About the Missouri State Archives

Created by the legislature in 1965, the State Archives serves as the repository for state records of permanent historical value. Its holdings date from 1770 and include:  executive, legislative, and judicial records; records of state departments and agencies; land records; military records; state publications; photographic collections; county and  municipal records on microfilm; and manuscript and reference collections.

The Archives identifies, collects and preserves those records and makes them available to state government officials, historians, students, genealogists, and the general public. Currently, the Archives holds more than 336 million pages of paper; 770,000 photographs; 9,000 maps; 66,000 reels of county government records on microfilm, 560 cubic feet of published state documents and 1,000 audio/video items.

Access to the Archives is provided through the research room. Written requests are answered by the reference staff. Microfilm and published materials are available in the research room; records from the Archives' stacks should be requested in advance for use on Thursday evenings, Saturdays or holidays.

• Contact Information
• Hours and Directions
• Calendar of Events
• Event Presentations
• Friends of the Missouri State Archives
• Newsletters
• Records Boards
• Volunteer Information

Programs

• Local Records Preservation Program
• State Records Management

Special Projects

• African American History InitiativeThe initiative aims to create a broad public awareness of the rich contributions of African Americans to the state.
  • Before Dred Scott: Freedom Suits in Antebellum Missouri
  • Guide to African American History at the Missouri State Archives
  • Timeline of Missouri's African American History
• Archives Alive! Performances
  The performance group Archives Alive! will bring Missouri history to life for your third-fifth grade students. These forty minute performances will take place at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, just minutes from the Capitol. Performances and tours are free of charge.

• Missouri Electronic Records Education and Training Initiative

• Missouri Historical Records Grant Program

• St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project

• William E. Foley Research Fellowship