3406 Frederick Avenue
St. Joseph
MO
64506
800-530-8866
The St. Joseph Museums, Inc. site houses three museums in one location. One admission fee includes all of them.
The St. Joseph Museum features extensive American Indian exhibits of clothing, accessories, fans, pottery, pipes, weapons, kachinas, jewelry, and archaeological artifacts from ten cultural regions.
The featured exhibit at the Glore Psychiatric Museum in 2015 is "Pillows of Unrest," which is a patient art therapy project featured the work of fifty patients. The Museum opened in 1967 to educate the public about mental health issues and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness for patients and their families. It is nationally recognized as “one of the 50 most unusual Museums in the country." The Glore Psychiatric Museum chronicles the 140-year history of what was once known as the “State Lunatic Asylum No. 2.” The full-sized replicas, interactive displays, audio-visuals, artifacts, and documents illustrate how mental illness has been portrayed and treated inside the building that was once the medical, surgical and admitting unit for the hospital.
The Black Archives Museum features exhibits on the St. Joseph African American experience. There are exhibits on the topics of integration, education, area businesses, and the impact of St. Joseph born musicians such as Coleman Hawkins on the music scene. The Black Archives also features a Hall of Fame, created to showcase the achievements and contributions of St. Joseph’s African-American citizens.
