Faces from the city's past and familiar facades were featured in more than 60 displays created by students in the local gifted program.
This fall, the Jefferson City Public Schools' Exploration Enrichment and Research (EER) classes took on the "Local Living Landmarks" as their historic research project.
The results of their findings were shared Tuesday night at the Historic City of Jefferson Christmas program at McClung Park.
"We got to learn about tons of buildings that are really old and important stuff from Jefferson City," said Cedar Hill fourth-grader David Nichols.
Wearing his brother's black fedora and his father's old Pentax camera, Nichols showed off his display on the Jefferson City News Tribune. The project required him to research his father's former employer by looking through books, finding pictures, developing a timeline and creating the final display details.
Nichols said he had the most fun created the interactive question and answer tabs.
"Everything on this board, I didn't know" before this project, said St. Joseph third-grader Olivia Vaught.
For her project on St. Mary's Hospital, Vaught drew from previous visits to see patients at the former Bolivar Street location and took a tour of the newly-opened health center off of Missouri 179.
The third- through fifth-grade students from public, parochial and home schools not only toured the Missouri State Archive and the Cole County Historical Society but were able to be hands-on in their research.
The students didn't just observe the historians, the professionals showed the students how to handle photos and keep vertical file materials in proper order. Then, they were given the original sources to read through themselves.
Other selected local buildings included St. Mary's Hospital, the Carnegie Library, Lincoln University, the Union Hotel/Missouri Pacific Depot, the Dulle House, the Governor's Mansion, the Missouri State Penitentiary, the Cole County Courthouse, the Capitol, Central Bank, Simonsen Ninth Grade Center, First United Methodist Church, Central United Church of Christ, St. Peter Catholic Church, Grace Episcopal Church, Temple Beth-El and the Jefferson City Fire Department.
The state archive held at least one source document on each of the local topics, said Christina Miller, senior reference archivist.
The EER project was the first time for the archive to help with such a large class, Miller said. The private businesses were more difficult to find sources for the students than the state Capitol or those properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, she said.
"Although we sent them home with a copy, they had the experience of coming into the library and seeing the actual records," Miller said. "I loved seeing what they did with it.
"I learned some things too."
More than 300 Historic City of Jefferson (HCJ) members were invited to the showing, as well as parents, dignitaries and representatives from the featured buildings.
"HCJ is proud to support the students in their innovative presentations," the group's newsletter said. "Children are the future health of our communities, becoming our historic preservationists of tomorrow."
This was the first time teacher Ruthie Caplinger focused a project on the community's history through its historic buildings.
"We have so many great buildings; it's nice to read a little history about them," said Doug Record, city Historic Preservation Commission member.