Leavenworth County
Historical Society and Museum
KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE IN LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
Lee and Shirley Steiger Research Center
426 Cherokee Street
Leavenworth, KS
The
Leavenworth County Historical Society endeavors to
tell the one-of-a-kind
stories of Leavenworth’s past with exhibits, historical
programs, and community
outreach initiatives.
The
Society
maintains selective standards and policies which seek to
preserve that
which is essential to the interpretation of our cultural
heritage. Substantial
collections of photographic images and archived research
materials offer a
detailed study of early history only to be found in the
first city of Kansas.
An Invitation: Connect to Leavenworth History!
Carroll
Mansion Museum
1128
5th Avenue
Leavenworth,
KS
Since 1965,
visitors from around
the world have walked through the doors at 1128 Fifth
Avenue, the Carroll
Mansion Museum, to experience a “step back in time” to
the Victorian era of
Leavenworth. Renovated from an 1858 four-room farmhouse
to a 16-room Queen Anne
Victorian, the museum reflects the ideals held by
Victorian society about
status, education, and economic stability. Listed on the
National Register of
Historic Places, the house has become a vessel holding
our history -- household
artifacts, clothing, decorative and fine arts and
portraiture.
Spirit Of The Buffalo
Click Here for more information regarding the Spirit Of The Buffalo outdoor exhibit for Leavenworth County.
First Families of Leavenworth County
Membership Invitation to Descendants of Early Settlers
The Leavenworth County Historical Society, located in the Pioneer City of Kansas, is pleased to announce the First Families of Leavenworth County Kansas program to recognize and honor the residence of early families in Leavenworth County, Kansas.
The program is an ongoing effort to preserve the county’s rich heritage of history surrounding Fort Leavenworth and Leavenworth, the Pioneer City of Kansas, for future generations.
The Leavenworth County Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization,with revenue derived from memberships, donations, research, tour fees of our home, the Carroll Mansion Museum, and numerous fundraising activities.
Types of Certificates
Territorial Certificate Ancestors proven
to have resided in Leavenworth County, Kansas on or
before statehood, 29 January 1861
Pioneer Certificate Ancestor proven to
have resided in Leavenworth County, Kansas between 29
January 1861 and 31 December 1880
Early Settler Certificate Ancestor
proven to have resided in Leavenworth County, Kansas
between 1 January 1881 and 31 December 1900
Application and Fees
• Applicant must be able to prove descent for EACH
GENERATION CONNECTING TO THE NEXT with an official
record of some type or other acceptable source of proof
(i.e.: census records; obituaries; county histories;
birth, death or marriage records; school or church
records; newspaper clippings and any other records
showing proof.)
• Applicant must show a relationship to his or her
pioneer relative and must prove relationship with an
official record of some type (i.e. census records,
obituaries. county histories, birth record, etc).
• Applicant does not have to live in Kansas or ever have
lived in Kansas.
To apply for a certificate, each applicant will need to
complete an application form. This form includes the
certificate application, permission to publish, a line
of descendant chart, and a pedigree chart. In addition,
each application will need to submit documentation to
substantiate the information included in the line of
descent chart, along with the application fee of $40, as
determined by the Historical Society. Once approved by
the LCHS Research Dept, applicant will be issued the
appropriate certificate.
**A brief summary of the family history in Leavenworth
is also recommended to be included with the application.
**
Printable
PDF application form.
Photographic Treasures of Historic Leavenworth, Kansas
Following the premiere of our
traveling exhibit in the
summer of 2022, at the Box Gallery in Commerce Bank,
Kansas City, Missouri, it
went on display at the Kenneth Spencer Research
Library at the University of
Kansas, Lawrence in Spring 2023.
Here is an on-line version of the exhibit:
and at Kenneth Spencer Research Library
Click Here to read our information about the traveling exhibit, and how to become a hosting venue.
Established
in 2021, the Greenwood Cemetery Preservation
Commission brings together interested groups and
individuals with a goal to preserve one of the oldest
pioneer cemeteries in Leavenworth. Through the
Society’s efforts, the cemetery was named to the
Kansas and National Registers of Historic Places in
2022. In December 2022, under the direction of the
local Jesse Leavenworth Chapter of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, the first Wreaths Across
America ceremony was held at the cemetery, with the
placement of wreaths on 15 known veteran headstones.
The cemetery is owned by the City of Leavenworth.
https://www.visitleavenworthks.com/visitors