The Kansas Historical Society is the official state

historical society A historical society (sometimes also preservation society) is an organization dedicated to preserving, collecting, researching, and interpreting historical information or items. Originally, these societies were created as a way to help future gen ...

of Kansas. Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the

Kansas Museum of History The Kansas Museum of History is the state historical museum in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It presents Kansas history from the prehistoric to modern eras in of exhibits. The galleries feature a train (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe locomotiv ...

, Kansas State Archives and Library, Kansas State Capitol Tour Center, and 16 state-owned sites. It also serves as the State Historic Preservation Office, and works closely with the Kansas State Department of Education to provide standards-based programs for history and social studies curriculum in the schools.KSHS Overview
Accessed 13 October 2013

History

The Kansas Editors' and Publishers' Association founded the Kansas Historical Society in 1875 to save present and . In 1879 the Kansas Legislature enacted legislation that recognized the Historical Society as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history. Since then the Historical Society has continued to enjoy the support of the state's newspaper publishers and has built one of the nation's most comprehensive statewide newspaper collections.Larry O. Jochims and Virgil W. Dean, "Pillars of Society: A Brief History of the Kansas Historical Society," Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains, 2 (Autumn 1995):142-163
Autumn 1995
Accessed 13 October 2013KSHS History
Accessed 13 October 2013 For nearly 40 years the Historical Society occupied a succession of quarters in the statehouse as its holdings steadily grew. In 1914 the collections were moved to the grand and newly constructed Memorial Building in downtown Topeka. In 1984 the Kansas Museum of History moved to an site in west Topeka near the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

Mission leaving the remaining agencies still housed in the Memorial Building. The historic Stach School later joined the complex. During July and August 1995 the vast collections of library, archival, manuscript, and archeological materials were moved to new facilities in the State Archives and Library on the west Topeka site. In this headquarters, the Historical Society was reunited at one location. The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency. Its sister organization, Kansas State Historical Society, Inc.', operates as a non-profit membership organization. More than six million individuals benefit from the Historical Society's programs and services each year. All activities and programs are conducted by the private organization and the Historical Society's six divisions: Administration, Cultural Resources, Education and Outreach, Historic Sites, Museum, and State Archives & Library. The state agency operates with an annual appropriation of approximately six million dollars and approximately 100 employees. The nonprofit corporation's 102-member

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

and 15-member executive committee are responsible for the Historical Society's overall governance. The corporation also offers membership to the public and institutions, manages grants for the state agency, operates the Museum Stores, and provides fiscal support for various programs, including the Historical Society's magazine, ''Reflections'', and its scholarly journal, ''Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains''. During the past century, the Historical Society's role expanded beyond its original emphasis on collecting and publishing research. Today the Historical Society continues these fundamental activities and has added a broad array of interpretive and educational programs that combine with historic sites, technical assistance, and field service programs. Through collections, exhibits, programs, and services, the Historical Society enriches the lives of thousands and serves in understanding and valuing the heritage of Kansas. The Kansas Historical Society website was launched in 1993, through the efforts of Steven Chinn and Lynn H. Nelson. The site originally was hosted at the University of Kansas. Several websites were built as part of the Kansas Heritage Group and included the Kansas Historical Society, Kansas Pioneers List, One-Room School House project, Johnson County Genealogical Society, Sunflower Journeys, Early Kansas Imprint Scanners, Historical Directory of Kansas Towns, the Kansas Humanities Council, Abilene Community Network, and the Kansas Community Network. The original website was developed by two students based on materials supplied by the Society. The KSHS site was the first state or local history society anywhere to be online. Stephen Chinn took over the site management duties later in 1994. The Society's first web team, formed in 1993, was composed of David Haury, Suellyn Lathrop, Rebecca Martin, and Mark Adams. In 1998, the Historical Society began hosting its own site and the URL became www.kshs.org. The site has grown to approximately 4,000 pages of information on Kansas history and has received numerous awards over the years.

State Historic Sites

The Historical Society operates 16 state-owned historic sites throughout the state. Those sites are:Sites owned by the Kansas Historical Society
Accessed 13 October 2013 * Constitution Hall State Historic Site, Lecompton * Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site, Studley * First Territorial Capitol State Historic Site, Fort Riley * Fort Hays State Historic Site, Hays * Goodnow House State Historic Site, Manhattan * Grinter Place State Historic Site,

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

* Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site, Hanover * Iowa and Sac & Fox Mission State Historic Site, Highland * John Brown Museum State Historic Site, Osawatomie *

Kaw Mission State Historic Site Kaw Mission is a historic church mission at 500 N. Mission Street in Council Grove, Kansas that was home, school and church to 30 Kaw boys from 1851–1854. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. With . The site is n ...

Council Grove Council Grove is a city and county seat in Morris County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,140. It was named after an agreement between American settlers and the Osage Nation allowing settlers' ...

* Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site, near Trading Post * Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site, near

Pleasanton Pleasanton may refer to: Places * Pleasanton, California * Pleasanton, Iowa * Pleasanton, Kansas * Pleasanton, Nebraska * Pleasanton, New Mexico * Pleasanton, Ohio * Pleasanton, Texas * Pleasanton Township, Michigan Other * Pleasanton High School ...

* Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site,

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

Pawnee Rock State Historic Site Pawnee Rock, one of the most famous and beautiful landmarks on the Santa Fe Trail, is located in Pawnee Rock State Park, just north of Pawnee Rock, Kansas, United States. Originally over tall, railroad construction stripped it of some 15 to in ...

Pawnee Rock Pawnee Rock, one of the most famous and beautiful landmarks on the Santa Fe Trail, is located in Pawnee Rock State Park, just north of Pawnee Rock, Kansas, United States. Originally over tall, railroad construction stripped it of some 15 to in ...

* Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site,

Fairway Fairway may refer to: * Fairway (golf), part of a golf course *Fairway (navigation), a part of a water body with navigable channel *Fairway (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse *Fairway, Gauteng, South Africa *Fairway, Kansas, United States *Fairway, ...

* William Allen White House State Historic Site, Emporia

Register of Historic Kansas Places

The Society also established a state heritage register in 1977 called the Register of Historic Kansas Places. All Kansas listings on the National Register of Historic Places are automatically included but many additional sites are just on the state registry.

Awards

The Kansas Historical Society has received several awards and honors from other organizations and associations related to the history profession:KSHS Awards
Accessed 13 October 2013 * 1998 - American Association for State and Local History * 1999 - Santa Fe Trail Association * 2001 - American Association for State and Local History * 2001 - American Association for State and Local History * 2002 - American Association for State and Local History * 2002 - American Association for State and Local History * 2003 - Travel Industry Association of Kansas * 2004 - American Association for State and Local History * 2006 - American Association for State and Local History * 2006 - American Association for State and Local History * 2007 - Family Tree Magazine Award * 2008 - American Association for State and Local History * 2008 - American Association for State and Local History * 2008 - Western Writer's Association of America * 2009 - Oregon-California Trail Association * 2011 - United States Department of the Interior Partners in Conservation Award

References

External links

Official website

Kansas Memory
the Society's digital portal
Register of Historic Kansas Places database
{{authority control History of Kansas Historical societies in Kansas 1875 establishments in Kansas Organizations based in Topeka, Kansas Organizations established in 1875