We know each other by the stories we tell. We know our place, this place we call St. Louis, by the stories that have created it. We are constantly redefining ourselves and our place by the reworked stories and the new narratives that we develop.

Last year I listened to my father for many hours at a stretch. He was very ill and would not recover, but in those last days he told me more about himself and our past than I had heard in the previous 50 years. His telling it all to me made me part of that story, even though much of it took place long before I was here to participate in it. I rewrote my own story in those quiet hours of my dad’s twilight. As he was leaving this earth, he left behind a legacy that I cherish and, thanks to a 21st century technology, one that I will share. Those conversations are stored on CDs, a medium my father barely knew and that I learned only recently. So I used a very modern means to capture stories of long ago.

The mission of the Missouri Historical Society mandates that we provide space for our diverse community to share the stories that make us who we are. For 140 years this institution has collected the objects, implements, clothing, photographs, documents, art works, and more recently film and other recordings that embody the stories of our predecessors. To the best of our abilities—that is, with the best available resources and techniques—we have preserved, cared for, and presented our collections. Because we recognize that history is a living, inclusive process, and because we acknowledge that all members of our diverse populace are entitled to a voice in this process, we have pledged to expand our presence in the community. Without forsaking the values and legacies of the past, we eagerly embrace the opportunities of the future.

One of the most exciting opportunities for telling stories is in the realm of cyberspace. With more and more visitors entering the Missouri Historical Society through our website, it is only logical that we take advantage of the internet and offer our public additional ways to tell their stories and to hear the narratives of others. This online magazine, appropriately called Voices, is a technologically marvelous way to provide connections and conversations with our community.

In Voices, which will post three issues a year at this site, you will find personal accounts—old and new, historical and contemporary—from well-known figures and those who may be obscure but essential to our story. Voices also includes images from our photographs and prints collection, articles on museum programs and processes, and text of presentations given by staff members in venues not ordinarily available to our public, as for instance, my own talk to an international museum conference in Boston about sharing the past. Our subjects will be issues of place, implications of memory, topics about families, race, neighborhoods, and the art and music traditions of our region—almost anything that will further engage our community in discussion about our past, our present, and how we will construct our future.

Welcome to the latest journey at the Missouri Historical Society!

Robert R. Archibald, Ph.D.
Missouri Historical Society

Without forsaking the values and legacies of the past, we eagerly embrace the opportunities of the future.