State Capitol Building

State Capitol Building The first state capitol building in Jefferson City was built in the period of 1823-1826 and was destroyed by fire in 1837. A new capitol building had been approved at the time and was completed in 1840. The second capitol was destroyed by fire on February 5, 1911, when a bolt of lightning struck the dome. The present capitol was built in the period of 1913-1917 and stands upon the same spot as the first, high atop a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. One significance in the capitol building is the Missouri State Museum, which is located on the first floor of the Missouri State Capitol Building, and run by the Department of Natural Resources and Division of State Parks. The museum contains long-term exhibits and regularly changing temporary exhibits. Also, there is a program that develops a series of traveling exhibits that can be used as educational tools by schools, civic and other groups. The Missouri State Museum is responsible for a large collection, consisting of approximately 93,000 artifacts and objects from all aspects of Missouri’s history. These artifacts and objects have been collected since the museum was first opened. One of the highlights of the collection is the collection of over 125 Missouri Civil War battle flags. Thirty-three of the flags have been conserved and eleven have been framed. The “Missouri Veterans Gallery” is in the east end of the Missouri State Museum is a new long-term exhibit. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a brass model of the USS Missouri battleship built by the U.S. Navy for research. The exhibit also includes artifacts and images related to Missouri veterans as well as excerpts from interviews with veterans. The Museum staff developed this exhibit to inform visitors about the key role of Missouri veterans in the history of the state. In 1935, Missouri native Thomas Hart Benton was summoned upon the Missouri House of Representatives to paint a mural on all 4 walls of the House

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