Exhibits
Trowbridge & Barker Galleries
Named for Harry Trowbridge, the founding curator/director of the Wyandotte County Museum in 1955, this gallery showcases his archaeological collections of Native American artifacts. Many of these Hopewell artifacts were discovered in the vicinity of 61st Street and Leavenworth Road, which is now a listed archaeological site on both the Register of Historic Kansas Sites and National Register of Historic Places, 14WY1.This gallery also includes many other relics collected by Trowbridge through his archaeological connections and his travels.
The Barker Gallery looks at the stories of the three immigrant tribes of Wyandotte County; The Shawnee, Delaware and the Wyandot. In the 19th century, these immigrant tribes migrated to the area of present-day Wyandotte County. Highlights of the museum collection on display are a mid-1800s dug-out canoe, the Conley Sisters double-barrel shotgun and the tool chest belonging to James Parr, the first mayor of Wyandotte City (predecessor of Kansas City, KS).
Wyandotte County Heritage Gallery
Phase One will tell the story of the county's earliest railroads and industries. It will help visitors understand how Kansas City, Kansas and surrounding communities came to be formed and will highlight stories from our multi-cultural past. Phase Two and Three will continue the story until 2000 and will be completed by 2023.
A huge thank you to the Union Pacific Foundation, the Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Charitable Trust for their support of this project!
Learn More About Our Current Temporary Exhibit
Take a trip down memory lane with “The Wayback to School Exhibit: Wyandotte County Schools through Time”. This exhibit will feature memorabilia, photographs, and more from Wyandotte County High Schools. It will also include images and history of county elementary and middle schools. Visitors will also be able to search for relatives in school district records from 1899 to 1962. These ledgers include 8th grade graduation, attendance, county exam, teacher certificate, school officer records. There will also be a space for visitors to leave personal stories about their school year memories, that will be archived for future use.
This fun and informative exhibit will take visitors down memory lane and is a great place to meet with childhood friends to catch up and reminisce. While you are here, don’t forget to show your team spirit by leaving a story, tagging us on Facebook, or sharing with friends.
The Wayback to School Exhibit will be on display at the Wyandotte County Museum from March 10th – September 1st. Admission is free.