Morris County Historical Society

Morris County Historical Society MoCo Historical Society sites are also open and available by appointment. Call or message to make arrangements.

We are a non-profit , all-volunteer organization representing Morris County, Kansas,
sharing the histories of the county thru our museums, research center and historic sites.

Join us for our next monthly Board meeting! Thursday, August 27, 5:15pm in the Archives room (lower level) of the Carneg...
08/23/2026

Join us for our next monthly Board meeting! Thursday, August 27, 5:15pm in the Archives room (lower level) of the Carnegie. Everyone is welcomed to attend.

The Council Oak. On August 10, 1825, a council was held under this tree. Three U.S. commissioners and the chiefs of th...
08/10/2026

The Council Oak. On August 10, 1825, a council was held under this tree. Three U.S. commissioners and the chiefs of the Great and Little Osage Indians entered into a treaty that, in return for money and goods, gave Americans and Hispanics free passage along the Santa Fe Trail through Osage Territory. This meeting was the namesake of Council Grove, a trailside community known for its mile-wide grove of hardwood timber.

The Importance of Local Historyin StorytellingThursday, September 24, 2026, 7 p.m.Kansas Historical Society, TopekaYou a...
07/24/2026

The Importance of Local History
in Storytelling
Thursday, September 24, 2026, 7 p.m.
Kansas Historical Society, Topeka

You are invited to an evening of American history, storytelling and conversation commemorating America's 250th with Kansas author Candice Millard. Millard will discuss her New York Times bestselling books, including The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Hour and Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President. A book signing follows with books available for purchase.

Doors open at 6:15. Join Humanities Kansas and the Kansas Historical Society for a History Happy Hour before the event! A cash bar will be available and two unique artifacts from the collection of the Kansas Museum of History with ties to the national stories featured in The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic will be on display for one night only!

The event is free, but seating is limited and registration is required. Register here: http://tinyurl.com/CandiceMillard

This event is presented by Humanities Kansas and the Kansas Historical Society with support from the Patterson Family Foundation.

Join us for our next monthly Board meeting! Thursday, July 23, 5:15pm in the Archives room (lower level) of the Carnegi...
07/19/2026

Join us for our next monthly Board meeting! Thursday, July 23, 5:15pm in the Archives room (lower level) of the Carnegie. Everyone is welcomed to attend.

This morning our thoughts and concerns are with the folks at or near Lake Kahola after a tornado came through the lakesi...
04/24/2026

This morning our thoughts and concerns are with the folks at or near Lake Kahola after a tornado came through the lakeside community last night. 70 years to the year of the last tornado to strike Lake Kahola, 1956.

Dr Jennifer Gordon of Topeka presented "Dunlap Exodusters - Songs of My Ancestors" to a "full house" at University Unite...
02/23/2026

Dr Jennifer Gordon of Topeka presented "Dunlap Exodusters - Songs of My Ancestors" to a "full house" at University United Methodist Church in Salina Sunday Feb 22. (photo from UUMC)

Join us at the monthly meeting at Carnegie Archives, 303 W Main, Council Grove. Lower level. Begins 5:15 pm
02/23/2026

Join us at the monthly meeting at Carnegie Archives, 303 W Main, Council Grove. Lower level. Begins 5:15 pm

THANKS TO DR JENNIFER GORDON , of Topeka, who will be presenting her story in concert "DUNLAP EXODUSTERS Songs of my A...
02/18/2026

THANKS TO DR JENNIFER GORDON , of Topeka, who will be presenting her story in concert "DUNLAP EXODUSTERS Songs of my Ancestors" Febr 22 at University UMC in Salina during BlackHistory Month. Mrs. Gordon presented her concert at the Council Grove-Dunlap UMC last year to benefit the Dunlap Colored Cemetery, where many of the original Exodusters are interred, and the Dunlap Learning Academy Museum in cooperation with the MCHS and CGDunlap UMChurch.

A concert celebrating Black History Month will take place at University United Methodist Church this month.
Beginning at at 3 p.m. Feb. 22, Jennifer Gordon and Gayle McMillen will present “The Dunlap Exodusters ⏤ Songs of My Ancestors,” according to a community announcement from Salina.

The concert will tell the story of Gordon’s ancestors who settled in Dunlap in 1878. The program will feature Negro spirituals and include a PowerPoint presentation narrated by Sandra Beverly.
Gordon was born in Salina and began singing at a young age. She took voice lessons at 12 and participated in school and community choirs. At 19, she auditioned for “Up With People” and was selected as a soloist, performing across the country and in Mexico.
She attended Friends University in Wichita and was a soloist with the Friends University Singing Quakers and the choir at First United Methodist Church in Wichita. Gordon also performed with Wichita Music Theatre. She later completed her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Kansas Wesleyan University while raising her family.

Gordon continued her passion for singing, taking voice lessons and performing concerts in Salina. She trained under Elmer Copley at Bethany College with the help of a Horizon grant. Over the past two decades, she has sung in several Topeka churches, including University United Methodist Church, Susanna Wesley United Methodist and Lowman United Methodist Church. For the past two years, she has been a member of the Community Gospel Choir of Topeka.

Gordon enjoys creating vocal music programs that highlight the African American experience. Her program, “The Life and Times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” has been presented at several colleges and churches in Kansas. She also performed “A Concert of Negro Spirituals” at the Smoky Hill Museum in Salina, which coincided with an exhibit on the rise of Black churches in eastern American cities.

Reminder: Monthly Board Meeting coming up! Help shape the MCHS calendar for 2026! Carnegie Archives, 303 W Main, Lower...
01/15/2026

Reminder: Monthly Board Meeting coming up! Help shape the MCHS calendar for 2026! Carnegie Archives, 303 W Main, Lower Level, Council Grove.

Address

303 W Main Street
Council Grove, KS
66846

Opening Hours

1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+16207677388

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Morris County Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Morris County Historical Society:

Shortcuts

Share

Category