state branches of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
• Ozarks Digital Library – Black Families of the Ozarks
  “Digital copy of Greene County Archives Bulletin Number 45: Black Families of the Ozarks” – from the Springfield-Greene Library.

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National Resources

• A&E Biography Channel
  Featured biographies, places and events plus an interactive Black History timeline and information on upcoming programming on the A&E Biography channel.
• Biographies - National Archive ARC Collection
  Click on digital copies search to find online documents and texts about famous and notable African Americans in the National Archives.
• Documenting the American South
  “Internet access to texts, images and audio files related to southern history, literature and culture” from the library collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• History Channel
  Black history interactive timeline, black history milestones, profiles of 65 African-American icons and information on upcoming programming on the History channel.
• Library of Congress
  • African American History Month
    The Library of Congress has “free and open access to historic maps, photos documents, audio and video… that document the American experience.”
    The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909
    Text and images from pamphlets published by African-American authors including first-person accounts of slavery.
  • Library of Congress Web Guides
    Choose from a wide list of topics on American history, literature and culture including “The African-American Mosaic”.
    http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html
  • Library of Congress Primary Documents of American History
    Search by keyword to find documents in the Library of Congress virtual
    collections.
  • Library of Congress Resource Guide
    Resource guide to online documents about African American sites at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography for adult and younger readers.
• NAACP Records
  Since 1964, the Library of Congress has served as the official repository of NAACP records, the “cornerstone of Library’s unparalleled resources for the study of the Civil Rights Movement.”
• NAACP
  On February 12th, 2009 the NAACP marks its one hundredth anniversary with celebrations and observances that “highlight the significant role the organization has played in leading social change in America.” For more information on its history see also http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/feb09/citizenship.html
• Slave Narratives from the Federal Writer’s Project
  • University of Virginia - excerpts
    A sample of transcripts and some sound files form the slave narratives collected by the WPA from 1936-1938.
  • Library of Congress, American Memory
    Full page texts of slave narratives collected by the WPA program.
• The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
  Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute and Emory University, this database contains records for “nearly 35,000 slaving expeditions that took place between 1514 and 1866.” It is searchable by vessel name, captain’s name, place of slave purchase and a great many other variables.

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Topics of Interest

• Abolition of Slavery – 13th Amendment
  National Archives – America’s Historical Documents
• Abolitionism – Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
  Online collections include “The Dred Scott Decision and Its Bitter Legacy”
  and “Wilberforce, Lincoln and the Abolition of Slavery”
• Booker T. Washington
  Resource guide to online documents about Booker T. Washington at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography for adult and younger readers.
• Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954)
  • National Archives
    From the National Archives – America’s Historical Documents
  • Brown Foundation
    The foundation “works to educate the public about the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education” U.S. Supreme Court decisionwhich ended the legal segregation of education on the basis of race. The site brings together information and resources on the topic.
  • Library of Congress
    Timeline of events and related documents from the Library of Congress’s digital collections.
• Civil Rights
  • Library of Congress – Resource Guide
    Resource guide to online documents about Civil Rights at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
  • NAACP
    Since 1964, the Library of Congress has served as the official repository of NAACP records, the “cornerstone of Library’s unparalleled resources for the study of the Civil Rights Movement.”
  • National Civil Rights Museum
    The Museum “chronicles key episodes of the American Civil Rights movement” with an online slideshow of their permanent exhibit plus information on new exhibits and links to related sites.
  • United States Dept. of Justice – Civil Rights Division
    History and impact of the 1965 act with information on subsequent amendments to the law.
• Dred Scott Decision
  • Missouri State Archives
    “Curriculum designed by Archives staff includes lesson plan and original documents to help students (4th- 6th grades) understand slavery and freedom suits.”
  • Dred Scott Case – Washington University Collection
    “Collection of one hundred and eleven documents, over 400 pages of full-text searchable resource that represents the full case history of the Dred Scott case.”
  • Dred Scott 150th Anniversary Commemoration
    Missouri State Archives’ gateway to resources and curricula on the Dred Scott case.
  • Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
    Online collections include “The Dred Scott Decision and Its Bitter Legacy” and “Wilberforce, Lincoln and the Abolition of Slavery”.
• George Washington Carver National Monument & National Park – Diamond, Missouri
  This National Park and National Monument web site has information on field trips, activities for kids and teaching resources for teachers focused on the life and times of George Washington Carver.
• Listening to the Still Small Voice: The Story of George Washington Carver
  Interview with Paxton J. Williams, author of the one-person play telling the story of George Washington Carver, presented by the Missouri State Archives and the Secretary of State’s Office.
• Frederick Douglass
  Resource guide to online documents about Frederick Douglass at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
• W.E.B. Du Bois
  Resource guide to online documents about W.E.B. Du Bois at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
• Emancipation
  Images of the original document, transcript of the Proclamation and additional resources form the National Archives.
• Harlem Renaissance
  Resource guide to online documents about the Harlem Renaissance at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
• Harriet Tubman
  • Library of Congress Resource Guide
    Resource guide to online documents about Harriet Tubman at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
  • Harriet Tubman Home
    Information on Harriet Tubman’s home and church with a short biography of her life and links to related sites on New York History Net, a site devoted to New York history.
• The Inauguration of Barack Obama
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Atlanta Journal & Constitution Remembers MLK
    Photos, timeline and stories from the newspaper including a feature section “Portraits from History from those who knew MLK.”
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute – Stanford
    In addition to The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, the site has links to resources on Dr. King and quick links to information about other individuals and events associated with him and with the Civil Rights Movement.
  • National Civil Rights Museum
    Then Museum “chronicles key episodes of the American Civil Rights movement” with an online slideshow of their permanent exhibit plus information on new exhibits and links to related sites.
  • Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center
    Information on the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. collection of 10,000 items and works spanning his life.
• Rosa Parks
  Resource guide to online documents about Rosa Parks at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
• Slavery
  • Missouri’s Early Slave Laws
    “Curriculum designed by Archives staff includes a lesson plan, digitized documents, and guided discussion questions to introduce students (grades 8-12) to slave laws and their effect on African Americans and abolitionists”.
  • Library of Congress Resource Guide
    Resource guide to online documents about slavery at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
• Underground Railroad
  • National Park Service maps and sites
    The National Park Service site has a map showing escape routes and a list of sites associated with the “railroad.”
  • National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
    Detailed information and online exhibits about the history of human slavery from early times to the present from the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio which opened in 2004. Partners with the Family History Center to provide genealogical assistance.
• Voting Rights Act (1965)
  • Our Documents – 100 Milestone Documents
    Original image, text and brief introduction to the Act that “outlawed discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War” from the National Archives.
  • United States Dept. of Justice – Civil Rights Division
    History and effect of the 1965 act with information on subsequent amendments to the law.

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