The Missouri River Festival of the Arts is the oldest performing arts festival in the state of Missouri and held at the Historic Thespian Hall (c. 1857). Under the artistic direction of David Halen, the concertmaster of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, you will enjoy a one-of-a-kind line up of Classical, Jazz and Broadway pieces performed by some of Missouri’s top musicians. The music festival is also accompanied by a visual arts display featuring artists from the area at the Historic Hain House.

The annual Big Muddy Folk Festival celebrates and presents a variety of folk music in traditional, ethnic and contemporary styles, while encouraging the preservation of these genres through educational workshops and performances.

Thespian Hall Players is an innovative theatre company located at one of Missouri’s most iconic venues, Thespian Hall. In fact, Thespian Hall is the oldest, continuously operating theatre west of the Allegheny mountains. Our company proudly continues the venue’s rich theatrical tradition, standing as the direct modern successor to the historic 19 century Thespian Society that first pioneered here in 1855. Furthermore, Thespian Hall Players seeks to deliver a combination of classical, contemporary, and original work to the next generation of theatre audiences.

For more than 150 years Thespian Hall has captured the vision, the imagination and the essence of the community in which it was built. The roots of Thespian Hall go back to 1838, when a remarkable thing happened in the frontier town of Boonville. That year, sixty leading citizens founded an all-male dramatic group called “The Thespian Society”, which enjoyed wide community support that was unique in its day.

While jails are not the most attractive buildings in a community, they have nonetheless always played an important role in a developing society. Such is the case with the Cooper County Jail. Until its closing in 1978, it was the oldest continuously used County Jail in Missouri. The original structure was completed in 1848 for $6,091.50. Slaves quarried the 2½ foot thick limestone blocks which they used for construction of the two-story building.

What makes the Hain House special is that it is a typical, 19th century single family dwelling, built and owned by average Boonville family – this, plus one other fact – that since its construction 170 years ago, it has been owned by one family, the Hains. The history of the Hain house begins in 1836 when George Hain, a Swiss immigrant, arrived in America. 

For over 40 years, the mission of the Friends of Historic Boonville has been to plan, promote, expand and celebrate the cultural life of Boonville through the arts, history and historic preservation for the betterment of the community.  Our record of success of fulfilling that mission is well known.   

Become a member of Friends of Historic Boonville. Whether you’re a visitor, a new-comer, or a long-time resident, we hope you’ll join us. Membership with the Friends of Historic Boonville is a great way to meet new friends and become more involved in the community.  Since 1971, this organization has steadily grown and today we have over 350 members.