Museum 'Passport Tour' slated for this weekend, Oct. 18-19
- Roger Sims, Journal Staff
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
By Roger Sims
A coalition of historians and museum curators are hoping that people across the Linn County area and beyond will take the opportunity to take a drive back in time on what may be a rainy and cool weekend to take a drive and reach into the region’s past.
The Linn County Museum and History tour is slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, and end on 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.
People who make the effort to visit each museum and have their "passport" stamped will be eligible for a drawing for a prize.
Here are the museums that will host the museum passport event:
Saturday
Trading Post Museum, Trading Post, unincorporated
Open 10 a.m. to noon
The museum will focus on the French settlement and Native American history of the area. Pastries will be served.
The Trading Post settlement was founded in 1825 by a French fur trader. In addition to the main museum building, the Trading Post Museum has a large barn filled with antique farm equipment. Also on the grounds are a couple of other buildings, including a one-room school house.
Although the mailing address is 15710 N. Fourth Street, Pleasanton, Trading Post is several miles north of Pleasanton's city limits. To go there take Kansas Highway 52 exit off of U.S. Highway 69. There will be a sign showing that K-52 will go to Butler, Mo. The frontage road to Trading Post is on the east side of the interchange, and the museum is about a quarter mile south.
Linn County Museum, 307 Park St., Pleasanton
Open noon to 2 p.m.
The museum has an extensive collection of Civil War artifacts (as well as other relics from the history of the area). Snacks will be served.
In addition to the main museum and genealogical research library, this stop has a display of antique vehicles. It has several rooms of displays of items that date back to before the city was founded in 1869. You'll need the full two hours to see everything in this museum.
Mound City Historical Park, 702 Main St., Mound City
Open 2 to 4 p.m.
This collection of historic buildings includes a log cabin, a one-room school house, a railroad depot, a restored barn, and an early-1900s bungalow. Mound City was the home of James Montgomery, who would lead raids into pro-slavery Missouri to free slaves. It also was a stop on the Underground Railroad and recently gained national recognition.
While there will be guides to answer questions, the historical park recently installed a set of all-weather signs by each building, giving some basic information but also including a QR code that visitor can scan with their mobile devices and learn more.
Sunday
La Cygne Historical Museum, 300 N. Broadway, La Cygne
Open noon to 2 p.m.
This stop features a display of quilts that date back into the area’s history. Many of the quilts have the names of families, some whose ancestors still live in the area, some whose names have faded into the dust of history.
Also on tap are performances by the Young Historians, a group of youngsters who have assumed the identity of people from the past who were important to the growth of the community. Chili dogs and chips will be served.
Parker Historical Museum, 209 W. Main St., Parker
Open 2 to 4 p.m.
The last stop on the tour is the museum for a community that dates back to 1888 when J.W. Parker carved out land for a town from an large apple orchard. The following year, trains ran through the town on recently laid tracks. The museum has two buildings, including a one-room school house. Cookies and drinks will be served.
Other historical sites that are not on the passport tour, but will be open, include:
Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site and visitor center
20485 Kansas Highway 52, Pleasanton
The battle of Mine Creek was the largest Civil War conflict in Kansas. The visitors center has artifacts that have been unearthed from the battlefield that covers hundreds of acres. The visitors center has a minimal charge to enter. Visitors can also walk the many paths on the battlefield site.
St. Philipine Duchesne Memorial Park
8199 W 1525 Road, Centerville
The final destination of the Trail of Death, this mission, an encampment for displaced members of the Potawatomi tribe, at least those that had survived the force march from their ancestral lands in Indiana. A group of crosses mark the otherwise unmarked resting places for an estimated 600 members of the tribe who died there. Several attractions at the park include folk art Stations of the Cross walk, a hiking path, and numerous memorials.
Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site
26426 E 1700th Rd, Pleasanton
In 1860, a group of 30 Missouri “ruffians” went from farm to farm in an area near the Trading Post settlement and collected 11 suspected abolitionists. The ruffians took the men to a draw, lined them up and began shooting. Five of the men died from their wounds, five were wounded and one escaped injury. Although a relatively small incident compared to the coming Civil War, the massacre fired passions of abolitionists. On the East Coast newspapers fanned the flames with reports of “bleeding Kansas.”
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