History

By Cameron Montemayor A former St. Joseph education building that’s largely been unused for the last 50 years will be leveled starting today to make room for housing development. City council members authorized a $56,575 demolition contract in November to demolish the former Washington School and one-time apartment building along with the adjacent parking lot

By Leah Rainwater Kurt Jordan, also known as the “KC cemetery man” found a unique way to remember those buried in a local 19th century cemetery. After learning that his great-great grandfather was buried in Greenwick Cemetery, located in Amazonia, Missouri, Jordan made the preservation of the cemetery his personal project. After restoring numerous headstones,

By Leah Rainwater After 30 years missing, two stolen headstones have returned to their resting place at a local cemetery. Kurt Jordan, also known as the “KC Cemetery Man”, has been working on preserving Greenwick Cemetery in Amazonia, Missouri, for about five years. The driving factor for his preservation work started because of his father.

By Ashley Luthans The owner of a historic Downtown property is putting her business on the market. Isobel McGowan, the owner of the Shakespeare Chateau, announced her plans to sell the property at 809 Hall St., although not all details are solidified. The home has operated as a bed and breakfast and venue for special

By NewsPress Now A local tourism effort is receiving recognition. The Highway 36 Heritage Alliance was awarded the Innovator Award at the 2024 Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism recently. The award honors a small tourism organization or individual who achieves significant results on a modest budget. St. Joseph is one of the founding destinations of

By Jenna Wilson A full-sized replica of Lewis and Clark’s keelboat with a crew of living-history re-enactors made its way to Atchison, Kansas Friday morning for a three-day stop. A crew of history re-enactors recreated the historic Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803-06, which traveled 121 miles down the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska, to

By NewsPress Now An author with local ties will discuss her new Civil War book in two presentations Thursday. Tonya Graham McQuade will share excerpts from “A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri, 1862-65,” which includes 50 previously unpublished letters written by two of

By Charles Christian A historic home originally built in 1871 as a chapel is for sale in St. Joseph. The house, located at 5006 N.E. Amazonia Road, was converted from a chapel to a home in 1944. It now has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It also contains a stone fireplace and several sheds on

By Leah Rainwater A preservation team that travels around the country visited the historic Mount Mora Cemetery on Wednesday to share knowledge with St. Joseph residents about repairing and taking care of gravestones. The 48 State Tour is a free and public event that aims to preserve and teach local residents how to preserve America’s

By NewsPress Now The author of a National Book Award winner will be signing copies of her book, which features a well-known local historic home, on Friday in St. Joseph. Kelee Katillac is one of the authors of “Historic Style: Honoring the Past With Design for Today.” The work was chosen as Coffee Table Book

By Jazmine Knight Nathaniel C. Bruce is a name not often heard yet his impact in St. Joseph runs deep. Though, he didn’t spend much time in the area, his efforts in providing vocational education for Black youth reached kids all across Missouri. Bruce was born in Danville, Virginia in 1868 but grew up on

By Kirsten Stokes The son of a former doctor in St. Joseph is continuing his quest to find the owners of baby photos, some from more than 70 years ago. The late Dr. Robert Kieber, a family physician in St. Joseph, received a scrapbook years ago of photos of patients. The photos date from the

By Cameron Montemayor What began as a mission for one Lafayette history teacher to look into her family’s connection to the Holocaust has turned into a calling in life to research and honor the lives lost in the genocide.  On Monday, Brooke Rich and her husband Alex gathered at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City

By Kirsten Stokes In 1926, at just 15 years old, Eulalia Gabriel became the first queen of the St. Joseph Apple Blossom Parade. Today, four generations of her family are coming together to recreate the float that she once rode in almost 100 years ago. “She was independent, strong-willed, knew what she wanted and she

By Charles Christian Two historic local church buildings are up for sale here in St. Joseph, but for different reasons, bringing about new opportunities for both the congregations and potential buyers. Like other kinds of buildings and businesses, churches go up for sale for a variety of reasons. Some are sold because of declining attendance.

By Ashley Luthans In 1974, 6-month-old Erin Willoughby celebrated her first Easter by shining on the front page of the St. Joseph News-Press in a homemade bunny costume. Fifty years later, the bunny costume has become a staple of the family’s Easter celebrations. The costume was made by Willoughby’s great-aunt, Betty Osburn. Gary Redden, Willoughby’s