Missouri Valley Special Collections

Central Library
14 W. 10th Street, 5th Floor
Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone: 816.701.3427
E-mail: lhistory@kclibrary.org

Hours of operation:

Monday	9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Tues. - Fri.	9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday	10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday	1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Quick links

Missouri Valley Speakers Series

January 17: Flame, Furnace, Fuel: Creating Kansas City in the Nineteenth Century

February 21: Making Creativity Dance: A History of the Kansas City Art Institute

March 21: Harzfeld's: A Brief History from Petticoat Lane

Local history & genealogy

Missouri Valley Special Collections

The Local History and Genealogy Department
The Missouri Valley Special Collections (MVSC) consist of the non-circulating local history and genealogy resources of the Kansas City Public Library as well as the Library’s archives. Its mission is to preserve our area’s heritage and provide access in meaningful ways to the collections and materials. More...

Photographs, Maps, and More

Search the Digital Gallery

The Digital Gallery features images of material from the Missouri Valley Special Collections.

The Local History Index collection in the Digital Gallery—with more than 36,000 entries—provides information and references to articles in magazines, newspapers, and books on topics of interest from the Missouri Valley area.

Featured image

Valentine's Day Postcard, 1906
Mrs. Sam Ray Postcard Collection (SC58)

Mystery Image

Ice Skater

Unidentified female ice skater from the Ward Hunt Collection (P33).

Help us solve the mystery!

Can you identify this photo? Do you know the story behind the photo? Please send us your comments.

Digital Gallery view All images

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This Week in Kansas City History

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The Worst Fire in Kansas City History

January 28, 1978: Flames engulf the Coates House Hotel, destroying much of the building and causing the worst loss of life by fire in Kansas City history.