This article is presented in partnership with Visit Warrensburg.

Whether you’re looking to research your genealogy or appreciate MesoAmerican sculpture, if it has its roots in history, you’ll be able to discover it at the McClure. 

Located in Warrensburg on the University of Central Missouri campus, McClure Archives and University Museum house approximately twenty thousand objects in the museum and more than a million documents in the archives. These extensive collections include documents and books from U.S. and UCM’s history, as well as more unusual offerings, like a Chinese bronze wine vessel from 2500BCE. Some items are incredibly rare—and you’d be hard pressed to find them in any other museum in the country, if not the world. 

“There are some collections that attract researchers from around the world, such as the Nance Middle East Collection and the Haymaker Collection,” Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone, Ph.D., McClure Archives and University Museum director, explains. 

The museum houses several collections, which have their own unique histories and were donated by individual owners. The Haymaker Collection consists of fascinating material from the first Protestant missionary in Guatemala, and it covers one hundred years of Guatemalan history. It’s not surprising, then, that it has been recognized by the Guatemalan government. The Nance Middle East Collection includes approximately a thousand objects, as well as a research library dedicated to the traditional Middle East and the early years of oil exploration. Other collections include one of more than twelve thousand seashells and one of MesoAmerican sculpture. 

American history is significant at the museum, as well, as there is a wide variety of Vietnam War and World War II items on display. 

“We place special emphasis on World War II collections, including uniforms, memorabilia, photographs, and letters,” Clifford-Napoleone says. McClure is a Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, which means it doesn’t just collect artifacts from the era—it collects stories and events, too. “We continue to do research, interviews, and exhibits about the Vietnam War, especially since so little is known about that war by younger generations,” she says. “The oral history collection is actually available online for teachers to use in classrooms.”

Clifford-Napoleone recommends visitors view the Nance Collection, given its international recognition. “That collection is world famous, [it] has been featured in international exhibitions alongside objects from the British Museum and the Louvre and was featured in a special exhibit in the home of the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia,” she says. “These are materials you simply cannot see somewhere else.”

The museum is currently open, with COVID-19 restrictions in place. The campus’ mask mandate applies to the McClure Archives and University Museum, and the museum supplies visitors with hand sanitizer as soon as they enter. Researchers are required to wear gloves, and a visitor capacity limit is in place to uphold social distancing practices. 

For more about the McClure Archives and University Museum, visit Facebook.com/mccluremuseum, or VisitWarrensburg.com for more events and destinations in the area. To learn more about the area’s face covering order before your trip, visit JohnsonCountyHealth.org.