Mississippi County Historical Society

Founded in the mid-1960s, the Mississippi County Historical Society offers a variety of programs that interpret southeast Missouri's history and operates a small museum in the historic Moore House, which was built by its namesake James Handy Moore in 1900. Moore started his career as a lawyer but became one of the town's leading businessmen in the late 1800s. The house operates as a museum and features period furnishings and several permanent exhibits. Items on display include period clothing, original Civil War military uniforms, and the collections of two of the county's prominent families during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors can take tours of the house and it is available to rent for events. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

James Handy Moore was born to a wealthy family on November 20, 1865 here in Charleston. He earned is bachelor of arts degree from Belleview Collegiate Institute in Caledonia, Missouri in 1886 and then attended law school at Vanderbilt University. He operated a private practice for many years before getting a job at a bank working as a cashier. Within a short time he rose up in the ranks to become bank president. However, Moore soon resigned from that position to lead the new Southeast Missouri Telephone Company. In the coming years he also became the director of the Southeast Missouri Light, Power and Ice Company, owned a contracting firm that built the first community dredging ditch in the county, and served as president of the Levee Board.

He married his wife, Mary, in 1890 and they had four children by 1899, which is part of the reason he decided to build the house. He hired St. Louis architect Jerome Bibb Legg to design it. An excellent example of Colonial Revival architecture, notable features include several gables and a large balustraded wraparound porch with a pedimented entry. It has seventeen rooms, seven fireplaces, and the original dining room furniture and glass chandelier.

Sadly, Moore died in a carriage accident in 1906. Mary continued to live in the house until she died in 1949 and it remained in the family until 1977 when they donated it to the Mississippi County Historical Society.

Cameron, Janice R. "Moore House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. September 18, 1980. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/63819769/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MO/80002380.pdf.

"Information." Mississippi County Historical Society. Accessed May 27, 2022. https://misscohistoricalsociety.org/information.