Special Collections and Archives, a part of the Missouri State University Libraries, is proud to make available online the Jim House Collection as part of the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay Archives.

This collection includes digital scans of photographs from the estate of Jim House (1941-2019), an activist and influential member of the LGBT community in Springfield. House played an integral role in the founding of both the GLO Center and AIDS Project of the Ozarks. 

These photographs originally appeared in a 2004 exhibit curated by House entitled “The Way We Were,” which showcased images of LGBT life in southwest Missouri throughout the 20^th century. Featured are early photos of the LGBT community, bars and nightclubs, drag performers, and social gatherings. The images were scanned from the mounted photographs from House’s exhibit, and many feature the original labels he created. Special Collections and Archives is especially pleased to make the collection available this October during LGBT History Month.

The physical collection is available to researchers, and contains other documents from House’s life, including newspaper clippings, LGBT articles and academic papers, and promotional items from the original exhibit. The digital collection is available online.

Please contact the Archives with questions.