We have listed below some of the historic places in Missouri, as well as ideas about things to do in Missouri when you choose the Fulton area as your vacation spot.

Churchill Truman Day: On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his “Sinews of Peace” speech, later dubbed his “Iron Curtain Speech” in the gymnasium of the college. President Harry S. Truman, who was proud to have Churchill visit his home state, escorted and introduced the former Prime Minister of England to Fulton. Visitors may view movie clips of this event at the Winston Churchill Memorial.

National Churchill Museum: To honor the British statesman, Winston Churchill, and in commemoration of his famous “Iron Curtain” speech given on the Westminster campus, President R.L.D. Davidson proposed the idea of transporting and rebuilding one of Sir Christopher Wren’s churches on the Fulton campus. The church had been partially destroyed during the Blitz of 1940-41. On May 7, 1969, after four years of labor, the memorial was dedicated in the presence of many British and American dignitaries.

Berlin Wall and “Breakthrough”: Former President Ronald Reagan came to Westminster College on November 9, 1990 to help dedicate Edwina Sandys' sculpture “Breakthrough.” Mrs. Sandys, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, created the sculpture from sections of the infamous Berlin Wall. It depicts a man and woman who have “broken through” the barrier to freedom. The sculpture stands to the west of the Churchill Memorial.

William Woods University: The Orphan School of the Christian Church was established in 1870 at Camden Point, MO to help educate the orphans left behind after the War between the States. Following a fire, the school relocated to Fulton in 1890. With the financial help of Dr. William S. Woods, the struggling college was freed from debt and renamed in his honor in the fall of 1900. Originally a women’s junior college, William Woods changed to a four-year institution in 1962 and became co-educational in 1997. After establishing a Graduate Studies Program, the college changed its classification to university status in 1993.

Missouri School for the Deaf: Founded in 1851, The Missouri School for the Deaf was established to educate the deaf children living in the state. The school has undergone many changes. Buildings have come and gone, but the history of the institution is preserved in the “Burney L. Fishback, Sr. Memorial Museum” housed in Kerr Hall on the campus located on East 5th Street.

Henry Bellamann/ “Kings Row”: Henry Bellamann (1882-1945) was an author of seven novels, one of which became a successful Hollywood movie, “Kings Row.” An eighth novel was started but completed by his wife after his death. Bellamann was also in the teaching field with several well-known music schools; Juilliard, Grayson College, and Chicora College. He studied piano and music theory in France whenever the chance allowed. The suit worn by actor Ronald Reagan in the movie “Kings Row” is housed at the Chamber of Commerce Office.

Jesse Howard/ Sign Painter: Jesse Howard (1885-1983) was a painter of signs. This was his way of giving a commentary on the current events, especially those that displeased him. He had been making these signs for around twenty years when he was discovered and listed as a “folk artist” in a magazine entitled “Art in America” written in 1968. Jesse called his farm where he displayed his vast and varied array of “artistic” objects, “Sorehead Hill.” The sign painter covered fences and sheds with his signs that, since his death, have been sold and spread across the country. Examples of his work may be seen at the Historical Society’s Museum.

Helen Stephens "The Fulton Flash" (1918-1994): Helen was a young farm gal from Callaway County, who stunned the crowd in Berlin at the 1936 Olympics by running 100 meters in 11.5 seconds, setting a world’s record that wouldn’t be beaten for 24 years. Helen was a local girl discovered in her senior year of high school and participated in the World Olympics between her first and second year at William Woods College. By her death in 1994, she had set a record for the longest athletic career in the world. Many of Helen’s medals and awards are on display in the sports complex named in her honor on the William Woods University campus.