Miami County Kansas Historical Museum

03/15/2026

Great things happen when vision, creativity, perseverance and team work come together!

The Miami County Kansas Historical Museum has been awarded a grant from Kansas Tourism for the project, "A Walk Through Time in Native American Life." This exhibit will feature interactive stations, water features, artwork, a traditional Wiikiaami shelter, and more!

We strive to honor the tribes that were indigenous to our area and those who were forcefully removed from their homeland to this soil.

03/14/2026

03/14/2026

Have you heard about the fantastic monthly presentations at the museum? We are getting lots of positive reviews. And, guess what? We need a volunteer monthly presentation coordinator. Could that person be you?

Interested? Call our Executive Director, Jana Harrington Barcus, at (913) 333-2657.

03/12/2026

We are proud to announce the presentation of in-house monthly exhibits at our renovated and ever improving historical museum.

The theme of the March exhibit centers around the Civil War as it affected Miami County, Kansas (and beyond!)

Think of this...

Initially, many enthusiastically supported the war effort, viewing it as a duty to send sons and husbands to fight for their respective causes. But then, a weariness of the death and loss developed with some attempting to rally others against the violence.

Please visit our museum and go back in time.

“The fight must go on. The cause of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one or even one hundred defeats.” — Abraham Lincoln

03/11/2026

Ever wonder who you are?

Genealogy is the study of family history and lineage. There is a methodology involved in discovering our "roots!" Join us for on March 12 and learn how to approach learning about those who came before us...those who often are responsible for who we are and where we are!

No charge.

03/08/2026

Ribbon Mastery...the Miami Tribe

Shannera McCoy, past Miami Nation Tribal Princess and descendent of tribal members who arrived in Miami County as the result of the forced government removal in 1846, explains the background of beautiful Myaamia (Miami) Ribbonwork.

Ribbonwork is a craft that emerged in the late 1700s when Myaamia people traded with Americans for silk ribbon. Using the silk, Miami women were able to create intricate geometric patterns.

Although the materials and methods of making the patterns were new, elements of the patterns pre-dated ribbonwork and can be found on older painted hides, tattoos, quillwork, and weaving, among other examples. Myaamia people used the ribbonwork to adorn clothing for special occasions for both men and women, especially leggings, skirts and moccasins.

Traditionally, ribbonwork would have been taught to one another by family members. While this is still considered the best way to learn a skill, it is not realistic for a community as geographically dispersed as the Myaamia.

Source

https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/education/education-resources/myaamia-ribbonwork/

02/27/2026

A Genius Among Us

George Washington Carver
309 E Miami Street
Paola, Kansas

George Washington Carver (c. 1864–1943) was a renowned African American agricultural scientist, educator, and inventor born into slavery who revolutionized Southern agriculture. He developed over 300 uses for peanuts and 100 for sweet potatoes to promote crop rotation, helping poor farmers diversify away from soil-depleting cotton.

At one point in his life, Mr. Carver called the house at 309 E Miami Street in Paola, Kansas "home!". The house was built in 1920.

Research confirms that George Washington Carver lived at that house for a short period of time after moving from Fort Scott to Paola and then moving to Minneapolis, Kansas.

02/20/2026

Supply Train Heading West, October 1864
A Very Complex Time in Miami County, Kansas

Supply train of oxen coming to Paola to prepare for the Sterling Price invasion from Missouri

This very early picture of Paola was taken at the intersection of Peoria and Silver looking west Eye Care Doctors building is now on the left.)

Major-General Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was a United States General and senior officer of the Confederate States Army who fought in both the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. He rose to prominence during the Mexican–American War and served as governor of Missouri from 1853 to 1857.

Background Information:

The "Paola Post" became one of the more important posts along the Kansas-Missouri border during the Civil War. It became a district headquarters in 1863. Later, in September 1864, it was designated a subdistrict headquarters, when the district headquarters was moved to Lawrence, Kansas. The military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Gibson ran through Paola, thus ensuring the post always had some importance.

In fall 1864 Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price raided Missouri and this caused much activity at Paola's post. Men were moved into and out of Paola from the first of October until Price neared the area in late October. It was even feared Paola's post, which had considerable military stores, would be left defenseless. When Price was defeated in the Battle of Westport on October 23, he retreated south along the Kansas-Missouri border. The next day Price passed within 10 miles (16 km) of Paola, which had some troops left to defend it.

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.