Last updated: 5/13/2019
Mt Vernon, Missouri
Street Address
11110 Lawrence 1137
Mt Vernon, MO 65712
Mailing Address
PO Box 406
Mt Vernon, MO 65712

Hours

Memorial Day weekend through October
Tours and visits by appointment can be arranged.
Sunday
1 PM - 4 PM
Closed during the winter.

Admissions

Admission is free to the historic Adamson Cabin and Lawrence County Historical Society Museum. They are located on the grounds of Jones Memorial at 11110 Lawrence 1137, Mt. Vernon, Mo., adjoining the west side of Mt. Vernon Golf Course. LCHS also operates the MRC Museum a block west of the Mt. Vernon square on Dallas Street. Admission is free to it, as well.

Free

Museum Type(s)

Staff

Kathy Fairchild
phone: 417-466-3446
Description

Free museum focused on history of Lawrence County, Missouri

Sections of the museum focus on the chronological history of the county, including its citizens' involvement in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm.

The "Hall of Time" also offers a glimpse of the '50s, '60s, and '70s, among other eras. One display highlights items common to this area during the Depression.

History

The Lawrence County Historical Society was organized May 19, 1961, for the purpose of promoting interest in our heritage and gathering and preserving records of Lawrence County and its people.

Artifact Collections

The Adamson Cabin was built before the Civil War - most likely in the 1850s - and was moved to this location. Volunteers have restored the dogtrot-style cabin and offer living history there during Apple Butter Makin' Days each year. The museum features numerous displays on Lawrence County history. Among the highlights are an 1865 hearse and the original statue of Lady Justice, which was removed from the top of the Lawrence County Courthouse in 1994 and was used as a model for the statue that now sits atop the courthouse clock tower.

Research Collections

Most of the Society’s genealogical collection is housed at the Walter C. McCanse Library, at Mt. Vernon, Mo., and is available for in-person research. The Society does not have a paid staff to handle research requests. It does, however, publish queries in the newsletter and on this site. The Society’s collection includes census microfilm, printed census records, published material, family manuscript collections, Wills (1845-1917: Microfilm), indexes, the Western Historical Manuscripts Collections pertaining to Lawrence County, Cemetery inscriptions, microfilmed newspapers, and several thousand obituaries from various Lawrence County newspaper on index cards. In 2013, it opened a reading room on the second floor of the Lawrence County Courthouse, where additional information is available. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. It is closed on days the courthouse is closed.

Governance

The Society was incorporated on June 15, 1970, under the laws of the State of Missouri as a not-for-profit corporation, with a three-member Board of Directors.

The Society meets the third Sunday of every other month. Meetings are held in January, March, May, July, September and November. The annual business meeting and election of officers is in November.

Publications

Quarterly Bulletin

Services

Membership in the Society is open to any interested person. Yearly dues are $10.00, or $15.00 for member and spouse. Membership includes a subscription to the Bulletin. The Bulletin is published quarterly.

The gift shop is open during museum hours, offering the Historical Society's complete collection of research publications and Lawrence County memorabilia. Included are indexed census records, tombstone inscriptions from every known cemetery in the county, marriage records, funeral home records, and other publications.

Gift Shop
Exhibitions
Museum Events
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