Kansas Museum of History

06/19/2026

In observance of the Juneteenth holiday, the Kansas Historical Society, including the Kansas Museum of History, State Archives, Kansas State Capitol Visitor Center, and the state historic sites, will be closed today, June 19, 2026.
Short for June 19, Juneteenth celebrates the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas received word that they were freed. This came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. Juneteenth is considered the longest-running African-American holiday, celebrating freedom with parades and other commemorative events. It has since become a multicultural holiday. Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021.

06/17/2026

Stories from the new gallery: C.W. Parker became a leader in manufacturing carousels. Parker founded his amusement park company in 1894 in Abilene (Dickinson County) and he bought his first used carousel a few years later. In 1898 Parker started building his own carousels. He credited with inventing the mechanism that allowed the horses to move in an up-and-down motion as the carousel went around. In 1911, the company relocated to a larger factory in Leavenworth. Learn more about C.W. Parker Carousels in the Kansas Museum of History’s new gallery. Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday -Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday (closed state holidays). View this photo at www.kansasmemory.gov/item/314241

06/17/2026

Come see the carousel horse in our museum gallery!

Stories from the new gallery: C.W. Parker became a leader in manufacturing carousels. Parker founded his amusement park company in 1894 in Abilene (Dickinson County) and he bought his first used carousel a few years later. In 1898 Parker started building his own carousels. He credited with inventing the mechanism that allowed the horses to move in an up-and-down motion as the carousel went around. In 1911, the company relocated to a larger factory in Leavenworth. Learn more about C.W. Parker Carousels in the Kansas Museum of History’s new gallery. Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday -Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday (closed state holidays). View this photo at www.kansasmemory.gov/item/314241

06/16/2026

Topeka’s Gertrude Anderson Armantrout was a master of hand-painted porcelain, winning countless blue ribbons at the Kansas State Fair in the early 1900s. Her skill was honored again over a century later, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in their exhibit “State Fairs: Growing American Craft” at the Renwick Gallery. Anderson’s hand-painted cream and sugar bowl are featured in the Blue Ribbon Gallery, sharing a case a with the famed Maricopa potter Ida Redbird.

06/12/2026

Join us tonight for Museum After Hours! A panel of area journalists will explore what journalists today can still learn from William Allen White's success, as well as what's needed from the public to revive rural journalism. The museum will be open during this time from 5-8 p.m. and admission will be free. The program starts at 6:30. This presentation will be offered in a hybrid format with options to livestream it on the KSHS YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/kansashistorical) or attend in-person at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka.

06/10/2026

Something big is coming to the Kansas Museum of History. New special exhibit opens on July 1!

05/28/2026

Join us on June 12 for Museum After Hours. This month will feature a panel of area journalists discussing the challenges they face today. The museum will be open during this time from 5-8 p.m. and admission will be free. The program starts at 6:30. This presentation will be offered in a hybrid format with options to livestream it on the KSHS YouTube channel or attend in-person at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka.

05/11/2026

The historical society will display the Bible as a featured artifact at its Charles Curtis House at 1101 SW Topeka Blvd. once that opens to the public. See link below ⬇️

📸 Provided by Gentry Heimerman

05/08/2026

Join us tonight for Museum After Hours! "An Artist's Perspective" presented by renowned Kansas artists Stan Herd will talk about his creative process, artistic journey, and unique perspective on Kansas landscapes and culture. Don’t miss out on this special evening of art, conversation, and after-hours museum exploration. The program is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kansas Museum of History. For more information, go to www.kansashistory.gov/21215

03/13/2026

Join us tonight for Museum After Hours! After fifty plus stories for National Geographic Jim Richardson mastered the drill pretty well — besides knowing where the skeletons were buried. From writing the story proposals that began each coverage to the legendary wall walks where covens of editors lurked hoping to poke holes in photographic coverages (and by so doing gain pages for their own projects) Jim will dish the dirt as well as offering some actual serious observations. No other publication lavished so much money and resources on photography as National Geographic. (And photographers knew their career there could survive one mediocre story, but not two.) Here’s what it took to survive a National Geographic for 35 years. The museum will be open during this time and admission will be free. This presentation will be offered in a hybrid format, with options to view it on Zoom - https://bit.ly/4suvmiM, or livestream it on the KSHS YouTube channel - https://bit.ly/4cZ0hQ7, or attend in-person at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka.