history

The cemeteries are scattered across the county — 18 in total, with tens of thousands of graves. That’s unusually high compared to the rest of the state and even the country. The abundance poses a financial challenge for the county government.

The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph documents the country’s torrid history of mental health treatment, but it has an eerie reputation itself. Take a visit inside one of Missouri’s most peculiar museums — located in the former State Insane Asylum No. 2.

If approved, General Obligation Bond Question No. 1 would fund deferred maintenance and restoration at five of the city’s historic landmarks. The proposal comes after Independence voters rejected a $12 million bond for historical sites last year.

The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri, attracts lovers of the macabre, odd and supernatural for its eerie exhibits. But its founder, longtime state hospital employee George Glore, wanted to document how far the field of mental health care had advanced in the hopes of combating negative stereotypes.

For the first time in five years, the nonprofit Historic KC has released its list of “Most Endangered Places” in Kansas City. The organization hopes it could lead to the restoration of buildings that demonstrate the region's architectural heritage.

Bruce Winter, who performed for more than five decades as Melinda Ryder, was a pioneering figure widely credited with helping revive the drag scene in Kansas City. Winter died September 8, at age 70, after a six-month battle with cancer.

Harry Houdini was a master of escape. He was also a self-promoter who once performed a stunt in downtown Kansas City to draw an audience to his shows. We'll learn about the Houdini escape that originated right here in Kansas City.

Harry Houdini's connection to Kansas City started out by accident, but it lasted throughout his legendary career. A new historic marker will commemorate the debut of his first escape from a straitjacket while suspended in midair.

The 70-foot-tall sign’s bright neon arrow and 11 letters have been restored and its 3,000 light bulbs have been replaced. So when will the metro get to enjoy the latest glow up for Kansas City’s most recognizable building-topper?

The names of nine people who were enslaved in Jackson County surfaced in old property records from the estate of Pony Express tycoon Alexander Majors. Now, an online database is making hundreds of records referencing enslavement easier to search — and shedding new light on slavery's deep roots in Missouri.

Robert Warrior, a citizen of the Osage Nation, said serving as a consultant on the new series helped improve how Native Americans are portrayed as compared to the original "Little House on the Prairie" books.

Maud Wagner, one of the country’s first known female commercial tattoo artists, was born in Emporia, Kansas. She joined a sideshow act with her sister until a fateful meeting pushed her to pursue carnival stardom, inked from head to toe.