Inspired by the gossipy The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis — a sort of Hollywood Babylon of St. Louis' prominent black families in the nineteenth century — history professor Julie Winch did a little research on the book's author, Cyprian Clamorgan, and rediscovered one of St. Louis' wildest family histories. Winch's research became The Clamorgans: One Family's History of Race in America, a book that chronicles the outrageous lives of a family of ambitious, powerful people who were both black and white, and neither, depending on with whom they were dealing. The Clamorgans also sheds light on the social mores of frontier St. Louis, a town where mixed-race couples were more prominent than you might suspect. Winch discusses her book and our town at 7 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum (Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue; 314-746-4599 or www.mohistory.org). Admission is free.
Tue., Oct. 25, 2011