Digital History

The Library's Digital History projects provide engaging and enlightening avenues for visitors to explore the people, places and events that shaped Kansas City's history. Most of these projects involved extensive collaboration with other cultural heritage institutions in an effort to broaden the scope and depth of available collections and writings. The Library provides project oversight, web development and design as well as management for digital object collections.

Kansas City vintage postcard with green background

KC History

Missouri Valley Special Collections

Launched 2007. Over 20,000 images of archival material such as letters, photographs, postcards, and maps from the holdings of Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Kansas City Public Library.

Pendergast with newspapers and pictures in background with sepia filter

The Pendergast Years

Kansas City in the Jazz Age & Great Depression, 1918-1941

Launched 2017. Explore dozens of original articles, a timeline, maps, and thousands of digitized historical objects related to Kansas City's supposed "golden age," when Boss Tom ruled the city.

painting of soldiers going into battle on horseback

Civil War on the Western Border

The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865

Launched 2013. A collaborative effort among libraries, museums, and historical societies. Access primary source materials, unique interactive features, original scholarly essays, and topical encyclopedia entries.

KC Black History logo

Kansas City Black History

Celebrating African American History in Our Community

Launched 2021. Serving as an educational resource for learning about Kansas City’s African American community. Highlights contributions of those who left an indelible mark shaping our city and nation.

Charlie Parker's Kansas City logo

Charlie Parker's Kansas City

Explore the places where "Bird" lived, worked and played.

Launched 2021. This site represents a partnership between cultural institutions and aims to provide a geographical representation of the places that Charlie Parker frequented during his visits to Kansas City. Locations will present associated images and documents from local collections in an effort to enhance appreciation and understanding.