Pleasant Hill Historical Society - Missouri

05/25/2026

From Lexington and Gettysburg to Normandy and the mountains of Afghanistan, generations of American patriots have answered the call to defend liberty.

This Memorial Day weekend, we honor those who never came home and remember that the freedoms we enjoy were paid for by the sacrifice of brave Americans.

May we never forget them. 🇺🇸

05/18/2026

From the Pleasant Hill Times, December 1967

05/16/2026

Don't forget this is today

05/14/2026

The only information we have about this photo is what is printed on the card at the bottom - Bastian, Pleasant Hill, MO

05/12/2026

Some Missouri history for you…

Charles Grigg was born in 1868, the eldest of three sons to a farming family in Prices Branch, Montgomery County, Missouri. In 1904, Grigg moved to St. Louis for a career in advertising. There, he was introduced to carbonated beverages.

Grigg worked under Sylvester “Vess” Jones, at Whistle Co, a soft drink company producing an orange beverage, Whistle. While some historians credit Grigg with the invention of Whistle, Jones’s company and the orange soda formula predate his arrival.

The first drink Grigg designed was Howdy, and he attempted to market it as his own company. Unfortunately, Howdy was another in an expanding line of orange flavored soft drinks competing with the industry giant, Orange Crush.
Grigg then decided to focus on a new flavor of soda pop: lemon-lime. By October of 1929, he had invented a drink called, 7Up Lithiated Lemon Soda.

Why Grigg named the product 7Up is unclear. One possible claim is that the drink contained seven ingredients: sugar, carbonated water, lemon and lime oils, citric acid, sodium citrate, and lithium citrate. It could also have been a reference to the beverage being sold in seven-ounce bottles, though this wasn’t rare in the industry at the time.

Additionally, the use of the word “lithiated” is confusing. 7up continued to market itself as such into the 1930s. In the 40s, when the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of lithium, the company claimed lithium citrate was never an actual ingredient in the drink. Regardless, the product name was shortened to 7Up.

In the late 20th century, 7Up promoted itself as “the Uncola”, and it certainly was. Of the top three best-selling soft drinks, 7Up placed only behind Pepsi and Coke, making it the top-consumed non-cola.

📷: 7up trademark, 1936, Missouri State Archives

05/06/2026

Join the Cass County Public Library - Pleasant Hill Branch for a fascinating look into local history during “The Legacies of George Kellogg and Eden Booth,” presented by Pete Shortridge, Curator of the Pleasant Hill Historical Society.

Discover the stories behind two influential names tied to Pleasant Hill’s agricultural and industrial past, including the impact of Colonial Poultry Farms and early community development.

🗓 Saturday, May 16th
🕐 1:00 PM
📍 Cass County Public Library – Pleasant Hill Branch

This program is intended for adults and is a great opportunity for local history enthusiasts to learn more about the people and industries that helped shape Pleasant Hill.

SATURDAY MAY 16, 1pm

Join us for a fascinating journey through time as Pete Shortridge, Curator of the Pleasant Hill Historical Society - Missouri and Professor Emeritus of History at KU, teaches us about the legacies of two important families in Pleasant Hill, MO history.

The Kellogg family is known for the expansive greenhouses used by the George M. Kellogg Flower & Plant Company and for building the Kellogg Opera House.

The Booth family is known for their involvement in the poultry industry and for being the reason why the high school nickname is "Roosters and Chicks".

This engaging program is perfect for history buffs and anyone curious about the heritage of Pleasant Hill.

04/30/2026

Don't forget to join us this Sunday for a deeper look at the history of Boone's Lick Road!

04/27/2026

From the Pleasant Hill Times, December 1966

04/26/2026

04/24/2026

Even though this doesn’t directly pertain to Pleasant Hill, 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the legendary U.S. Route 66—the “Main StreeThe State Historical Society of Missouricommerce, and culture across the nation. From small towns to big cities, Route 66 carried generations of Americans westward in search of opportunity and adventure, and its legacy still lives on in the communities, stories, and landmarks that line its historic path. To help commemorate this milestone, State Historical Society of Missouri is highlighting the history and impact of Route 66 with special programs and resources that explore its rich past here in Missouri. While Pleasant Hill may not sit directly along the Mother Road, its story is still part of the broader fabric of Missouri history that Route 66 helped define—it’s a great time to reflect on where we’ve been and the roads that brought us here.

SHSMO is hitting the road!
Missouri's Route 66 Road Trip with Kathleen Seale
Follow along on Facebook and Instagram
Sunday, April 26 through Friday, May 1
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What better way to celebrate the centennial of Route 66 than with a road trip! Whether you're in Paris, Missouri, or Paris, France, you can follow along with us on social media as we drive from St. Louis to Joplin, stopping at iconic Missouri places that helped immortalize Route 66 in pop culture for the past century.

Our resident Route 66 expert, Kathleen Seale, Coordinator of the Rolla and Springfield Research Centers, will be our guide. Through photos, videos, and Facebook Live, Katie will talk about the history of the legendary road as we travel, also interviewing business owners, travelers, and Route 66 enthusiasts alike along the way.

From eating at the iconic Big Chief Roadhouse in Wildwood, to taking in the lights of Route 66 Neon Park in St. Robert, to checking out Bonnie & Clyde's apartment in Joplin, we'll explore legendary Route 66 spots across the state. We'll join the National Route 66 Kickoff festivities in Springfield on April 30, where you can learn why Springfield is known as the birthplace of Route 66.
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