How to Tour the State Capital of Missouri

Jefferson City was chosen to be Missouri's capital because of its proximity to the Osage River. Incorporated in 1825, the city endured many problems during the 1800s, including complication with the railroad and disease from German immigrants. The city of Sedalia repeatedly tried to become the new capital city of Missouri, but Jefferson City managed to retain its seat of power. The city struggled through the Civil War because there was no consensus as to whether to stay or secede from the Union. Today Jefferson City is a prosperous city with lots of historic sites documenting its engaging history.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Visit the sixth Missouri capitol building, three of which have been in Jefferson City. The first two capitol buildings in Jefferson City burned down. The construction of the Capitol Building used today was finished in 1917. The building is 238 feet high, and is the first building seen by anyone coming from the north. Many school tours are conducted here and students sit in the galleries to watch the Legislature conduct the government's business.

2. Stop in at the Missouri State Museum, with 93,000 items representing the state of Missouri, including a collection of Civil War battle flags. The museum can be visited when you tour the capitol and is located on the first floor of the Capitol Building.

3. Step into the oldest building in Jefferson City, the Lohman Building, constructed in the late 1830s. The building was used by steamboat passengers as a stopping point. Today it serves as a museum with displays about transportation in the 1800s.

4. Plant your feet in the Carnahan Memorial Garden, which was initiated as part of the Works Progress Administration in 1938 by Franklin Roosevelt to provide jobs for the large numbers of unemployed craftsmen and laborers during the great Depression. The Gardens were not completed until the wife of Governor Phil Donnelly took it upon herself in 1945 to oversee the restoration of the Gardens, located behind the Governor's Mansion. Inmates from the local jail were used to renovate the garden.

5. Shoot over to the Museum of Missouri Military History, and see war artifacts from the Missouri Militia started in 1808, the Mexican War and the Civil War. Missouri supplied troops for both the Confederate and the Union armies, World War I and World War II.