This Month in Missouri History

Early local attention to disabilities education

A local school superintendent was one of the early educators who started early experiments on how to educate children with physical and learning disabilities. Supt. Philip J. Hickey set up an experimental clinic in 1954.

Pioneer Missouri often was known as a place where lawlessness abounded. One of the more notorious was a woman. Belle Starr was born Feb. 3, 1889, and went on to make quite a notorious name for herself.

These are a couple of the historical figures who have anniversaries in February.

Each month, the Missouri History Museum staff helps Young Saint Louis.com to locate anniversaries of people and events from Missouri's interesting past. If you'd like to do some of your own searching, you can visit www.mohistory.com.

Early education for disabled kids

In February, 1954, a St. Louis Public school superintendent, Philip J. Hickey, opened an experimental clinic for children with physical and learning disabilities.

Time magazine wrote an article shortly after that outlining this early effort at helping disabled kids keep up with their peers in education.

The article began: "A retarded child had better be given remedial study courses as soon as possible. Otherwise, his problems balloon as he struggles through grade school, becoming overpowering by the time he reaches high school or college."

In 1957, St. Louisans passed a referendum, thus establishing a local public school district to support the educational needs of children with disabilities. The district started modestly, with four teachers and a social worker in the fall of 1958. There were 166 kids in that first class.

It wasn't until 1975 that the federal Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed by Congress.

For more about special education for handicapped kids, visit: http://www.ssd.k12.mo.us/about_SSD/History/history.html http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/16_03/Hist163.shtml

Belle Starr was a notorious criminal

Belle Starr

Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr sas born on Feb. 5, 1848, on her father's farm near Carthage, MO. Her mother was a Hatfield from the infamous Hatfield and McCoy feuding families.

In the 1860, her father sold his farm and the family moved into Carthage, where he bought an inn and livery stable. While in Carthage, May Shirley received a classical education and learned piano.

She graduated from Missouri's Cathage Female Academy. That was a genteel institution that her father helped to found.

But, after a Union attack on Carthage in 1864, the family moved to Scyene, Tex. There Belle Starr associated with a number of Missouri-born criminals, including Jesse James and the Younger brothers.

Her brother, Bud Shirley, was killed in 1864 when Shirley and another scout were being fed at the home of a Confederate sympathizer. Union soldiers surrounded the house and killed Bud when he attempted to flee.

Kay led a colorful life, includinhg the marriage to a Cherokee Indian named Sam Starr.

Kay Starr died Feb. 3, 1889, two days before her 41st birthday. She was gunned down while returning home on horseback from a neighbor's home.

She became famous nationally when her story led to a dime novel, "Bella Starr, the Bandit Queen, or the Female Jesse James." It was published in 1889, the year of her murder.

Her story was made into a film in 1941 with actress Gene Tierney in the title role. Other movies in about her were made in 1946 and again in 1952.

She also was the star figure in a Japanese movie, "Belle Starr Bandits."

For more about Belle Starr, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Starr.
http://www.frontiertimes.com/outlaws/belle_starr.html

St. Louis passes local segregation ordinance

St. Louisans passed a local segregation ordinance on Feb. 29, 1916. The ordinance said that no one could move to a block on which more than 75 per cent of the residents were of another race.

"Back To the Slave Quarters!" Vote No On Segregation Feb. 29. Anti-segregation handbill with cartoon by Jeff Smith, 1916. Race Relations Papers. Missouri Historical Society Archives. NS 21854. Scan © 2008, Missouri Historical Society.

The NAACP fought the ordinance but white separatists created associations of white residents living in neighborhoods near where black lived. One such association was the Marcus Avenue Improvement Assn., which included an area bounded by Kingshighway, Natural Bridge, Newstead and Easton.

The primary area where mostly blacks lived was The Ville, an area of primarily middle class blacks.

Such ordinances were later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

For more about these ordinances and their repeal, visit: http://stlouis.missouri.org/government/heritage/history
/afriamer.htm.

First interfaith museum of contemporary art

The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) opened in St. Louis on Feb. 14, 1993, on the campus of St. Louis University. It is considered to be the world's first interfaith museum of contemporary art.

The museum was dedicated to stimulating dialogue between contemporary artists and the world's faith traditions. It also seeks to be a place for greater understanding among various religions.

The museum is located at 1700 West Pine Mall Blvd.

The display area is in a chapel used by SIU Jesuits for 35 years who were studying philosophy.

For more, visit: http://mocra.slu.edu/current_exhibition/Good%20Friday.html.

Whose statute is this?

General Franz Sigel statue

St. Louis has dozens of statues of historical figures. Some of them you don't recognize and, even if you did, you wouldn't know the story behind the person or historic event.

Ms. Angie Dietz of the Missouri History Museum is starting an intermittent series on these statues.

Then, YSL.com will describe the person or event. Also, we'll include an internet map which will give you directions to the statute if you want to know more.

The first person is General Franz Sigel. His statue is located on the north side of Forest Park.

In the 1840s, he became a military leader of the Baden military revolutionary forces in Germany.

He emigrated to the U.S. and moved to St. Louis. He became the director of the St. Louis Public Schools.

During the Civil War, he served in the capture of confederate Camp Jackson and fought against Stonewall Jackson.He also commanded the XI Corps of German immigrants.

For more, visit: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM31G5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Sigel