Here is a sampling of recent meeting topics offered at our past quarterly meetings.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012  General Meeting

Wednesday April 25, 2012 - Abbi Telander, National Park Service ranger,  from White Haven Grant historic site, talked on Ulysses S Grant as a family man in the years leading up to the Civil War and beyond.  We also had a special cake to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sappington-Concord Historical Society.

Wednesday, January 25 General Meeting

Ranger Bob Pollock from the US Grant Historic Site spoke about the politics before and during the Civil War. 

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 meeting

Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic:
Dr. Kenneth Winn, Director of Library and Public Services at the Missouri Supreme Court and Senior Lecturer in American Culture Studies at Washington University. Dr. Winn will speak on the topic of “Taking Slavery to Court: Black and White Struggles over Freedom in Antebellum Missouri.” This talk provides an introductory overview of over three hundred cases, most newly discovered, and now assembled at the Missouri State Archives—St. Louis which is the nation’s single largest repository of slave freedom suits.

 

Coerced into slavery through violence, slaves resisted their enslavement in countless different ways - from breaking their tools to running away. One path largely overlooked until recently concerns slaves who demanded their freedom through the legal system. The fact that the white legal system allowed hundreds of slaves to file these freedom suits is amazing.  When slaves challenged their masters it took enormous courage. More amazing, the majority of slave plaintiff's cases won their case.  Beatings and broken families often awaited slaves who lost their case.

Location:
At Lindbergh High School in the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Room.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 meeting

Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic:
Judge Roy Richter, current Chief Judge on the MO Court of Appeals.  

Location:
At Lindbergh High School in the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Room.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 meeting

Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic:
A panel will speak on Civil War history, always an interesting subject, especially during this 150th year since the conflict began. Mark your calendar and bring a friend or two!

One of the speakers will be John Robinson, whose talk is titled “Divided Loyalties: Civil War St. Louis” which will cover the Arsenal and Camp Jackson Affair, referred to in the Spring SCHS Newsletter and the subject of the reenactments at Jefferson Barracks at the end of April. John Robinson taught history for 32 years at Mehlville Senior High and St. Louis University High Schools. After retiring in 2004, he taught social studies methods courses and supervised student teachers at the University of Missouri St. Louis until 2007. Since 2001, he has been a Teaching American History grant program consultant as a mentor to teachers, resource coordinator, and program planner. He is currently working with three Teaching American History grants in St. Clair County Regional Office of Education where he continues to mentor and work with teachers on implementing historical thinking and literacy skills in the classroom. He is frequently asked to present workshops for other Teaching American History grants in the St. Louis region and in Missouri.

Another speaker at the Spring general meeting will be John Newsham. attorney and amateur Civil War historian.

Also of note, April 27 is General Grant’s birthday! What a coincidence!

Location:
At Lindbergh High School in the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Room.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 meeting

Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic: Dan Martin will present his Post- Dispatch Weatherbird along with a history of this noble bird and its creators.
Location: Tesson Ferry Branch Library

See photos of Dan Martin drawing the Weatherbird, from start to finish. See Photos

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 meeting

Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic: Tom Ford, president of Gateway Military Society and SCHS member, presented and discussed his collection of WWII Japanese military hardware used in the Pacific. 
Location:
Lindbergh High School, Anne Morrow Lindbergh Room.

See more photos

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 meeting

Time:
6:00 p.m.
Topic:
Old time ice cream social.
Location:
St Lucas UCC church pavilion.

See photos

April 2010 general meeting

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 general meeting
Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic: Vintage Baseball

Rick “Sting” Rai spoke about vintage baseball and the rules that applied to the game during the days of its humble beginnings. Rick dressed in a vintage baseball uniform and brought a slide show to illustrate his talk. Rick plays vintage baseball with the Vintage Baseball League. See the schedule for their 2010 season.

Learn more about vintage basall:
http://wiki.vbba.org/index.php/Main/WhatIsVintageBaseBall?

January 2010 meeting

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 meeting
Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic:
David Winfield (photo above) spoke on match safes. Match safes were used for storing matches. The styles and decorations of match safes tell the story of their time. David brought some of his collection (photo below).

See more photos of David Winfield’s match safes.
Visit the Worlds Fair Society web site
                                        www.1904worldsfairsociety.org

See photos of the January 2010 general meeting.

October 2009 meeting

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 meeting
Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic:
John Frey presented his video, assisted by Jacque Stock, on the moving of the Sappington-Arban-Crain house when it was relocated from Watson and Old Sappington Road to Pardee Lane between Watson Road and Pardee Road in 2006. John contributed a copy of his vide to the SCHS archives. It is a DVD. If you would like to see the video, you may borrow it. See Contact

John described his serendipitous involvement with the Mark Sappington house as follows: Continued

Photo below is our speaker, John Frey, in Yellowstone National Park, summer 2009. John Frey is a graphic artist with Boeing. He is also a photographer and takes photos of events for the City of Crestwood.

See more photos of the move:
Mark Sappington House Move

July 2009 meeting

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 meeting
Time:
7:00 p.m.
Topic:
Rose Marie Karius spoke on hats. She has 150 in her collection. Members brought and wore their favorite hats.

April 2009 meeting

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 meeting
Topic:
Lindbergh School District Superintendent Jim Simpson gave us his program on fiddling and he played for us. He explained what makes fiddling different from violin playing. Also how very different learning fiddle is, mainly that fiddlers do not learn from written music but from listening and playing with an experienced fiddler. See more photos.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 meeting
Meeting was canceled due to snow and has been rescheduled for July 22nd. Rose Marie has been switched from the deep freeze of January to the scorching heat of July! Hang in there, Rose Marie!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Henry Herbst, amateur historian gave us a presentation: History of Beer in St. Louis and the St Louis Brewing Industry

January 2008 meeting

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 meeting
The photo above shows the January 23rd, 2008 meeting when Lucille Norfleet spoke to the membership about quilt making, its importance to pioneer families, and described various patterns and their symbolism. She brought a variety of quilts to use as examples. Society members also brought family quilts and shared their history.

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