Kansas Historical sites and museums

There are many frontier forts, historic sites, museums and memorials in Kansas. The First territorial capitol was on the Fort Riley reservation. The Indian mission is at Council Grove and the Shawnee mission is in Kansas City.

  1. Amelia Earhart Home - (famous Aviator) is in Atchison.
  2. Boot Hill Cemetery at Dodge City
  3. Cathedral of the Plains is Saint Fidelis Catholic Church at Victoria. Built 1908-1910.
  4. Council Grove National Historic Site is where the Kaw or Kanza Indians granted right-of-way for the Santa Fe Trail.
  5. Dodge city was a Cow Town made famous by Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Today, you can tour the Boot Hill Museum and Old Front Street.
  6. Eisenhower home and museum at Abilene
  7. Fort Harker Guardhouse is located at Kanopolis. See 4 buildings that were preserved from the fort (1866-1873).
  8. Fort Hays was a U.S. Army post that was active from 1865 until 1889. It is located in Hays.
  9. Fort Larned National Historic Site has living history exhibits with costumed guides. The fort was built in 1859 for the purpose of protecting the wagon trains traveling on the Santa Fe Trail. You can tour the barracks and the blockhouse.
  10. Fort Leavenworth - oldest active army base west of the Mississippi River.
  11. Ft. Riley located in Northeast Kansas. It was established in 1853 to protect travelers along the Santa Fe Trail and other trails heading westward. In 1865, just after the Civil War, George A. Custer was stationed here. The famous Buffalo Soldiers (all black calvary) were stationed here at different times in the late 1800s.
  12. Fort Scott in the mid 1800's garrisoned troops guarding the area. It grew into one of the largest settlements in the Kansas territory as well as the largest railroad center west of the Mississippi River. It now has antique and specialty shops, a visitors center downtown, a national cemetery. Guided tours of Fort Scott take you to the mansions built in the late 1880 s, the restored and reconstructed buildings of the fort. These include the guardhouse, horse stables, parade grounds, quartermaster's storehouse, officers homes and the canons. There are historic reenactments. You can visit the downtown Memorial hall where country music and comedy shows are performed. The US cemetery No. 1 was established by Abe Lincoln  in 1862 for Union troops. The Courtland is a restored railroad hotel built in 1906. Lyon's Victorian Mansion was built in 1876. Nearby is the Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site and Marais de Cygnes Massacre State historic site.
  13. Hollenberg Pony Express Station (1860-1861) near Hanover. It is a national historic landmark.
  14. Kaw Methodist museum is in Coucil Grove along the Sante Fe Trail. It was constructed by the Methodist church in 1851. The mission taught school for area Kaw Native American Indians until 1854.
  15. Kidder Massacre is northeast of Goodland. In 1868, the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians trapped US Cavalrymen.
  16. Old Cow Town museum is located near Wichita. It consists of over 40 building built in the 1800s. See the old jail, general store, saloon, school, church, blacksmith shop and other buildings. The grounds have period costumed guides. It is listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.
    1. Hotels Near Old Cowtown Museum - Wichita
  17. Pawnee Rock rises above the Arkansas River Valley between Larned and Great Bend. Historically, this was the point from which Pawnee and Kiowa Indian war parties launched attacks on wagon trails.
  18. Pawnee rock state historic site is a monument to travelers on the Santa Fe trail. It is located in the town of Pawnee Rock and the Barton county.
  19. Point of Rocks is a landmark along the Sante Fe Trail. Those who traveled the Sante Fe trail  during the 1800s looked for this important landmark because it signified the closeness of water.
  20. Pueblo ruins of El Quartelejo is located in Lake Scott State Park north of Scott City. It is the site of the archeological remains of the northernmost Indian pueblo.
  21. Rock City is a national natural landmark south of Minneapolis, Kansas. The giant rocks are called "cannonball concretions" because of their shape.
  22. Santa Fe Trail was a major transportation route used by the military, pioneers and commercially in the 1800s. It connected Missouri to Santé Fe New Mexico.

Native American sites

  • Allegawaho Heritage Park is the site of the last Kaw Indian Village in Kansas.
  • Highland Pawnee Indian Village Museum is located in Republic. It was once the site of a Pawnee Indian village. Exhibits include Native American artifacts.
  • Kaw Mission is in Council Grove along the Sante Fe Trail. It was constructed by the Methodist church in 1851. The mission taught school for area Kaw Native American Indians until 1854.
  • Native American Heritage Museum is east of Highland. It was once the site of a Presbyterian mission that was built in 1845 to educate area Native Americans.
  • Shawnee Indian Mission is in Fairway. The mission taught school to area Native American Indians from 1839-1854.

Civil War sites

  • Beecher Bible and Rifle Church Built in 1862 in Wabaunsee, part of the underground railroad - crates known as Beecher's bible were used to smuggle rifles into the area so abolitionists could defend themselves against pro-slavery activists during Civil War.
  • Constitution Hall is located in Lecompton.
  • First Territorial Capitol is located in Fort Riley.
  • John Brown Museum is located in Osawatomie.
  • Marais des Cygnes Massacre site is located in Pleasanton. Proslavery men killed five free state men and wounded several others on May 19, 1858. This event earned the state the nickname, bleeding Kansas.
  •  Mine Creek Battlefield is located in Pleasanton. Union troops defeated Confederates along the Mine Creek in October 25, 1864.

Forts and Trails

  • Fort Hays was a U.S. Army post that was active from 1865 until 1889. It is located in Hays.
  • Hollenberg Pony Express Station is in Hanover.
  • Pawnee rock state historic site is a monument to travelers on the Santa Fe trail. It is located in the town of Pawnee Rock and the Barton county.
  • Santa Fe Trail Center is located in Larned. It exhibits 35,000 historical, archival, and archeological artifacts that are from the Santa Fe era and the Native American Indians along the Trail.
  • Santa Fe National Historic Trail more than 60 historic sites along the route.
  • Sibley's Camp is located in Larned. It is the campsite of surveyer George Sibley who lead a US government surveying team in 1925.
  • Fort Larned National historic Site is in Fort Larned. It was built in 1859 to protect travelers along the Sante Fe Trail from hostiles.
  • Central State Scout Museum (CSSM) is in Larned. It exhibits memoribilia from the boy scouts.

Other Historical Sites in Kansas

  • Cottonwood Ranch is located in Studley. A Sheep ranch with stain glass window built by the Pratt family in 1885.
  • Goodnow House is located in Manhattan. Built 1860s.
  • Grinter Place is located in Kansas City. Built 1857.
  • William Allen White House is located in Emporia. Built in the early 1900s by the editor and publisher the newspaper in Emporia, Kansas

See also History