Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum The local history museum for Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas! A world-class local history museum you will love!
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Four floors of exhibits celebrating Wichita and Sedgwick County in Wichita's original city hall. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Our Vision: To provide a world class Museum experience, advancing the understanding and exploration of the rich historical and cultural heritage of Wichita and Sedgwick County Kansas. Our Mission: The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum’s mission is

to educate the community and its visitors about local history by collecting, preserving, and interpreting materials reflecting the heritage of Wichita and Sedgwick County. Our Core Values:
Discovery, Creativity, Empathy, Authenticity, Integrity, Service and Collaboration
These values are primary factors guiding the organization’s actions in meeting the mission and fulfilling the vision set for the Museum. By adhering to these simple tenets, the Museum is able to provide experiences which orient the visitor to the past, define the present, and help chart the course for the future. Our Statement of Ethics: The Museum’s policies and procedures are intended to reflect the values in the Code of Ethics for Museums of the American Alliance of Museums and the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum Statement of Ethics.

Our Museum Members annual Flashlight tour is tonight! 6-8pmRefreshments at the Tickled Pink food truck in Heritage Squar...
10/27/2023

Our Museum Members annual Flashlight tour is tonight! 6-8pm
Refreshments at the Tickled Pink food truck in Heritage Square. Thank you for your support of the Historical Museum through an annual membership!

New Exhibition! BEING MODERN is open today, and today (Sundays) is free admission thanks to a grant by the Ruth Spooner ...
10/22/2023

New Exhibition! BEING MODERN is open today, and today (Sundays) is free admission thanks to a grant by the Ruth Spooner Stone Charitable Trust and INTRUST Bank.

York Rite Temple/ Sutton Place remodel at Market & William by architect Roy E. Calvin, 1966,  Construction signs in wind...
10/18/2023

York Rite Temple/ Sutton Place remodel at Market & William by architect Roy E. Calvin, 1966, Construction signs in windows. Wm. Dodson Ltd men's clothing at left. Azim Studios photo (cropped) from our archives. Happy 125th to local history supporters Construction!

Thank you Dondlinger Construction for your contributions to community these past 125 years. Also for including the Museu...
10/12/2023

Thank you Dondlinger Construction for your contributions to community these past 125 years. Also for including the Museum in the celebration with a gift!

The Museum is FREE today and every Sunday in 2023, thanks to the Ruth Spooner Stone Trust, INTRUST Bank, Trustee. Stop b...
10/01/2023

The Museum is FREE today and every Sunday in 2023, thanks to the Ruth Spooner Stone Trust, INTRUST Bank, Trustee. Stop by after lunch - we are open 1-5 today. View of El Charro restaurant from our archives. El Charro opened at 5324 E. Kellogg in 1948 with colorful neon signage, including the figures of a dancer and guitar player above the entrance at left. El Charro served "genuine Mexican food" until the popular restaurant closed in 1972.

Today is an especially good day to come downtown! Two great events at YOUR local history HQ. Senior Wednesday at 10am - ...
09/27/2023

Today is an especially good day to come downtown! Two great events at YOUR local history HQ. Senior Wednesday at 10am - "Rea Woodman, Daughter of Wichita" & music by Dear Friends Band at noon - don't miss this final performance of our Heritage Square Concert Series of 2023! Rare color photograph of Downtown Wichita in 1955 from our archives.

Summer is a Circus at Innes, 1959! Interior view of Innes department store from our archives. More history for ladies & ...
09/14/2023

Summer is a Circus at Innes, 1959! Interior view of Innes department store from our archives. More history for ladies & gentlemen, boys & girls, children of all ages at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - the greatest museum on earth! Open today 11am-4pm - come see us.

Live concert today at the Museum! A century ago, Prof. Antonio De La Mora directed a Mexican Band in Wichita, including ...
09/13/2023

Live concert today at the Museum! A century ago, Prof. Antonio De La Mora directed a Mexican Band in Wichita, including a 1925 Riverside Park performance with a reported audience of over 2,000! Today, 9/13, join us for Mariachi Jalisco in Heritage Square from noon to 1pm, part of our September Concert Series. Bring a lunch! Heritage Square Concert Series 2023 sponsors are CGP Group, Devlin Enterprises, Inc., Evergy, Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, INTRUST Bank, Mitchell & Richards, CPA’s, The Trust Company of Kansas, TSNEWS.Com, and all of the Museum’s other business members. Photo by Homer T. Harden from our archives and www.wichitaphotos.org

Tuning up! PRETEND FRIEND Heritage Square Concert today at noon. Free Admission  - bring your lunch.
09/06/2023

Tuning up! PRETEND FRIEND Heritage Square Concert today at noon. Free Admission - bring your lunch.

Live music today from the Heritage Park gazebo, featuring  Friend as part of our September Concert Series! Free Admissio...
09/06/2023

Live music today from the Heritage Park gazebo, featuring Friend as part of our September Concert Series! Free Admission over the noon hour every Wednesday in September. Enter Heritage Square through the Historical Museum and bring your lunch! Photograph from our archives of the Grasshopper Glee and Banjo Club, Wichita, circa 1890.

 Friend tomorrow in Heritage Square as part of our September Concert Series! Free Admission over the noon hour every Wed...
09/05/2023

Friend tomorrow in Heritage Square as part of our September Concert Series! Free Admission over the noon hour every Wednesday in September. Enter Heritage Square through the Historical Museum and bring your lunch!

This year’s concerts feature musical performances by: Pretend Friend (6th), Mariachi Jalisco (13th), The House Band (20th), and Dear Friends Band (27th).

Heritage Square Concert Series 2023 sponsors are: CGP Group, Devlin Enterprises, Inc., Evergy, Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, INTRUST Bank, Mitchell & Richards, CPA’s, The Trust Company of Kansas, TSNEWS.Com, and all of the Museum’s other business members.

Back to school! Edgar B. Smith photo from our archive of a Wichita High School North USD 259 home economics class, circa...
08/14/2023

Back to school! Edgar B. Smith photo from our archive of a Wichita High School North USD 259 home economics class, circa 1930, with Singer sewing machines. More photos at www.wichitaphotos.org

Come Downtown! Early 1950s street scene, west on Douglas from Market including Wormser Hats Store, Woods Jewelers, Hinke...
08/13/2023

Come Downtown! Early 1950s street scene, west on Douglas from Market including Wormser Hats Store, Woods Jewelers, Hinkel's, and the Central Building. The Museum is FREE today and every Sunday in 2023 thanks to the Ruth Spooner Stone Trust, INTRUST Bank, Trustee. Museum hours today 1-5pm. Photo from our archive.

Cool off in the theater! Moviegoers wait in line outside the Crest Theater at 4825 East Douglas Avenue to see Elvis Pres...
08/03/2023

Cool off in the theater! Moviegoers wait in line outside the Crest Theater at 4825 East Douglas Avenue to see Elvis Presley’s "Loving You," released in 1957. The theater opened in 1950 across the street from Lincoln Heights Village and was demolished in 1997 after being shuttered for nearly a decade. Lewin's & Henry's are also in view. Cool off at the Museum! We are open today 11-4 and feature dozens of fascinating exhibits on four air-conditioned floors in Downtown Wichita.

Back to school shopping at Henry's! View of Henry's department store at Broadway & William (now NICHE) 1956 by  Armstron...
08/01/2023

Back to school shopping at Henry's! View of Henry's department store at Broadway & William (now NICHE) 1956 by Armstrong Commercial Printer, from our archives. Allis Hotel at far right. The Museum is just a few blocks from this location and we are open Tuesday-Friday 11-4, Saturday-Sunday 1-5 in the original of Wichita- Government City Hall at Main and William. Come see us!

07/25/2023

From the perspective of a fashion designer!

In July of 1958, Ron Walters, President of The Wichita Branch NAACP, and his cousin, Carol Parks-Haun, organized the Doc...
07/20/2023

In July of 1958, Ron Walters, President of The Wichita Branch NAACP, and his cousin, Carol Parks-Haun, organized the Dockum Sit-in, now recognized as the first successful student led sit-in of the civil rights movement. This rare color view from our archives shows the 300 block of East Douglas in 1953, including the Dockum Drug Store in the UNB building (now the Ambassador Hotel Wichita, Autograph Collection ). Celebrating local history from the original City Hall in downtown Wichita, we are open today 11am-4pm. Come see us!

In the summer of 1958, The Wichita Branch NAACP  youth gathered at Dockum Drugstore & staged the nation's first successf...
07/12/2023

In the summer of 1958, The Wichita Branch NAACP youth gathered at Dockum Drugstore & staged the nation's first successful civil rights sit-in. In a 2020 interview, sit-in participant Dr. Galyn Vesey stated the Forum Cafeteria (at right, center) was one of the few eateries to serve Black patrons at that time. View of SW corner of Douglas & Market, 1964, from our archive. Dr. Vesey's interview and much more here: https://www.facebook.com/JuneteenthICT/videos/912367825944701/

Grab a kayak or canoe for your communte! Floods & canoes were not unusual in Downtown Wichita  before the  completion of...
07/05/2023

Grab a kayak or canoe for your communte! Floods & canoes were not unusual in Downtown Wichita before the completion of the "Big Ditch" project in 1959. View in front of the YMCA / Scottish Rite Temple, now TempleLive Wichita at 1st & Topeka, 1904, photo from our archives. The Museum is open Tues - Fri 11am-4pm, Sat - Sun 1-5 in the original 1890 City of Wichita- Government City Hall at 204 South Main - come see us!

Friends, we are CLOSED today for Independence Day. A favorite photo from our archive, 1955 color view looking west from ...
07/04/2023

Friends, we are CLOSED today for Independence Day. A favorite photo from our archive, 1955 color view looking west from 600 block of East Douglas, Victory Theater & Eaton Hotel at left, Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview Wichita in distance, at center. Open regular hours tomorrow - 11am-4pm!

Pawn shops, Fender guitars, and beer. East Douglas from Emporia, 1955. The Renfro at upper left in this photograph from ...
06/30/2023

Pawn shops, Fender guitars, and beer. East Douglas from Emporia, 1955. The Renfro at upper left in this photograph from our archives, Wiley Music, a major Fender guitar dealer, at left next to Leben Bros. Pawn Shop. Hotel Eaton at upper right. Celebrating local history from the original City of Wichita- Government City Hall in Downtown Wichita we are open Tuesday - Friday 11am-4pm, Saturday - Sunday 1-5pm. Thank you for your support - please like, follow, and share!

The streets of Downtown Wichita, summer of 1963 - sixty years ago! 100 block of East Douglas looking west to Main, inclu...
06/29/2023

The streets of Downtown Wichita, summer of 1963 - sixty years ago! 100 block of East Douglas looking west to Main, including The Model, Rhealee, Caldwell Murdock building, Heads Shoes, and the Central Building. Photo from our archives in the original of Wichita- Government City Hall. We are open today from 11am-4pm - come see us!

Cool off in Henry's! In 1948, Henry's built a windowless $900,000, 50,000-square-foot store at Broadway & William (now N...
06/28/2023

Cool off in Henry's! In 1948, Henry's built a windowless $900,000, 50,000-square-foot store at Broadway & William (now NICHE) that featured such state-of-the art improvements as air conditioning and piped-in music! This photo from our archives dates from 1956. Also in view at far left, UNB building, now Ambassador Hotel Wichita, Autograph Collection, site of the famous 1958 Dockum sit-in. Cool off in the Museum! Four air-conditioned floors with dozens of exhibits, open today 11-4.

Wichita businessman and confirmed bachelor Owen B. Stocker (far right) plays cards and enjoys a few Budweiser beers with...
06/21/2023

Wichita businessman and confirmed bachelor Owen B. Stocker (far right) plays cards and enjoys a few Budweiser beers with friends at Waldock Lake, Pratt County, KS in the summer of 1903. Photo from our archives. Happy Summer!

If you missed our May Senior Wednesday program, "Pride: From Stonewall to Small Town Kansas" a Humanities Kansas program...
06/15/2023

If you missed our May Senior Wednesday program, "Pride: From Stonewall to Small Town Kansas" a Humanities Kansas program presented by Brandon West, it is now available on our YouTube channel! The social revolution commonly known as has deep connections to Kansas, and today more Kansans and their communities are welcoming their LGBTQ neighbors and friends. The events at Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in 1969 galvanized a generation to stand up for their civil rights. Kansans contributed to this early history, including the design of the iconic rainbow flag. This talk will trace early struggles to gain equality in rights for LGBTQ individuals and today’s broad acceptance of Pride in rural Kansas.

The social revolution commonly known as Pride has deep connections to Kansas, and today more Kansans and their communities are welcoming their LGBTQ neighbor...

It's nearly Wichita Riverfest time! Back in the day, "Lunette the Flying Lady" promised "strictly moral and refined" ent...
06/01/2023

It's nearly Wichita Riverfest time! Back in the day, "Lunette the Flying Lady" promised "strictly moral and refined" entertainment at the 1900 Wichita Street Fair and Carnival. The Carnival's entrance was at Main & William, just outside the Wichita City Building - now the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. The event included a carousel, Ferris wheel, & an "electrical pageant" made up of 12 breathtaking illuminated floats moving on the streetcar tracks through downtown. Photograph from our collection. More illuminating history on exhibit at YOUR local history HQ! Open today 11am-4pm.

Bird-watching? Tennis? Golf? Bicycling? Whatever the outdoor activity, Innes has women covered with fashions from 1957! ...
05/16/2023

Bird-watching? Tennis? Golf? Bicycling? Whatever the outdoor activity, Innes has women covered with fashions from 1957! Photo from our archives in the original City of Wichita- City Hall! If you are not spending the day outdoors, we are open Tuesday - Friday from 11am-4pm, Saturday - Sunday 1-5! Bike Share ICT Get Outdoors Kansas Bike Walk Wichita

When kayaking (rentals now available Wichita Park & Recreation!) correct attire is a must. We recommend* white dresses, ...
05/09/2023

When kayaking (rentals now available Wichita Park & Recreation!) correct attire is a must. We recommend* white dresses, white shirts, and straw hats, as seen in this 1915 photograph of Wichitans enjoying canoes at the Riverside Boat House. Photo from our archives in the original City of Wichita- City Hall in Downtown Wichita, just steps from the Arkansas River! Open today 11am-4pm. Come see us! *we really recommend life vests and sunscreen.

Be fashionable as a mermaid! Innes (now Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine) windows with Henry's (now NICHE) reflect...
05/03/2023

Be fashionable as a mermaid! Innes (now Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine) windows with Henry's (now NICHE) reflection from 1952, photographed by Hal Pottorf, from our archives in the original City of Wichita- City Hall in Downtown Wichita. Open today 11-4 - come see us!

04/29/2023

I am signing books until 4 pm at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. The table is a converted old-time sewing machine. How fun!

Roxie on the Road will sign copies of her new book, "Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure" in the ...
04/27/2023

Roxie on the Road will sign copies of her new book, "Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure" in the Museum Shop on Saturday, April 29th from 2-4pm!

In the numerous wheat fields of Kansas are secrets and untold tales of heroes and villains that no fiction writer could have imagined. Author, Roxie Yonkey, reveals all the secrets to Kansas in her…

04/24/2023
Innes celebrated "Wichita Days" in 1957 with outdoor sports, including bicycling, tennis, birdwatching, and golf in this...
04/18/2023

Innes celebrated "Wichita Days" in 1957 with outdoor sports, including bicycling, tennis, birdwatching, and golf in this photo from our collection. Celebrating the history of our community every day from the original City of Wichita- City Hall in Downtown Wichita, the Museum is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 4pm, Saturday - Sunday 1-5pm. Come see us!

Friends, we will be closed Sunday, April 9 for the Easter holiday. Easter finery for the well-dressed man at Woolf Broth...
04/06/2023

Friends, we will be closed Sunday, April 9 for the Easter holiday. Easter finery for the well-dressed man at Woolf Brothers, a century ago. Window illustration by Cecil McAlister's Modern Studio, designer of the Wichita Flag! Photograph by Homer Harden from our archives in the original City of Wichita- City Hall!

Celebrating the history of our community! This photo of a Coleman Lamp Company picnic in Linwood Park dates to 1916 - be...
04/02/2023

Celebrating the history of our community! This photo of a Coleman Lamp Company picnic in Linwood Park dates to 1916 - before pickleball was a thing. We are FREE today and every Sunday in 2023, thanks to the Ruth Spooner Stone Trust, INTRUST Bank, Trustee. Photo from our archive in the original City of Wichita- City Hall - we are open today 1-5pm. Come see us!

The Victorian bustle and bustle of Downtown Wichita. Brothers Alfred & Charles Bitting constructed the Bitting Block on ...
03/23/2023

The Victorian bustle and bustle of Downtown Wichita. Brothers Alfred & Charles Bitting constructed the Bitting Block on Market & Douglas in 1887. After the structure burned to the ground in 1911 a new Bitting Block was erected at the same location. "Modernized" in 1959, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places - NPS in 2012. Stereograph view by Edwin Enos of the Wichita Art Gallery from our archives in the original City of Wichita- City Hall. Open Tues - Fri 11am-4pm, Sat - Sun 1-5pm. Come see us!

Are you ready for Spring? Innes Department Store (now Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine) trimmer Tony Figgemeier de...
03/21/2023

Are you ready for Spring? Innes Department Store (now Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine) trimmer Tony Figgemeier designed this "Stunningly Styled Spring" window and Wichita Flag designer Cecil McAlister created the painted backdrop, photo from our archives by Art Spalton, circa 1920. Housed in the original City of Wichita- City Hall in Downtown Wichita, the Museum is open Tuesday - Friday 11am-4pm, Saturday - Sunday 1-5pm.

Spring forward! Driving in Downtown Wichita, 1959. View of Douglas & Market. The Museum is FREE today and every Sunday i...
03/12/2023

Spring forward! Driving in Downtown Wichita, 1959. View of Douglas & Market. The Museum is FREE today and every Sunday in 2023, thanks to the Ruth Spooner Stone Trust, INTRUST Bank, Trustee. Open 1-5 pm today with four floors of amazing exhibits and fascinating objects, all in Wichita's original City of Wichita- City Hall. Come see us!

03/11/2023

80+ years and 70,000 artifacts later - the Museum has collecting down! Come see "Why We Collect, What We Collect" this special exhibit explains it! Open through October. Free on Sundays (closed on Mondays).

Address

204 S Main Street
Wichita, KS
67202

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 4pm
Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 1pm - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

(316) 265-9314

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Snow Day in Wichita!

Check out these photos from snow days past in Wichita.

1) Main and Douglas Snow Storm. 1894
2) Horses Pulling Bus from Snow on Estelle and Volutsia on East 13th street. 1922
3) Children Arriving at First Baptist Church. 1940
4) Miss Jo Anne Connell, telephone information operator of the Rapid Transit Lines in Wichita, Kansas, checks a corner bus schedule as Dreamline Operator Jerry Sudduth makes the change at Topeka and Douglas with the temperature 12 below zero following a recent snowstorm that dumped 17 inches of snow on Wichita. 1972

Photos from the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum's Photo Archives.
Rufus wants to share another wonderful place to visit for FREE on Sunday afternoons this year! After you visit feeding time at the KWE at noon, grab yourself some lunch and hop over to the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. Here are the details:
New for '22! Admission to the Museum is free to the public on Sundays in 2022, thanks to a gift from the Ruth Spooner Stone Charitable Trust, INTRUST Bank, Trustee. Visit us in downtown Wichita and EXPLORE LOCAL HISTORY in one of America's finest museums, occupying the original City of Wichita- Government 1890 City Hall. See dozens of exhibits featuring thousands of artifacts illuminating our unique local history. Visit the Museum Shop for unusual books, souvenir and gift items. Open Tuesday - Friday 11am-4pm; Saturday - Sunday 1-5pm. Regular admission $5 for adults, $2 for children. Free every Sunday! Members always free. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
https://wichitaonthecheap.com/free-admission-sundays-wichita-sedgwick-county-historical-museum/

Free admission Sundays in 2022 at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
Works of faith,hope and love,www.faopal.hu
Here’s a look at new and upcoming exhibitions open for the winter 2021-22 season.

https://bit.ly/2q62N1s

Exploration Place | Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | Ulrich Museum of Art | CityArts | Mid-America All-Indian Museum | Mark Arts | Wichita Art Museum | Kansas Aviation Museum

🍂 We want to see your favorite spots to view the fall colors! Here's just a few of our favorites in Wichita.

https://bit.ly/3wfLEjH

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | Wichita State University | Tanganyika Wildlife Park | Botanica | Friends University | Newman University | Great Plains Nature Center | Wichita Park & Recreation |

Do NOT miss the "dentist" in this parody! River City Visuals always goes above and beyond with our requests and they nailed this special effect! Other highlights to look out for: baby with mustache and bloopers!
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNqnYGNsVT0


Jasmin Steven Rupp Madison Balbierz Andrew Neuman Nancy Leiker Mickey L Pogue Tara Cannata Ruby Hernandez Glenda Parra Shelbie Segraves Becky Perez Madison Galvin Christy Schaefer Andrea Martinez Michelle Stevens Morgan Nancy Harrell-Sheets Rachel Arnett Ashlie Hargrave Dana Capps Megan Simon Bill Whittaker Cameron Lawrence Cole Campbell Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum John P. Rupp Shae Steven Franklin Sandy Rupp

We do not own the rights to the music in this parody film.
Thank you so much for letting us film our 2021 Halloween parody at the museum! It was PERFECT!
Have a great weekend ICT!🏰
Don’t forget to support local businesses!

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
My next book event is coming up on Wednesday at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. I'll be talking about the book Classic Restaurants of Wichita by Denise Neil and the historic restaurants in it as well as signing and selling copies. Reserve your spot today!
Go Far is now featured in the Wichita Sedgwick County Historical Museum shop!

Wondering how I tie in Kansas history to endurance sports? Check out the book, available at local bookstores and everywhere else books are sold as well as Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
Don't know about you but we're gearing up for a thrilling and spine-chilling October.

For more of Wichita's spooky places and ghoulish stories 👇
https://bit.ly/3i12jl7



Old Cowtown Museum | Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | Wichita Orpheum Theatre | Kansas Aviation Museum | Wichita State University
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