As part of its mission to support educational outreach, the State Historical Society of Missouri has reaffirmed its commitment to the much-loved Historic Missourians website by updating the site to use modern web technology, making it mobile-friendly and giving it a fresh new look.

Historic Missourians has a long history at the State Historical Society of Missouri. Originally launched in 2006, the website features well-resourced biographies for notable Missourians of all time periods, races, genders and occupations. Historic Missourians also meets education standards set by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and has long been used by Missouri students, educators, and parents.

Students use Historic Missourians to explore the lives of entrepreneurs like Walt Disney, journalists like Mary Paxton Keeley, scientists like George Washington Carver, athletes like Stan Musial, educators like Susan Blow and more.

“The biographies available on this site feature rich images, pictures of artifacts, and other primary sources that help students get started on their own journey of historical research,” SHSMO executive director Gary R. Kremer said.

“These biographies add to students’ knowledge of the state and the remarkable people who contributed not only to Missouri’s history, but the nation’s as well,” said Elizabeth Engel, SHSMO senior archivist and frequent Historic Missourians contributor.

“We’ve updated the underlying technology of the website while preserving the incredible content,” Christina George, senior strategic communications associate at the State Historical Society of Missouri, said. “The new site is now mobile-friendly, which is something it wasn’t before, and by using a modern content management system, we are able to maintain and grow the site much more easily.”

Dedication to the website’s growth doesn’t only come from within the State Historical Society. “We have had generous donors who have taken interest in the site,” Kremer said. “We are using those funds to add more notable Missourians to the site.”

“It’s very exciting to see this site continue to grow and to know that it’s appreciated by others,” Engel said. “A lot of work has gone into it.”

Historic Missourians is online and free to worldwide audiences. You can visit at historicmissourians.shsmo.org.