Boone County Historical Society

The Boone County Historical Society was formally organized in 1963 and opened its first museum facility on July 3, 1976, when it formally dedicated the Maplewood house. This Italianate house was built in 1877 as part of the farmstead of the Lenoir and Nifong families, which is now known as Nifong Park. In cooperation with the City of Columbia, which owns the house and park, and other historically-minded organizations, the Boone County Historical Society restored Maplewood for the nation's bicentennial. Since that time, the Society has maintained a cooperative agreement with the City of Columbia to operate Maplewood as an historic house museum.

With the restoration of Maplewood, the Boone County Historical Society began to discuss plans to build and develop a history museum adjacent to the historic house in Nifong Park. By the early 1980s, the Society drafted plans for the museum and began to seek public support for its construction. Construction began in October of 1986 and was completed almost entirely with private contributions, volunteer labor and donated materials. The Walters-Boone County Historical Museum, named in honor of a major benefactor, opened to the public on July 28, 1990. The museum houses history exhibits, offices, an auditorium, work space, collections storage, public meeting rooms and the Wilson-Wulff Genealogical Library, which is operated by the Genealogical Society of Central Missouri.

On June 19, 1993, the Society began construction of an addition to the museum. The Montminy Gallery, named for the benefactors and artists, Pierre and Tracy Montminy, opened April 24, 1994. With the addition of the Montminy Gallery, the Society was able to present exhibits of the Montminy's work, changing exhibits which highlight the work of Boone County artists and photographs from the more than 500,000 images in the permanent collection. The Montminy Gallery also provided space for a Curator's office, artifact and photo storage, a black white darkroom and a workroom for matting and framing.

These first-rate facilities, along with the museum's beautiful setting in 60-acre Nifong Park, have allowed the Boone County Historical Society to conduct a variety of programs and activities. These include Civil Civil War reenactments, Chautauquas, the annual Boone County Heritage Festival, and the "Christmas Past" Maplewood candlelight tours, all of which are presented in cooperation with Columbia's Parks and Recreation department. During the winter months, the Society holds Old Time Fiddlers jam sessions. Bimonthly meetings that include a program on local history are held throughout the year and the public is invited to attend them.

	Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial Washington, District Of Columbia	Located in Lady Bird Johnson Park on Columbia Island, the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial
	Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park Key West, Florida	Named after 12th president Zachary Taylor, the U. S.
	Wright’s Chance/Queen Anne’s County Historical Society Centreville, Maryland	Dating back to the 1700s, Wright's Chance is a Colonial period plantation house.
	The Powder Magazine Charleston, South Carolina	Construction began on The Powder Magazine in 1712 and was completed by 1713, making it
	Del Webb Sun Cities Museum Sun City, Arizona	The Sun Cities Area Historical Society/Del Webb Sun Cities Museum is dedicated to the p
	Steamship Historical Society of America East Providence, Rhode Island	THE STEAMSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA was established in 1935 as a means of bring
	Tryon Palace New Bern, North Carolina	Tryon Palace is a modern recreation of the original palace, which served as the royal g
	Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens Columbia, South Carolina	One of Columbia's oldest remaining historic houses, the Hampton-Preston Mansion was hom
	Old Sturbridge Village Sturbridge, Massachusetts	Old Sturbridge Village is the largest living history museum in New England, spanning o
	Augustus Lutheran Church Collegeville, Pennsylvania	The first church building of Augustus Lutheran Church is still standing and is the olde
	St. Fidelis Catholic Church Victoria, Kansas	With a seating capacity of 1,100, St.
	First Reformed Church Of Fishkill Fishkill, New York	The church itself is one of the most historic buildings in all of Dutchess County.
	Fort Mcree Gulf Breeze, Florida	At the eastern end of Perdido Key is an area once used by the U.S.
	Fort Monroe Casemate Museum Hampton, Virginia	Completed in 1834 and named in honor of President Monroe, t
	Fort McHenry National Monument And Historic Shrine Baltimore, Maryland	The monument honors the fort which inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the National Anthe
	Point State Park Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Nicknamed the "Forks of the Ohio," the park is not only the site of a confluence of maj
	Shiloh National Military Park Shiloh, Tennessee	Both the Shiloh Battlefield and the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center have large ex
	Fort Kaskaskia Ellis Grove, Illinois	Founded in 1703, the town was for more than a century the region’s principal commercial
	Fort St. Joseph Museum Niles, Michigan	Featured exhibits portray the history of Fort St.
	Fort Adams Newport, Rhode Island	Just a short drive or a water taxi ride across Newport Harbor stands the largest coasta
	Governors Island New York, New York	Over the years, the island has served as the backdrop for a number of historic events.
	Chelsea Plantation West Point, Virginia	Furnished with period antiques and a large collection of paintings, this 1709 brick hou
	Museum Of Appalachia Clinton, Tennessee	With more than 30 historic log buildings gathered onto 63 acres, which date from the 19
	Houmas House Darrow, Louisiana	The Houmas house is significant in the area of architecture as an excellent example of
	Morven Museum & Garden Princeton, New Jersey	For more than 200 years Morven has played a role in the history of New Jersey and the n
	Billings Farm & Museum Woodstock, Vermont	The Billings Farm was established in 1871 by Frederick Billings, a native Vermonter who
	Museum Of Scott County Huntsville, Tennessee	Located on the campus of Scott High School in Huntsville Tennessee, the Museum of Scott
	Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Mount Vernon, New York	St.
	Ninety Six National Historic Site Ninety Six, South Carolina	More Revolutionary War battles & skirmishes took place in South Carolina than any o
	Old Slater Mill Historic Site Pawtucket, Rhode Island	Enjoy the exhibits, collections of artifacts, grounds and gallery, research library, th

Boone County Historical Society

Enjoy our work? Help us keep going.

Location

Hours

Contact

Fees

38.900358, -92.284754

Boone County Historical Society

Featured Sites

Enjoy our work? Help us keep going.

Location

Hours

Contact

Fees

38.900358, -92.284754