City of Marion Historical Museum

City of Marion Historical Museum In the 1880s the Baptist Tabernacle Church was built and remained an active church until 1956 when the church was deeded over to be a museum.

The museum is open May through October and by appointment during the off-seasons. City of Marion Historical Museum
Policy for donations of objects

The purpose of this organization is:
1. To preserve the natural and human history of Marion County and the surrounding area.
2. To conserve the collections in the Marion Historical Museum.
3. To interpret the story of the people who have lived here thr

ough the collections, through research and educational programs.
4. To involve the community in the understanding of and the appreciation of its heritage. Acquisition guidelines
Thank you for considering a donation to the museum. Please review the following guidelines for museum acquisitions:
1. The item(s) must be consistent with and relevant to the state purpose of the museum.
2. Primary consideration will be given to the museum’s ability to provide proper care and storage for any object. No item(s) will be considered for acquisition if future care and preservation needs exceed the museum’s resources. Donations that that include financial support for long-term storage and preservation are encouraged.
3. Items must have a clear title and be free of copyright restrictions.
4. Donors must provide verifiable record of authenticity and provenance for all proposed donations.
5. A 30-day examination period may be requested for any proposed acquisition.
6. All acquisitions are to outright and unconditional. The museum cannot guarantee that objects donated will be placed on exhibition or that they will be displayed or stored in a single collection. The Marion Historical Museum encourages donations but artifacts must follow the acquisition guidelines. Each artifact must show how it is relevant to Marion County history. The Marion Historical Museum holds the right to deny or donate any acquisitions that do not follow the acquisition guidelines.

05/30/2026

Good Morning,

Today we will be sharing:

Memories of Rainbow Lake and Chingawassa Springs
By Irene (Mrs. Lonnie Smith) Richmond.
Shared in the 1980's)(

Back in the 1930's the youth from the Evangelical Church would go out to Rainbow Lake for Easter Sunrise Services. It wasn't a lake, but an old rock quarry with trees growing in it. It was quite dry and in a pasture. It wasn't very far from Chingawassa Springs. The services were impressive and we would have breakfast before returning home and to Sunday school.

Along the north western rim of Rainbow lake, close to the road, were two big mounds and we were told they were ovens the Indians used to bake in.

In about 1939, we moved to Chingawassa Springs to a four room rock house with a basement. It had a barn built into the bank of the ground just above the springs. The cows drank from the springs. There was one big spring just below the house. We kept milk and butter in the big spring in the summer. We got a lot of exercise climbing the hill to bring milk and butter up to the house and taking it back down after the meal.

The life we lived was very simple, no electricity or gas. We had a coal and wood burning range to cook and bake in. In the summer we used a kerosene stove.

We raised chickens to eat and for eggs. We milked about 6 cows for butter and milk. We sold cream to the creamery and some eggs. It bought what groceries we needed.

We had two children, Jimmy and Elsie. In the summer they waded in the spring. There was a lot of water cress growing in the spring. We would go across the springs to the west and explore. We found the abutments to a bridge that a rail road came on out from town. We also explored until we found the mineral springs. We didn't try drinking from any of them, the smell was terrible.

We had a well to the south side of the house but preferred the water from the spring. It was clear and cool never did go dry. We would find arrow heads once in awhile south of the house. We lived there 2 1/2 years and then moved to town.

The last time I was out there, the house was in bad condition. The road is closed and you can't drive by it anymore. The Spring is still there.

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It was 1982, this was the beautiful bridge at the west end of Marion. What memories do you remember? Please share in the...
05/30/2026

It was 1982, this was the beautiful bridge at the west end of Marion. What memories do you remember? Please share in the comments.

If you enjoy our posts, please like and follow our City of Marion Historical Museum page.

05/12/2026

In case you ever wondered what it looks like inside the bell tower....

05/09/2026

The museum will be closed today, Saturday May 9th.

How did the first settlers really claim land in Marion County?This document reveals how early Marion settlers were conne...
04/15/2026

How did the first settlers really claim land in Marion County?

This document reveals how early Marion settlers were connected to a much larger national system where military service, land policy, and westward expansion all intersected.

Before the Homestead Act of 1862, the only way settlers could claim land was to either “squat” on unsurveyed land and claim it under the Preemptive Act of 1842 or purchase it for $1.25 an acre once it had been surveyed and put up for sale.

Military land warrants gave the U.S. government a way to pay soldiers by giving them land instead of cash. These warrants were legal documents that granted a specified number of acres that soldiers could then use to claim public land.

The government began offering these warrants after the Revolutionary War and then through a series of Land Bounty Acts to those serving in any military conflict. Many veterans (or their widows) chose to sell the warrants at a discounted price to speculators. These speculators, who often purchased warrants in bulk, would in turn sell them to settlers for a profit, but still less than if purchased directly from the government.

Ultimately, these warrants gave settlers a cheaper way to claim land before the Homestead Act came into play.

Pictured below is the miliary land warrant that George Griffith used to claim his land just south of Marion.

Built at the confluence of Mud Creek, Clear Creek, S. Cottonwood, and the Cottonwood rivers, Marion flooding became an i...
03/18/2026

Built at the confluence of Mud Creek, Clear Creek, S. Cottonwood, and the Cottonwood rivers, Marion flooding became an inevitable reality on Main Street and in the valley from the town’s beginning. The first documented flood came on May 19th, 1877, with floods occurring every few years after. The Flood of 1903 would be second only to the Flood of 1951, which affected a large part of Kansas and stressed the importance of building reservoirs and levees for flood control.

With the prevalence of flooding came attention to detail and innovation. Since flood waters came from the north, water levels in Durham would be observed. When they reached a certain height, Marion sirens would sound off, warning businesses and residents of impending flooding. High school would let out and people would leave church and appointments to rush to the valley to help business owners move stock to higher shelves.

After a flood, the whole community would chip in to help with clean up. For bigger floods, like the flood of 1903 and 1951, merchants would host flood sales to get rid of damaged stock.

The worst flood in Kansas' history, the flood of 1951, affected 116 towns and cities across Kansas. As heavy rains fell across Kansas starting in May, Marion would see several small floods throughout the summer. Then came the worst flooding in Marion’s history on July 11-12, 1951. An initial wave of water came in the wee hours of July 11th before receding. Additional rain fell the next night, causing another crest of water with a depth of flooding over 8 feet.

Red Cross set up an operation center at the high school to provide food and clothing for those where were victims of the flood and the military parachuted in typhoid serum and everyone in the vicinity of the flood had to get shots for both tetanus and typhoid. Rescuers pull people off of roofs and out of second story windows. The power plant was flooded and the whole area had to be sprayed with DDT to control mosquitoes and flies.

In September of 1919, the Marion Dredge Project aimed to straighten Mud Creek by cutting a direct channel to the bend in the city park. A ditch digger worked 20 hours a day and the process required part of the park to be sacrificed. Ultimately, this did not stop the floods.

Kansas Senator J.R. Burton first proposed building a system of reservoirs and canals to manage flood waters after the particularly punishing flood of 1903. However, reservoirs wouldn’t be built until The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized the US Army Corps of Engineers to construct projects to address flood control measures. While construction of the first reservoir began with Lake Kanopolis in 1940, WWII would delay its construction and that of other reservoirs. The flood of 1951 added further incentive to build more reservoirs and levees. Marion Reservoir was completed in 1968.

Unfortunately, the flood of 1971 would prove that the reservoir alone was inadequate to mitigate flood risks in Marion. Floods on a small scale continued until the diversion channel and levees were completed around Marion in 1979.

The name “Chingawassa” has embedded itself into Marion’s history. First through a failed railroad and resort and later a...
03/06/2026

The name “Chingawassa” has embedded itself into Marion’s history. First through a failed railroad and resort and later as the name of Marion’s 3 day festival called Chingawassa Days.

First known as “Carter’s Mineral Springs,” the springs 4 miles northeast of Marion have long captured the imagination of people visiting the area and was a popular place for picnics and gatherings over a decade before it became known as Chingawasa Springs.

The first mention of “Chingawasa” appears in the June 1, 1888 edition of The Daily Times when the owners of the springs at that time, seeing the popularity of the spot, wanted it to have a distinctive name. Since the springs were a favorite place for various Native American tribes to stop during hunting expeditions, the owners decided to name it in memory of Chingawasa, a noted chief from the pioneer days who would camp at the springs in the 1860s.

“As old Chinawasa was the chief among the red men of long ago, known among all his race as a man of prowess and wisdom, so shall Chingasa Mineral Springs become the chief of their kind, known far and wide for their beauty and healing power.”

As the history of the Indian Chief Chingawasa passed into legend, it split into two stories. The first states that he was murdered by a jealous Kaw chief and later buried near the springs. Later, it was said that if you were to stand above the stone cairn marking Chingawasa’s resting place and call out, “Chingawassa, Chingawassa, what were you murdered for?”, He would respond, “Nothing at all. Nothing at all.” However, according to an article written by Lucy Burkholder - Marion historian and librarian - in 1944, this was done more as a prank that youth in the early 1910s would pull on newcomers to springs. After getting someone to fall for it, they would yell, “Well, we told you he’d say nothing at all!”

The second story of Chingawassa, published in a book on the history of the Kaw Indians in 1907, tells the story of a cunning chief who, under the influence of alcohol, boasted he would not leave town until he had killed Indian agent A. G. Huffaker. Huffaker’s friend, Chingawasa informed him of the boast and he was spared.

There was a historical record of an Osage Indian chief by the name of Chingawasa as one of the signatories of a treaty signed in St. Louis. In 1825, another treaty signed in Council Grove later that year that also bears his signature.

Lucy Burkholder speculated that Chingawasa probably never set foot at the springs, but who knows?, the name had to come from somewhere.

Do you have pictures or stories of the springs? Please share!

For women, Kansas was a testing ground for political power. Early votes, early offices, and early wins helped prove wome...
02/25/2026

For women, Kansas was a testing ground for political power. Early votes, early offices, and early wins helped prove women could and should participate fully in democracy.

1867 – First state to hold a women’s suffrage referendum.
Kansas became the first U.S. state to put women’s voting rights (and Black male suffrage) directly on the ballot. It didn’t pass, but it was a huge national moment that energized the movement.

1887 – First state where women could hold municipal office.
Along with voting locally, Kansas women could run for and hold city offices, which was kind of a big deal at the time.

1894 – First all-woman city government.
Argonia, Kansas elected the first all-female city council, with Susanna M. Salter as mayor. She would also be the first woman mayor in the entire U.S.

1912 – Full women’s suffrage before the 19th Amendment.
Kansas granted women full voting rights eight years before the U.S. Constitution did, making it one of the early suffrage states.

Marion County ultimately voted AGAINST women’s suffrage on the November 1912 ballot.

Do you have a grandmother or great-grandmother who were a part of the suffrage movement?

*These questions are looking for local stories to be part of an exhibit developed for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration that the Marion Historical Museum will be displaying this summer.*

The next theme our exhibit will cover is “consent of the governed.” For American Patriots, political authority came from...
02/21/2026

The next theme our exhibit will cover is “consent of the governed.” For American Patriots, political authority came from the people - not King George III, who ruled by divine right. Thus, they asserted that government must be accountable to the governed or be replaced. From the moment the Founders of our country challenged the injustices of British rule, civic engagement has shaped the course of our nation.

In the spring of 1990, Fort Riley announced a plan to acquire land to use to train troops in tank maneuvers. One of the sites they considered was 100,000 acres of the Flint Hills covering northern Marion County, and parts of Chase and Morris counties. The loss of this land would have been devastating for many farmers and ranchers, as well as negatively impacted the county, school districts, and everyone else, on whom additional tax burden would fall.

Without a strong justification for wanting the land, many organizations formed to fight Fort Riley. Preserve the Heartland was one that was formed in Marion county and its “Thanks but No Tanks” slogan helped drive the grassroots movement that would ultimately prevail against the military base.

If you have any stories or pictures about this, I would love to hear/see! ChatGPT led me seriously astray when I was trying to pin down the date and newspaper articles for this. Luckily, I was able to find a little info on microfilm. I would love to know more, especially since we have this awesome quilt hanging in the museum!

*These questions are looking for local stories to be part of an exhibit developed for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration that the Marion Historical Museum will be displaying this summer.*

Address

623 East Main
Marion, KS
66861

Telephone

(620) 382-9134

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