Local History Blog

KCQ spotlights Nikoles Aleshi and his ‘Virtuana Lengueje Sistem’

National Immigrants Day on October 28 celebrates the U.S. as a melting pot of diverse cultures, customs, and ethnicities and honors the perseverance and contributions of those who sought opportunity in America. Among them was Nikoles Aleshi, a poor…

Spirited happenings: What’s Your KCQ? investigates the story of John Harvey Mott

A reader helped us get into the Halloween spirt by asking, “Did Spiritualism ever become popular in Kansas City?” The What’s Your KCQ? team found that not only did the movement gain followers here, it also caused a scandal that made national news…

The Heim legacy: What’s Your KCQ? investigates a Kansas City brewing tradition

Among the available libations at the J. Rieger…

Who were the Priests of Pallas? KCQ investigates KC's on-again, off-again fall festival

Kansas City culture wouldn’t be the same without fall fairs and festivals. But what’s celebrated and by whom has changed a great deal throughout the city’s history. An alarmed reader recently wrote to What’s Your KCQ?, a collaboration between the…

Who were the Muehlebachs and why is their name everwhere? KCQ investigates

In a recent article about the history of Municipal Stadium, we learned that the former home of the Kansas City Athletics and first home of the Royals and the Chiefs was originally called Muehlebach Field. We also learned that it was named after…

In the Path of Progress: KCQ Examines the Lost Trolley Barn Neighborhood

Just east of the Country Club Plaza and north of Brush Creek is an urban oasis of park land, gardens, and trails, including an eight-acre nature reserve and lake showcasing native plants and habitat. Opened in 2000, the Kauffman Memorial Garden…

KCQ takes on three of your Kansas City history questions

A body in the old Waldo water tower? The first hospital for Black patients west of the Mississippi River? Before the Chiefs … the Blues? What’s Your KCQ?, on which the Kansas City Public Library and The Kansas City Star collaborate to answer…

KCQ: What happened to Kansas City’s downtown sports stadium?

Kansas Citians have a lot to say – and feel – about the Kansas City Royals’ interest in relocating Kauffman Stadium. Particularly touchy is the idea that its new home could be downtown.

Some say the economic benefits a downtown baseball…

A double-edged donation: KCQ investigates the Swope Park land gift

Interest in Kansas City’s Swope Park continues to percolate as the weather warms and in the wake of a recent What’s Your KCQ? look at the history of the 1,805-acre expanse of green space. It…

Cemetery Day at Mount St. Mary’s: KCQ Investigates

Home movies are treasured time capsules documenting birthdays, weddings and other cherished memories. Reader Barbara Walsh acknowledges her fortune in having a collection of 8mm films of her family from the 1930s through the 1950s. One particular…