Chariton County Historical Society

09/02/2026

08/24/2026

Two Columbia educators known for breaking barriers will now be honored with their own Missouri holiday.

08/21/2026

📱 IT'S TIME TO TAKE THE CRUISE!

Three years in the making, the Salisbury Canvass Cruise is officially live!

After three years of developing the concept, raising funds for murals, researching Salisbury's history, recording stories, collecting photographs, building web pages and bringing countless pieces together, we're ready to invite you to start exploring.

The initial Canvass Cruise sites are up and going — with more being added!

📍 Find the current stops on our interactive Google map and directory:
https://salisburymochamberofcommerce.com/canvass-cruise/

Then take the Cruise your way.

SCAN. LISTEN. DISCOVER SALISBURY.

Scan the QR codes you'll find throughout the community. Listen to the stories behind the places you pass every day. Explore photographs, documents and pieces of Salisbury's past — and discover some stories you may have never heard before.

And this isn't a finished project. We are adding photos to live sites as we find them.

The Canvass Cruise will continue to grow. More locations, more stories, more photographs and more pieces of Salisbury's history will be added as we continue researching and as our community helps us uncover them.

That's where you come in.

Visit our Stories, Photos & Memories Group to share photographs, add memories, help identify people and places, correct or expand information, and tell us the stories we haven't discovered yet.

Take one stop. Take ten. Spend an afternoon exploring. Come back later and see what's new.

This is Salisbury's story — past, present and still being written.

Every Town Has History. Ours Talks Back.

Scan. Listen. Discover Salisbury.

The Salisbury Canvass Cruise is an initiative of the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce, made possible with the help of our community partners - the City of Salisbury, Salisbury R-IV School District and the Salisbury Park Board.

😍 Follow: Salisbury Canvass Cruise

08/20/2026

Produced by University of Missouri Extension, this documentary conc...

08/18/2026

It happened in 1878!

On Monday last the county court divided the county, as required by the new law, into two Districts, for the purpose of electing county Judges this fall.

The Eastern District will be composed of : Chariton, Salisbury, Wayland, Bee Branch, Keytesville, and Muscle Fork townships

The Western district will be composed of Missouri, Bowling Green, Brunswick, Mendon, Salt Creek, Clark, Yellow Creek Cunningham and Triplett townships.

Each district will elect a county Judge, and there will be one elected at large.
(Salisbury Press February 8 1878)

Election results - Saturday August 17 1878 Chariton Courier

08/18/2026

Eliot Battle was the last Principal/superintendent of the Dalton Vocational School. He and Muriel left their mark in Dalton and in the Columbia school system.

This video was produced to commemorate the induction of the late Dr...

08/14/2026

From email we received:

On Saturday, September 12th military historian Michael Strauss will be joining us for an all-day in-person seminar here at the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri. Generations in Conflict: Researching Ancestors from the Colonial Era to WWI take attendees from the Colonial wars, through the Revolution, the Civil War and highlight how the Great War shaped the world in which we live today.

This is a free, in-person only seminar running from 9am-4:15pm. Attendees are welcome to come for the entire seminar, or any portion they choose.

Registration Link: https://www.mymcpl.org/events/120482/generations-conflict-researching-ancestors-colonial-era-wwi

08/13/2026

The Battle of Yellow Creek, which occurred during the American Civil War, took place in Chariton County on August 13, 1862. This skirmish was a part of the broader conflict between Union forces and Confederate guerrillas in Missouri, a state deeply divided during the war.

The battle involved Union troops attempting to suppress Confederate-aligned guerrilla activities, which were common in Chariton County and other parts of central Missouri. These guerrilla forces frequently engaged in raids, disrupting Union operations and supply lines. Although not a large-scale battle, it was one of many small but fierce engagements in Missouri's Civil War history, which contributed to the region's reputation as a hotbed of guerrilla warfare.

08/11/2026

The current bid on this beautiful afghan is $175 as of August 6.

To bid, you can post here, send us a message or email to [email protected].