A Message from Our President
Greetings! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season as we prepare for the new year.
This past year, Missouri Preservation has been working diligently on our new and fun series, Show Me Socials. Show Me Socials are a way for us to get familiar with new corners of our state, learn unique aspects of preservation, and give us a chance to personally connect with new friends of Missouri Preservation.
First, we visited Excelsior Springs where we enjoyed libations at The Atlas Saloon. The next day we learned about past and continuing preservation projects within the town. We also got to spend time with Sonya and Kevin Morgan, the recipients of the McReynolds Award this past spring.
From there we went to Salem where our board member, Jacob Stotler, led a large group of us on a downtown ghost tour. After the ghost tour, the spirits kept coming to The Local, Salem’s newest establishment. The following day board members Ryan Reed and Jacob Stotler presented on the history of Missouri’s forgotten architect, Henry Hohenschild.
As the newly elected President of Missouri Preservation’s Board of Directors, I pledge to continue exploring new places in Missouri and I hope to meet as many of you as possible throughout the state. If you would like a Show Me Social to be held in your town, please contact us! We also can host window workshops, cemetery restoration, National Register and tax credit workshops, and more.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Lauren Manning and I have recently been elected as the new President of Missouri Preservation. I grew up in St. Joseph and currently reside in Kansas City. I have been involved with Missouri Preservation since 2014. Since graduating from the University of Missouri at Kansas City with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, I worked for Historic Kansas City, the City of St. Joseph, the Oregon-California Trails Association, and most recently the City of Kansas City working under Bradley Wolf, a past President of Missouri Preservation.
The future of Missouri Preservation rests on our shoulders now. The Covid-19 pandemic was difficult in every sense of the word. Missouri Preservation was no stranger to the hardships it brought to so many households throughout the state. If you lost someone as well, my heart is with you.
Looking towards the future, stay tuned for news about our upcoming June conference in Joplin, upcoming workshops, and Show Me Socials across the state. If you’ve been holding out, please consider supporting Missouri Preservation as a member and joining us in advocating for historic preservation in our beautiful state.
