Missouri History Museum

The Missouri History Museum announces the launch of History Happened Here: A Virtual Tour of St. Louis' Cultural Communities (historyhappenedhere.org), an interactive and informational web site where visitors can navigate through our region's cultural landscape. Ultimately, this virtual tour will share the collective story of our community through the memories and places of its diverse cultures. The inaugural group featured is St. Louis' Jewish community.

History Happened Here: A Virtual Tour of St. Louis' Cultural Communities web site's home page acts as a portal through which the visitor will be able to view each of the cultural groups listed and visit the sites that the group has identified. The format is easy to navigate, providing access to the historic sites in various ways: Keyword search, a timeline, neighborhood map, photographs, and alphabetical listing. Each designated site has a page featuring a description of the building, organization, event, or person plus historic and contemporary photographs.

Guided by the extensive research that Dr. Walter Ehrlich conducted for his book, Zion in the Valley, the Missouri History Museum and an advisory board of community leaders chose more than eighty noteworthy sites to trace the history of Jewish life in St. Louis. The selected sites are associated with a person, public space or event that has had a meaningful effect or significant contribution to the history of our community. The sites initial locales include synagogues, organizations, businesses and cultural locations. Other features on the site include a glossary of terms, reading recommendations, teacher resources, opportunities for marker sponsorship, and an on-line means of creating a personalized tour of the sites.

For more information, visit www.mohistory.org or call (314) 746-4599.