Tour the Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum with LPA

/ Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum/

716 N 1190 Rd - Lawrence
Tuesday, July 16th
6:00pm

  • LPA Members - $15

  • Non-Members - $20

  • Individual LPA Membership + Ticket - $35

Join Lawrence Preservation Alliance for an exclusive evening event as we explore a part of the rich history of the Wakarusa Valley from the period of white colonization to the creation of Clinton Reservoir.

With passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, not all emigrants to Douglas County settled in Lawrence. Farmsteads and small communities sprung up around the county: ten different communities in the Wakarusa River Valley to the southwest of Lawrence alone are recognized in this museum’s extensive collections, although a few of those  were short-lived. By the time the 7,000 acre reservoir began holding water in 1977 (achieving normal fill levels in 1980), property owners within the water’s footprint had been bought out by the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers, and there were bitter feelings within some of the last residents of communities like Clinton, Bloomington and Richland.

The museum sits on property once owned  by J.C. Steele. Vandals destroyed the once stately house there before the Corps could finalize a lease of three acres initially (now seven) with a newly-formed non-profit formed to create the museum. Historian and journalist Martha Parker was the museum’s hard-working and determined co-founder and Executive Director.

The museum is housed in a restored farm building on grounds that overlook Bloomington Beach. A special sculpture installation by Stephen T. Johnson adorns the grounds. This museum has limited visiting hours. If you haven’t been, or just want to go back, this is a great opportunity to share the experience with your LPA friends and neighbors!

Get your tickets HERE.