Miami County Kansas Historical Museum

02/14/2026

When Victory Was the Only Choice...

During the Civil War, federal law initially barred Black men from military service, but the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 opened the door. In June our speaker shared the initial story of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, the very first Black unit to participate in Civil War combat at the battle of Island Mound, near Butler, MO. Outnumbered two to one, their ferocious bravery and fighting skill led them to victory.

This victory led the Union to form many more black units and, for the 1st Kansas, it meant many more battles to fight, as the Union sorely needed their proven valor and skill throughout the war.

Join us as we follow the 1st Kansas' fighting journey all the way to Indian Territory and Arkansas and back again to Kansas. And, as a nod to the future Paola resident we recognized in June, our cemetery sextant Bill Gordon and who is pictured in our cemetery exhibit, we will highlight his specific service as a member of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry.

No Admission Charge
Reservations Not Needed
Donations Appreciated

02/13/2026

Happy Valentine's Day to All!

Those were the days, before dating apps and social media, when love was in the air and chocolate brownies with lemonade were shared in the park. And maybe, just maybe, a bit of bird watching occured as young men and women wondered just what type of person their future spouse might be.



Image: Late 19th Century Postcase depicting park in Paola, KS

Sweet History:

Chocolate brownies are over 130 years old, originating in 1893 at Chicago's Palmer House Hotel when Bertha Palmer requested a portable, decadent dessert for the World's Columbian Exposition, leading to the first chocolatey, walnut-topped square (still served today!)

The ancient Greeks and Romans used the bygone practice of ornithomancy, which involved reading omens by watching the actions of birds, to predict the future. As folklore evolved, people took on the superstition that the first bird an unmarried woman saw on Valentine's Day was a symbol of the kind of man she would marry. A swan predicted a loyal partner for life; a dove meant she’d marry a kind-hearted person; and a blackbird signified she would marry a member of the clergy or someone who did spiritual, charitable work.

02/10/2026

Oh, is it "New St. Louis"...or, "Little St. Louis"...or, don't you think "Louisburg" sounds good?

✨ ✨ A Short History of a Special Place ✨✨

The land Louisburg sits on was originally part of the Louisiana Purchase bought from France in 1803.

The Native American Tribes of Wea and Piankashaw arrived in the area which became Louisburg in 1827 as the result of treaties that forced their removal from their Indiana homelands.

Both “New St. Louis” and “Little St. Louis” were names for this early neighborhood comprising residences, establishments, places of worship, and a railroad terminal. Louisburg was given its current name in 1871 or 1872 due to the confusion with St. Louis, Missouri, caused by the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad.

Louisburg experienced significant disorder early in it's history in part due to the town’s status as a “boomtown” and ongoing disputes between Kansas Jayhawkers and Missouri Raiders.

The railroad tracks that cut through Louisburg physically divided the town into North and South neighborhoods. Homes and businesses started to relocate from the north of the lines to the south and up the hill to what would eventually become downtown Louisburg around the year 1875.

In 1882 Louisburg was incorporated as a third class city with population of four hundred. In the early 1900s downtown Louisburg was bustling with retail and supply stores, two livery stables, a hotel, and a few automobiles lining Main Street, which was later named Broadway.

02/06/2026

When Victory Was the Only Choice...

During the Civil War, federal law initially barred Black men from military service, but the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 opened the door. In June our speaker shared the initial story of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, the very first Black unit to participate in Civil War combat at the battle of Island Mound, near Butler, MO. Outnumbered two to one, their ferocious bravery and fighting skill led them to victory.

This victory led the Union to form many more black units and, for the 1st Kansas, it meant many more battles to fight, as the Union sorely needed their proven valor and skill throughout the war.

Join us as we follow the 1st Kansas' fighting journey all the way to Indian Territory and Arkansas and back again to Kansas. And, as a nod to the future Paola resident we recognized in June, our cemetery sextant Bill Gordon and who is pictured in our cemetery exhibit, we will highlight his specific service as a member of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry.

No Admission Charge
Reservations Not Needed
Donations Appreciated

02/04/2026

The Day the Ursuline Sisters Came to Town...

In 1894, two Ursuline Sisters from Louisville, Kentucky came to Paola to investigate the possibility of establishing an academy and convent. During the era of cultural assimilation, the sisters were originally interested in educating the Native Americans of eastern Kansas to the ways of white culture and civilization. By 1894, however, the majority of the emigrant tribes had moved to Oklahoma as a result of a second forced removal act. The academy then had to refocus their mission to mainstream education.

Several towns offered locations for the school to the sisters, but Paola businessmen subscribed the money for the purchase of a tract of land on which to build a school – five acres on East Wea Street. According to the files of the Western Spirit for July 7, 1895, the land was purchased for $500 and donated to the sisters.

J.N.D. Clark of Kansas City, Kansas was commissioned to design the building and John Fordyce of Paola was selected as the general contractor. The cornerstone was laid on September 1, 1895 in the presence of 1000 people. This community interest and participation in the Academy was an important facet of the Ursuline history.

02/01/2026

We honor Local and National Black History Month

Knowing the past opens the door to the future!

We must remember there is no more powerful force than a people steeped in their history. And there is no higher cause than honoring their struggle and ancestors by remembering.

Images

First photo is William "Bill" Gordon, grave digger for decades at the Paola Cemetery, Paola, Kansas

Other photos of miscellaneous well known figures in Black American history

02/01/2026

Ladies love hats and we love ladies having fun with our Museum's hat collection.

History of Hats

Hats evolved from practical head coverings for sun/cold protection (like Ötzi the Iceman's cap) in ancient times to powerful status symbols in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, marking social class, religion, or marital status (e.g., Jewish Judenhut, hennins, turbans). The 19th century saw the peak of hat-wearing, with top hats for elites and bowlers for the middle class, but a decline began in the 1960s due to cars, changing fashion, and cultural shifts, though they remain for specific occasions or cultural identity.

01/24/2026

Osawatomie, a Poet's Corner

May Williams Ward was a distinguished poet. Born in Missouri in1882, her family moved to her mother’s hometown of Osawatomie (Miami County) when she was seven.

After several future moves, the family eventually settled in Wellington (Sumner County). Ward published her first poem in 1921, and within four years she was nationally recognized for her talent. Her poems appeared in periodicals such as “Ladies Home Journal,” “Good Housekeeping” and “Kansas City Star.”

By 1926 Ward had published 300 poems in 35 magazines. That same year she became the editor of “The Harp,” a poetry magazine published in Larned (Pawnee County).

During her 50-year career, Ward published 2,000 poems and seven books. William Allen White referred to her as “the champion poet of Kansas.”

Source
Kansas Historical Society

01/23/2026

01/23/2026

Notice;

Osawatomie depot Museum WILL BE CLOSED TODAY AS WELL DUE TO FRIGID COLD 🥶 🥶

01/23/2026

Please pass the word we are closed today January 23, 2026

We will see you all next Wednesday!

Stay warm and safe ✅