The Kansas Museum of History is the state historical museum in Topeka, Kansas, United States.[1] It presents Kansas history from the prehistoric to modern eras in 30,000 square feet (2,800m2) of exhibits. The galleries feature a train (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe locomotive with two cars), full-sized tipi in the Southern Cheyenne style, a 1950s diner, and many other large features. Major topics covered in the main gallery include Native American tribal history, westward movement on the Oregon and Santa Fe trails, early settlers, the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War eras, and Populism at the turn of the 20th century.[2][3]
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway #132 (which had been renumbered ATSF 2414), near the end of its service life in the 20th century, before restoration.ATSF 132, after restoration and renaming it ATSF 1, the "Cyrus K. Holliday," after the railroad's founder. The railroad donated the engine to the museum where it is now on display. The restoration included many of the engine's 1800s engineering elements such as a diamond stack, box headlight and wooden pilot (cowcatcher).
The current museum building was built in the 1980s to house the Society's object collections and exhibits. Dubbed the Kansas Museum of History, it opened in 1984 at an 80-acre (320,000m2) site in west Topeka near the historic Potawatomi Mission.[1] In addition to galleries, the building also houses a museum store, classrooms, and labs for conservation and exhibit fabrication.
In the mid-1990s, the rest of the Society's divisions moved to the new Center for Historical Research adjacent to the museum. Today the complex includes nature trails, an education and conference center, and a historic one-room school used for educational programs.
The museum's most popular programs include its changing exhibits schedule, the Cool Things section of the website (featuring interesting objects from the collections), and the related Cool Things podcasts.
In September 2022, the Kansas Museum of History closed for a renovation,[5][6] which was originally supposed to be completed in early 2024.[7] Afterward, it took several months to remove 2,500 to 3,000 artifacts from the building.[6] The project included adding a new ramp and moving the special-exhibit area,[8] and the galleries were rearranged based on theme, rather than the original chronological format.[5][9] The Kansas Historical Society raised about $6 million to fund the renovation,[6][8] but the project was delayed because another $904,000 was needed to pay for engineering costs.[10] The museum's reopening was subsequently postponed to November 2025.[11][12]
Galleries
The museum gallery sections were formerly grouped by chronological order:[2][3]
The museum's collection includes a steam locomotive and a log cabin.[9] The museum also holds one of the United States' largest collections of Civil War flags from African American regiments. At least one of these flags is always on display in the main gallery.[citation needed]
Awards and honors
The Kansas Museum of History's main gallery and changing exhibits have won numerous Awards of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the American Association for State and Local History. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.[citation needed]
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