Kansas Museum of History

Step into Kansas history at the newly updated Kansas Museum of History. The museum shares the stories of colorful characters and everyday Kansans through artifacts that show how people lived, worked, traveled, and built communities across the state.

Visitors can stand beside an 1880 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe steam locomotive, look up at a 1946 Kansas-made Funk airplane and take a seat at a vintage 1950s diner counter. Interactive exhibits offer more ways to explore, while a child-sized train, Museum Store and nearby nature trail add to the experience.

Discover the Stories of Kansas

The museum’s new galleries ask visitors to consider three questions: What is Kansas? What was Kansas? And why Kansas? The answers unfold through stories of conflict, connection, innovation and change, revealing how the land and its people have shaped the state.

Bleeding Kansas explores the turbulent territorial era, Kansas statehood and the role Kansans played in the Civil War. Making Kansas examines the state’s land, natural resources and industries, while Connecting Kansas centers on an 1880 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe steam locomotive and the influence of the railroad. Changing Kansas introduces people who challenged expectations and worked to improve their communities. Interactive displays throughout the galleries help bring these stories and artifacts to life.