Dr. John Tapia, professor of communication studies at Missouri Western State University, has edited a new book about the history and culture of St. Joseph. “St. Joseph Anthology: The Little Known Stories of Our Town” is available for $9.95 at local bookstores and online from Amazon. Dr. Tapia and several contributors to the book will hold a book signing from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Missouri Western State University Bookstore in the Blum Student Union.
“St. Joseph Anthology” arose from a class on local cultural history Dr. Tapia taught at Missouri Western in spring 2010. The class met at various locations throughout St. Joseph to learn about their cultural and historical significance, frequently from community members with special knowledge of the location. As the semester went on, the class grew in size, as members of the community joined the students to learn more about the city’s past.
“As interest developed, I came up with the idea of publishing a book based on our student stories about the history and culture of St. Joseph,” Dr. Tapia wrote in the book’s introduction. “Not only were students interested in this project but so too were the community members that had joined in our walks about town. In addition, as the word spread about this project, some historians familiar with the history of St. Joseph also wrote stories for inclusion in the book.”
The book includes stories of the history of the St. Joseph region from the Ice Age to the 20th century. Subjects include Fort Smith, the Union fortification established during the early days of the Civil War; the Tootle Opera House; Lizzie King, notorious St. Joseph madam; a 1933 lynching; the Methodist Medical Center; the Western Tablet and Stationery Company and its iconic Big Chief tablets; the designation of Missouri Western as a four-year college in 1969; and the stories of many of St. Joseph’s most distinctive historic homes.
Contributors to the anthology include Dr. Tapia, Joy Baker, Denise Bartles, Conger Beasley Jr., Geraldine Benitz, Ellis L. Cross, Harrison Hartley, Jennifer Higgs, Joseph Houts, Nigh Johnson, Natalie Miller, Hannah (Sager) Moffet, Charlie and Donna Nill, Kori Penland, Ronald Reed, Jacqueline Ritter, Robert Rosenthal, Janet Sourk, David Stevenson, Del and Joyce Sutherland, Alonzo Weston and Marshall White.
“St. Joseph Anthology: The Little Known Stories of Our Town” was published by Llumina Press and funded by a grant from the Missouri Western State University Foundation.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.