Odessa Area Historical Society & Museum

03/28/2026

History was made today when the Odessa High School girls flag football team played its first-ever game. The modern era of girls athletics began a little over 50 years ago, so hats off to the girls as they add a new chapter to the Bulldog history book!

03/21/2026

Ben Franklin Storefront
Closed in 1993
Located at the current location of Broken Dollar Saloon

02/06/2026

Admission is free! Tickets are available beginning Feb. 6.

National treasures are coming to Kansas City. Will you be among the first in the United States to see the documents that forged our nation?

The makes its historic first stop at the National WWI Museum and Memorial from March 6-22. Admission is free; tickets available starting Friday, Feb. 6! https://theworldwar.org/exhibitions/freedom-plane-national-tour-documents-forged-nation

01/31/2026

If you are researching your family history, be sure to check out the Missouri Death Certificates database. It has been updated to include deaths from 1975. Thanks to those who helped digitize more than 10,000 certificates for 1975! https://s1.sos.mo.gov/Records/Archives/ArchivesMvc/

Send a message to learn more

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays from the Odessa Area Historical Society! 🎄🎅️🎁👍

11/28/2025

Can anyone identify the two girls on the left in the back row of this photo of E Honor Roll students from the Odessa Junior High School? The photo was likely taken during the 1972-73 school year.

11/16/2025

It's time again...Black Friday Trivia. 6:30pm at the Odessa Community Center, 601 W Main St, Odessa, MO. Teams of up to 8 pay $10 per person for 5 rounds of General Trivia! $ Games and Mulligans for sale! Prize for 1st place team!! Bring your own snacks & drinks for your team. All proceeds benefit the Odessa Historical Society.
Contact Jason Hawkins on FaceBook if you are planning to bring a team, need a team, or need more information!!

11/10/2025

Free access to Fold3 records through Nov. 16 (registration is required)!

Honor the veterans in your life. Discover their story with FREE ACCESS* to all WWI and WWII records through November 16. Explore enlistment records, draft cards, war diaries, photo collections, and more! https://f3.social/veterans

*Free registration required

10/18/2025

Love exploring Missouri’s rich history?
Discover fascinating historical sites and travel ideas at VisitMO.com! Whether you’re heading to the Northeast, Southeast, Central, Northwest, or Southwest regions, you’ll find curated itineraries, upcoming events, and unique trip ideas.

🏛️ Start planning your next historical adventure today!

10/18/2025

A vintage photo of the northwest corner of the 4 way stop.
Can you identify the 3 shops next to Farmer's Bank?
The first store is A. L. Scholls Drug Store.

10/12/2025

If you have an interest in the history of Missouri, visit The State Historical Society of Missouri.
https://shsmo.org/

They have a number of research centers across the state providing access to an ever-growing number of reference materials and historical collections.

Cape Girardeau Research Center
Columbia Research Center
Kansas City Research Center
Rolla Research Center
Saint Louis Research Center
Springfield Research Center

The SHSMO also offers publications.

The Missouri Historical Review, a journal of carefully researched articles written to inform and entertain readers who are interested in the history of Missouri and its region

The Missouri Times provides news and exciting updates about the Society's collections, art exhibitions, and educational programs.

These are only a few of the resources, so visit and learn more.

SHSMO’s Rolla Research Center and Missouri S&T Curtis Laws Wilson Library are sponsoring four events (virtual and in person) and an exhibition at the library on the Missouri S&T campus in October to celebrate American Archives Month. An exhibition highlighting the 75th anniversary of

10/11/2025

Our latest display is now open at the Museum!
We’re proud to share a little more of Odessa’s story with you.
We’re a small town and a small organization, doing our best with what we have — thank you for your kindness and support.