The mission of the Friends of Historic Boonville is to plan, promote, expand, and celebrate the cultural life of Boonville, MO through the arts, history, and historic preservation for the betterment of the community.

The Friends’ organization was established in 1971 by a small group of local citizens dedicated to restoring the Old Cooper County Hanging Barn which hosted the last public hanging in the state of Missouri.  Since 1971 our organization has steadily grown and today we have over 350 members from all over the country.

In addition to preserving three historic properties – Old Cooper County Jail (view more); Thespian Hall (view more); and Hain House & Memorial Gardens (view more); we serve as the community arts organization for Boonville (view Events/Festivals); and maintain an extensive archives library of local items significant to our history.

The operations of our organization are largely supported by annual membership dues (view membership information), grant funding from Missouri Arts Council and City of Boonville, private donations and sponsorships from local businesses.  The Board of Directors is comprised of individuals in the community who are interested in preserving our local history (view current Board of Directors listing)

Friends of Historic Boonville receives funding support from the Missouri Arts Council.