Linn County Museum and History Tour opens windows into past

A main attraction at the tour on Sunday, Oct. 19, was the performances by the Young Historians at the La Cygne Museum. The historians, who range in age from grade school to college age, assume the roles of historical figures from La Cygne's past. (Photos by Billy Roudybush / Journal contributor)

By Billy Roudybush

Journal contributor

On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18-19, the museums in Linn County opened their doors for people to come visit during the Linn County Museum and History Tour. 

Saturday morning the tour started at the Trading Post Museum. It may have seemed like a normal day but along with the museum tour, Trading Post was a stopover for a gravel road bicycle tour. So, as people were enjoying the many sites in the museum, bicyclers were stopping in for a pit stop and then continuing their trip. 

There were pastries and Aubin Skipper and Becky McGinnis were showing some beading skills to young people who came to the museum. The history this museum shares ranges from a chain that Skipper’s carved out of wood to a schoolhouse with desk for young people and older students.

This display of Civil War ammunition is found at the Trading Post Museum.

The 48-star flag always reminds us that when this school was in session, we only had 48 states. Also, there are stories about families that settled in the area, a testament to the effort that was put into settling this area.

After Trading Post, people moved on to the Linn County Museum in Pleasanton at noon. A nice luncheon snack was laid out for everyone to enjoy. They were greeted by Sarah Epps and walked through the museum. 

This life-size diorama of a mechanic working on a 1928 Model A Ford is found in the Linn County Historical Society Museum in Pleasanton.

When you first walk in, there is the early history of Linn County along with the Civil War.  On further inspection visitors see the general store and the other dioramas of historical scenes. 

If you make the effort to go all the way to the back, you see cars collected by the late Waldo Cox: Model As, Lincolns, Mustangs. Everything some collectors may want to see.  There is also the history of Pleasanton as well as a genealogical library.

The Linn County Museum at Pleasanton is a treasure trove of little known information about Civil War-era events, including the establishment of Camp Defiance near Pleasanton.

From Pleasanton, visitors migrated to the Mound City Historical Park. Here you had the history of a few families during the 1800s. The park has an old schoolhouse and an old band wagon, and a couple of log cabins. The buildings vary in construction, from stone to wood siding to wood planks as in the 1800s again. For the tour, guides focus on the life and time of James Montgomery, an abolitionist who agreed with John Brown except Brown’s willingness to result to killing people for his cause.

Vistors to the Mound City Historical Park could visit with reenacts dressed in period garb like this volunteer at the replica of James Montgomery's cabin.

While Saturday seemed a little dreary due to the clouds and the threat of rain all day. on Sunday, the story was totally different, it was sunny and comfortable. 

The La Cygne Historical Society’s museum was fully prepared. In addition to providing a lunch of hot dogs, chips and cookies, the volunteers there wanted to focus on their Young Historians program. 

A new addition to the Mound City Historical site are metal signs like this at most of the structures there. Designed by Mat Casner of local company Red Logic, the signs have QR codes that can lead visitors on a virtual tour of the building when no volunteers are present to lead a tour.

Youths from 6 years old up to young adults assumed the identities of area historical figures and talked about different objects, displays, or lives of people from La Cygne. The young people proved to be real stars as they made their presentations. 

This ornate dresser is one of the historical home furnishings found at the La Cygne Museum.

You did not just read a little card, instead the kids made the person or situation come alive.  It is a very invigorating way to learn about history and to get young people involved with history.

The final stop on the tour was the Parker Museum. I have to admit, when I walked in a memory hit me.

Years ago, I had a conversation with a man, and he shared that he wished he had got the 8-minute clock from a school when it closed from south of Burton, Kan. The first thing the visitor notices on entering the museum: Parker’s 8-minute clock from the now-defunct high school. There were many memories from Parker’s schools. That is not what I found as a treasure.

The eight-minute scoreboard rescued from the old Parker High School is one of the more interesting finds at the Parker Museum.

They had another school classroom, and they did a great job of setting it up. It was the additional storage that caught my attention. In the additional building, they had a homemade vehicle that ran on a lawnmower engine. There were many motors for different purposes from an old blacksmith shop. The one object that really stood out was the Cream Tester. It just proved that you never know what you will see. 

This homemade vehicles is another find at the Parker Museum.

The tour was fun. The people were a joy. There is so much to learn. Still, these museums are not the only places in Linn County. Along with these five museums there is the Mine Creek Historical site with the battlefield from 1864. There is also the Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site which was a part of the catalyst for the Civil War. Finally, there is the St. Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park where the tragedy and suffering of the Native Americans is memorialized. Linn County has many sites for people to visit.