Atchison County Historical Society Museum is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

dedicated to preserving the history of

Atchison County, Kansas Atchison County (county code AT) is a county located in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 16,348. Its county seat and most populous city is Atchison. The county is named in ho ...

. Both the city of Atchison and Atchison County, Kansas, are named after

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

legendary Legendary may refer to: * Legend, a folklore genre * Legendary (hagiography) ** Anjou Legendarium * J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium Film and television * ''Legendary'' (film), a 2010 American sports drama film * ''Legendary'', a 2013 film fea ...

" President for a day"

David Rice Atchison David Rice Atchison (August 11, 1807January 26, 1886) was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate for six years. Atchison served as a major general in ...

. The Atchison County Historical Society & Museum is located in the historic 1880 Santa Fe Freight Depot (200 S. 10th Street) in Atchison, Kansas. Dedicated to telling the story of Atchison County, Kansas, the museum features exhibits on Lewis and Clark, Amelia Earhart, Jesse Stone, the railroad history of Atchison County, the David Rice Atchison World's Smallest "unofficial" Presidential Library and a military collection with over 200 weapons spanning the Revolutionary War, Civil War and both World Wars. The Atchison County Historical Society also operates the Independence Creek: Lewis & Clark Historic Site (located at 19917 314th Road in Atchison County) covering 13.5 acres of native grasses and wildflowers and a re-creation of a Kanza Indian

earth lodge An earth lodge is a semi-subterranean building covered partially or completely with earth, best known from the Native American cultures of the Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands. Most earth lodges are circular in construction with a dome-like ...

, connected by a 5-mile hiking/biking trail to the Atchison riverfront. The museum also hosts regular temporary and traveling exhibits. From 27 June to 9 August 2015, it hosted a Smithsonian traveling exhibit called "Hometown Teams."

Background on the Atchison County Historical Society

Established in 1967, the historical society's first museum was opened in 1968. The society moved into the current museum, the 1880 Santa Fe Depot, in 1989. The museum hosts quarterly evening adult education programs and sponsors K-12 programming, including a monthly Pioneer Club for 4th-7th grade students. The Atchison County Historical Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in the State of Kansas.

The World's Smallest Presidential Library

Atchison, a pro-

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

Democrat, was a senator from Missouri who was consumed by the Kansas issue – if the new state of Kansas would be a free-state or allow the extension of slavery. He is sometimes seen as a key player in the Kansas-Nebraska Act and therefore partially credited with the birth of the state of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. Some claim that Atchison technically held the office of President of the United States for 24 hours—from noon Sunday, March 4, 1849, to noon Monday. Outgoing President

James Polk James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

's term expired at noon on that day, and his vice-president George M. Dallas term had likewise expired, . The president-elect,

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

, refused to be sworn into office on the sabbath (Sunday). As

President Pro Tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from the prior

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

, under the presidential succession law in place at the time, Atchison was second in line of Presidential succession. For those 24 hours Atchison was the highest-ranking elected official in the U.S. The Atchison County Historical Society Museum's exhibit leaves the determination up to the visitor if that means Atchison was president or not.

The Independence Creek: Lewis and Clark Historic Site

The site is open sunrise to sunset year round. Located 5 miles north of Atchison's Main Street, this site may be reached by car or by hiking/biking trail. The 13.5-acre site has re-established the prairie as seen by the

Corps of Discovery The Corps of Discovery was a specially established unit of the United States Army which formed the nucleus of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that took place between May 1804 and September 1806. The Corps was led jointly by Captain Meriwether Lewis ...

and encompasses a stretch of Independence Creek described by Captain William Clark in his July 4, 1804 journal entry. A pedestrian bridge completes the 5-mile trail link to the Atchison Riverfront. A re-creation of a 1724–1804 era Kanza earth lodge interprets the location's connection to the Kanza people.

Content

Because of David Rice Atchison's 24‑hour brush with greatness and the accumulated materials in the exhibit about his political career this part of the museum is named "The David Rice Atchison World's Smallest 'unofficial'

Presidential Library A presidential library, presidential center, or presidential museum is a facility either created in honor of a former president and containing their papers, or affiliated with a country's presidency. In the United States * The presidential libr ...

References

External links

Atchison County Historical Society
*Hail to the Chiefs – Kansas City Public Library Presidential Lecture Series – {{Coord, 39, 33, 36, N, 95, 07, 36, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-KS Museums established in 1967 Museums in Atchison County, Kansas History museums in Kansas