Local History Blog
KCQ Investigates the Kansas City Tuberculosis Hospital
On a hill off Eastern Avenue, just south of where 1-435 now intersects Raytown Road, once stood a building with a complicated past. The two-story, concrete structure served as Kansas City’s tuberculosis hospital for almost 50 years until it was…
KCQ: How Did Kansas City Come to Be?
In hindsight, Kansas City’s development as the largest city in western Missouri seemed inevitable. Its location at the confluence of two rivers made it a likely transportation hub and a gateway for westward expansion. But as reader Ken Truax…
KCQ: The History of Longview Farm
A lumber baron with a dream and his equestrian daughter are at the heart of this week’s “What’s Your KCQ?,” a community reference partnership between the Kansas City Public Library and The Kansas City Star. When reader Kim McIntire asked about…
Guadalupe Center Photographs: Collection Refresh
The Guadalupe Centers might be over 100 years old, but the images you see on KCHistory.org from its historical collection are brand new – sort of. In conjunction with the 2019 centennial celebration of the Guadalupe Centers’ work serving Kansas…
KCQ: What happened to downtown Kansas City’s Christmas crowns?
KCQ Reader Annette S. Bright asked The Kansas City Star and the Kansas City Public Library a question about an iconic set of KC holiday symbols. "What happened to all the Christmas decorations that used to be downtown, particularly the crowns…
Harold Gale Displays: KCQ Looks Back at a Company That Celebrated Christmas Year-Round
’Tis the season for nostalgia: a time to reminisce about Christmases past and beloved holiday traditions. Many Kansas Citians have fond memories of the brightly lit Christmas Crowns that once illuminated the downtown shopping district and warmly…
Scout out This KCQ
The Scout statue in Penn Valley Park has kept watch over downtown Kansas City for almost a century. Since its dedication in 1922, it has become a symbol and mascot for the city and a favorite subject for generations of photographers. But look…
Veterans in the Library Archives
There are 147 names recorded in what is interchangeably called the “Honor Book,” “Honor Roll,” and the “War Record of Pages of Kansas City Public Library.” It was created by John Rankin Greenlee, Chief of the Stacks of the old Main Library…
Does a 19th Century Priest Haunt St. Mary’s Episcopal Church? KCQ Goes Ghost Hunting
The ghost of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is back to haunt “What’s your KCQ?” for an encore appearance during this spooky Halloween season. Proceed at your own risk. Jason Dean, a parishioner at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, wrote of hearing about…
New Digital Collection Highlights KC’s Historic Preservation Efforts
