TOUR THE CAPITOL

I am going to take a break from discussing bills that were debated and passed and, instead, mention a few reasons why you might want to visit the capitol building in Jefferson City. I have had the pleasure of visiting nearly 30 state capitols in America, and the art, the history, and the architecture of ours in Jefferson City make it one of the finest I have seen.

I recommend examining the busts displayed in the rotunda, which is called the Hall of Famous Missourians. These busts are the heads of well-known people who are from Missouri or spent a significant amount of time in Missouri. The obvious people are displayed like Harry Truman and Mark Twain, but so are several you might not know have Missouri origins like Edwin Hubble (Hubble telescope), Bob Barker (The Price is Right), and Rose Duchesne (founder of kindergarten). And if you photograph the busts of Stan Musial (St. Louis Cardinals) and Emmett Kelly (first face-painted circus clown) with your flash on, the bronze busts will light up in color.

Next, I recommend the Thomas Hart Benton mural in the House lounge. Benton painted it by hand in the 1930s. It covers three walls of the room and depicts the history of life in Missouri from the average Missourians’ point of view. The faces of every person in the mural are the faces of actual people Benton knew, and one that was an infant in the painting is still alive today and occasionally visits the capitol.

The prettiest room in the building is House of Representatives chamber itself. At the west end is an enormous stained glass window called The Glory of Missouri at Peace, with characters from history, mythology, and the Bible representing agriculture, justice, and honesty. Along the top are the crests of western states that were established by the explorations that emanated from Missouri like the Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, and Pony Express. Because of these explorations, Missouri is nicknamed The Mother of the West.

At the east end is an equally enormous painting called The Glory of Missouri at War. It is a battlefield scene with soldiers wearing uniforms and carrying weapons from the World War I era back to the Revolutionary War. The face of each soldier is the same face, and represents the generic Missourian that has gone into battle to fight for our nation’s freedoms. This painting was painted on canvas in an airplane hanger in France, rolled up and shipped to Jeff City, and then attached to the back wall of the House Chamber. I am told it is the largest painting on canvas in the world.

But the most beautiful thing in the capitol has to be the transparent operation of our representative democracy in action. Any citizen can come to the House chamber’s upper gallery and view the debate on each bill and see how each member votes on a big display board. Citizens can also attend committee hearings when bills are in their infancy, and listen to that debate as well. And if a bill is meaningful to you, you can even testify on it. When the chairman opens the bill for testimony, anyone can step up, state their name, and say their peace.

Free tours of the capitol occur each day from the first floor rotunda. I hope you someday can visit this state treasure, see your legislature in action, and have an enjoyable day at the capitol.