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Tuesday 12pm - 5pm Wednesday 12pm - 5pm Thursday 12pm - 5pm Friday 12pm - 5pm Saturday 12pm - 5pm

Eudora Area Historical Society

Name: Eudora Area Historical Society
Address: 720 Main Street, Eudora, KS, 66025, US
Telephone: +17856907900
Price range: Not applicable

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Eudora Area Historical Society

The EAHS operates the Eudora Community Museum and preserves the History of the Eudora Area. It is also open by appointment.

The Eudora Community Museum is typically open Tuesdays through Fridays from 12pm to 5pm. Call 785-690-7900 or email at [email protected] to schedule an appointment. The Museum houses a large archival collection, and a research library, with its contents relating to the history of the Eudora Area. The public is welcome to access our archives for research purposes. The museum is also home to a "Museum Store" which sells books and other items relating to the Eudora community.

08/29/2026

The historic Charles Lothholz farmhouse (1477 E 2300 Road) remains one of the best preserved and most unique historic structures in the Eudora Area. Located one mile northeast of Eudora on E 2300 Road, this rural, large, Italianate farmhouse was built in 1872 by Charles Lothholz. The house sits atop a bluff near the southern bank of the Kansas River.

Charles Lothholz (1835-1909), a German immigrant, was one of the most prominent residents of the Eudora Area from the 1850s through the 1900s. Lothholz was one of the original German immigrants that established the City of Eudora in 1857. Lothholz served several terms as Mayor of Eudora, and he started a number of successful businesses, including the Kaw Valley State Bank. Paschal Fish, the Shawnee tribal Chief who sold his land to the German immigrants that established Eudora in 1857, reportedly had a farmstead at the same location prior to 1871. In the early 1870s, Paschal Fish and most local Native Americans were pressured or forced out of Kansas and relocated to what is now Oklahoma.

Several other historical "out buildings" are also located on the former Lothholz farm-site (Links with more information on the out buildings are located on their respective photo descriptions).

08/22/2026

Film footage of activity along 10th Street (K-10 Highway) in Eudora, Kansas from the 1950s. 10th Street in Eudora was contemporaneous with K-10 Highway from 1929-1977. This footage was mostly filmed just east of Eudora High School and shows the Skelly Filling Station, several houses and businesses and Kerr Field. This footage was donated to the Eudora Area Historical Society by Duane Smith. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel! You can watch the footage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOn3eq0JSsc

08/19/2026

"This is what you do on the last day of summer vacation when your grandma is a history nut." Local historian Janet Campbell recently sent these photos of her grandsons visiting the grave of Eudora (Fish) Emmons to the EAHS with that caption. Thanks for sending the photos Janet! Eudora Fish (1848-1877), the namesake of Eudora, Kansas, is buried in the Huron Cemetery in downtown Kansas City, KS.

In 1857, Eudora Fish's father, Shawnee Chief Paschal, sold his vast tract of land to a German immigrant company. According to local tradition, the German immigrants were so grateful for purchasing his land, and for the chance to start a new community on Fish’s former land, that they wanted to honor Chief Fish in some capacity. The immigrants ultimately decided to honor Chief Fish by naming their new community "Eudora," after Chief Fish's 8 or 9-year-old daughter Eudora Fish. Eudora Fish later married Dallas Emmons and had several children with him. Eudora died tragically young, at the age of 29, in 1877 in LaCygne, Kansas. She was buried in the Huron Cemetery later that year.

The Huron Cemetery was restored in 1979 by the Urban Development Department and the Department of Planning of Kansas City, Kansas. The current monument or tombstone for Eudora (Fish) Emmons was placed at her grave site and dedicated with several other grave markers in 1979. The Huron Cemetery is a "US National Historic Landmark," which is the most prestigious listing that the US government bestows on a historic site. For more information on the Huron Cemetery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huron_Cemetery.

Have you ever visited Eudora Fish's final resting place at the Huron Cemetery? Thankfully, the Huron Cemetery is relatively easy to access! It is located next to the main branch of the Kansas City, KS Public Library. The EAHS is exceptionally grateful that Eudora Fish's grave is marked, well-preserved, and located in an easily accessible cemetery close to Eudora.

08/14/2026

Can you imagine going to a school without air conditioning in the current heat that we are experiencing?! Earlier this week, all Eudora students started the new school year. Fortunately, all Eudora Schools today of course have air conditioning. However, the vast majority of all of the students who have attended Eudora Schools since 1860 went to schools that lacked air conditioning. In fact, attending a school without air conditioning is not ancient history in Eudora. Earlier this century, some Eudora students still had to endure school without air conditioning!

The Eudora Public Schools complex that existed at 10th and Main Streets hosted Eudora Elementary School, Eudora Middle School and Eudora High School students at various times between 1918-2003. This building complex never had a centrally installed air conditioner. The Eudora Middle School was housed in this complex from 1918-2003. Therefore, Eudora students as recently as 2003 went to a school without air conditioning! An August, 2000 article from The Eudora News described attending classes at Eudora Middle School as "unbearable." The article states that "classrooms on the north side of the building reach temperatures above 100 degrees in the afternoon sun." In 2003, the Eudora Middle School moved into its current air-conditioned building at 2635 Church Street. Therefore, all Eudora Schools have been in air-conditioned buildings since 2003.

Eudora has been under an "Extreme Heat Warning" since August 11th. High temperatures are approaching 100 degrees daily, with Heat Indexes going well over 100 degrees. While it is true that temperatures are gradually increasing every year, that doesn't mean that Eudora didn't also go through "Extreme Heat Warnings" in the past. In fact, temperatures in Eudora have gone over 100 degrees at some point nearly every year since the community was first established in 1857. Therefore, thousands of Eudora students throughout its history attended schools that lacked air conditioning in extreme heat.

Did you go to a school in Eudora that lacked air conditioning? What was it like? How did you try to keep cool in a school without air conditioning? Please share your memories with us!

08/08/2026

Check out these 8 fantastic aerial photos of Eudora that start in 1937 and end in 2024! These incredible photos show the constant growth of the Eudora community over the past 90 years! Eudora's population in 1940 was 713, today, it is over 6,500. These photos, and a lot of other great information can be found on the map section of the City of Eudora's website: https://cityofeudoraks.gov/485/City-Maps.

08/01/2026

These fantastic photos of Eudora residents are from the 1960s and 1970s. These photos were originally published in Eudora newspapers. These photos were donated to the Eudora Area Historical Society by Nancy Jane Richards; her parents operated The Eudora Enterprise in the 1960s/1970s. These photos are unlabeled, or without names and years. Therefore, if you can identify yourself, or others in these photos, or the year that the photo was taken, please share!

07/25/2026

Eudora Then and Now! These two photos of 714 Main Street were taken in the same spot, exactly 100 years apart. The first photo shows the Eudora Department Store, as it appeared in 1926. The Eudora Department Store was established at what is now 714 Main Street by Carl Lotz and George Schubert in 1909. The north side of the building was home to groceries (fruits, vegetables, fresh meat), while the south side of the building was home to dry goods and seeds. The store also sold clothing, yard goods, and shoes. The Eudora Department Store also dispensed Phillips 66 gasoline and oils from its curb side pump (pictured). The Eudora Department Store made deliveries twice per day to its customers. The Eudora Department Store was one of the largest and most profitable businesses in the Eudora Area. The business was sold to Howard Wilson and Jack Howard in 1949.

The second photo shows 714 Main Street as it appears today in 2026. Today, 714 Main Street is home to two businesses; Main St Scoops and Sweets and The Gathering Place. The northern portion of 714 Main Street was originally built by Asher Cohn (leader of Eudora's Jewish community) in 1860. Therefore, 714 Main Street is the oldest extant commercial building in Eudora. In the 21st century, 714 Main Street had fallen into disrepair. Thankfully, the building was purchased and saved by local Developer GW Weld. In 2020, the City of Eudora obtained a $250,000 grant from the State of Kansas which Weld was able to use to help rehabilitate 714 Main Street. 714 Main Street was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

07/18/2026

Our fantastic recent program, "The History of Eudora’s Dari Treat," has been uploaded to our YouTube channel! Between 1954 and 1978, Dari Treat was an iconic Eudora restaurant where people gathered, ate, and enjoyed each other's company. You can watch the program here: https://youtu.be/-O869vWEE1s?si=Vp_8SOL4oLXhKQ9r.

Eudora's Dari Treat was built and established in 1954 at 202 E 10th Street (10th Street was then home to K-10 Highway) by William Kelly Sr. Dari Treat went on to serve the Eudora community and sell ice cream and a variety of restaurant food until 1978. This program, "The History of Eudora’s Dari Treat" was hosted by the Eudora Area Historical Society (EAHS) on July 16, 2026. This program was presented by EAHS Executive Director Ben Terwilliger, Janet Campbell, Pam Trefz, Barb Seiwald, Janet Spring, Pam Hadl, and Tim Shepard.

Stacie Blubaugh, co-owner of Main St Scoops and Sweets, also discussed the history of her business! Main St. Scoops and Sweets is located at 714 Main Street in downtown Eudora. Main St. Scoops and Sweets provided free ice cream to the program attendees after the program. We thank Main St. Scoops and Sweets for their generosity!

07/16/2026

We are so grateful that Main St Scoops and Sweets will be handing out free ice cream tonight after our program, the "History of Eudora’s Dari Treat!" Tonight's program, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7:00pm at the Eudora Community Center (1630 Elm Street). You could win a door prize, a $15 gift certificate to Zeb's Coffeehouse, if you attend tonight’s program!

Do you remember Eudora's Dari Treat?! Do you have any stories to share related to Dari Treat? If you do, PLEASE plan to attend our July program to share those stories! Between 1954 and 1978, Dari Treat was an iconic Eudora location where people gathered, ate, and enjoyed each other's company. Eudora’s Dari Treat was built and established in 1954 at 202 E 10th Street (10th Street was then home to K-10 Highway) by William Kelly. Dari Treat went on to serve the Eudora community and sell ice cream and a variety of restaurant food until 1978.

Please be sure to patron our generous neighbors at Main St Scoops and Sweets! They are a first-class business, and they care greatly about the Eudora community. Main Street Scoops and Sweets operate out of 714 Main Street, which is the oldest extant commercial building in Eudora (built 1860). For more information: https://www.mainstscoopsandsweets.com/.

07/14/2026

The catastrophic 1951 Flood was at its climax in the Eudora Area 75 years ago today. The 1951 Flood was by far the worst, and most damaging flood to affect the Eudora Area in recorded history. The entire Kansas River floodplain from Manhattan to Kansas City was submerged during the 1951 Flood. A substantial portion of the Eudora Area, including all river bottomland east, north and west of the City of Eudora, was under water during this flood. The flood waters even reached the Eudora city limits; they reached the Eudora Depot and the Eudora Lumberyard. The damage from this flood was unimaginable. Virtually every house, business and farm in the Kansas River floodplain in the Eudora Area was significantly damaged or destroyed. Millions of dollars of property were lost in the Eudora Area alone. But thankfully, the Eudora community united and pulled together and survived this horrific event. The 1951 Flood was one of the most pivotal and defining events in Eudora Area history; virtually everyone who was alive during this flood remembers it in detail.

The Eudora Area has been the victim of frequent flooding because of its close proximity to the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers. Large floods also struck the Eudora Area in 1844, 1903, 1908 and 1993. The "Great Flood of 1951" also impacted large parts of eastern Kansas and western Missouri. In total, 17 people were killed during this flood and 518,000 people were displaced. The 1951 Flood caused a total of $935 million dollars in damage (that figure, when adjusted for inflation, would be $12 billion dollars in 2026). After the 1951 Flood, a series of dams were constructed on many of the tributaries of the Kansas River in an attempt to control and prevent future flooding. As a result of these dams, flooding of the Kansas River and its tributaries is less common, and less severe today.

The EAHS has three videos documenting the 1951 Flood in the Eudora Area on its YouTube channel. Two of the programs contain Eudora Area residents sharing their first-hand experiences of the flood. The EAHS also helped create the short film: "My 1951 Flood Story," by Martha Saunders S***t: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElpDP-EPBWk.

Address

720 Main Street
Eudora, KS
66025

Opening Hours

Tuesday	12pm - 5pm
Wednesday	12pm - 5pm
Thursday	12pm - 5pm
Friday	12pm - 5pm
Saturday	12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+17856907900

Website

http://www.cityofeudoraks.gov/100/Eudora-Community-Museum

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