History

Woman in flower crown and traditional, colorful Ukrainian dress holds a blowing Ukrainian flag in a park.

Fighting for Ukraine’s Independence Here in the Heartland

The Ukrainian Club of Kansas City moves away from cultural activities as members search for ways to support the war effort in their home country.

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The Womontown documentary features co-founders Andrea Nedelsky and Mary Ann Hopper walking through their old neighborhood in Midtown Kansas City. Emily Woodring and Brydie O'Connor of Kansas City PBS film Nedelsky discussing Womontown's history.

Womontown: How 12 City Blocks in Kansas City Became a Radical Enclave By and For Women

Fed up with harassment and housing discrimination, lesbians in 1990s Kansas City dreamed of a place where they could “walk hand in hand, freely down the streets.” So they created Womontown. The radical enclave encompassed 12 city blocks and attracted women from all over the U.S.

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Frances Bradley Robinson

Black Judge an Unsung Hero of Kansas City, Kansas

When Judge Isaac Franklin Bradley Sr. was born in Saline County, Missouri, he was considered property. By the time he died, his name had been etched next to the likes of W.E.B. Du Bois as a civil rights leader, lawyer, judge and entrepreneur.

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Thomas Jones, bottom right.

Preserving Our Past: Kansas City Stories of Black History

In “Preserving Our Past: Kansas City Stories of Black History,” a new Kansas City PBS documentary compiled in honor of Black History Month, Flatland reporter Catherine Hoffman shares untold or unexamined stories of local Black history.

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Jesse James Jr., son of outlaw Jesse James, is second from left in the front row in this family picture taken at the family farm in the early 1900s.

Clay County’s Colorful History Left Some (Land)marks

Clay County, Missouri, has a rich and complex history, which will be remembered during this year’s bicentennial observance.

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An old time photo of temperance-minded protesters.

Late to the Party: The Strange History of Liquor Laws in Kansas

Did you know happy hours as we know them were illegal in Kansas until 2011?

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The Vanderbilt Room at The Midland Theatre.

curiousKC | Vanderbilt Mansion Treasures Make Midland Theatre Space ‘Sexiest Lounge in KC’

Kansas City’s unlikely tie to the iconic New York City home has one curiousKC reader wondering how it all went down, way back in 1927.

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Martin Luther Jr. stands at a pulpit, with a light shining behind him. Jr. was a speaker at the Mammoth Rally on May 3 in the late 1950s.

Q&A: KU Professor Randal Jelks on the New Book, ‘Letters to Martin’

In the form of letters to Martin Luther King Jr., author Randal Jelks said he wants to give readers hope.

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KC Preservation Projects Failing Key State Incentive Program

By Kevin Collison Early last month, the $69 million renovation of the former “Flashcube” office building at 720 Main into apartments received an honors award as an innovative preservation project from Historic Kansas City. The city’s premier historic preservation organization also recognized the 273-unit West Bottoms Flats development at 925 Wyoming St. with its excellence…

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The Flashcube building in downtown.

KC Preservation Projects Failing Key State Incentive Program

Changes implemented by the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) are making it much more challenging for downtown residential projects in Kansas City to qualify for the state historic tax credit program.

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