A Treasure Trove of History Awaits Discovery!

The Leavenworth County Historical Society (LCHS) has been collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Leavenworth County and its environs in the First City of Kansas for nearly 70 years. Our home, the Carroll Mansion Museum, a fully furnished 16-room Victorian house, has witnessed this unique and noteworthy history, even before Kansas became a state. It is here we celebrate and promote local history with engaging events, inspiring exhibits, and a tremendous collection of archival materials, available for research.

Research: Archival Collections

The focus of the archival collection directly relates to the history of Leavenworth County. Items found in these collections are available for those who are researching the early history of Kansas, centered here in Leavenworth County, as well as those who are interested in learning more about early settlement, local businesses, manufacturing, or their family genealogy.

The archival collections have been maintained here for nearly 70 years and continue to grow. We rely on donations from people throughout our community to assist us with preserving this rich history.

A library of local history books as well as general reference books are available to assist researchers. The library includes titles such as:
History of Kansas Vol II, History of Kansas, Andres (Vol. I & II), A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans, William E. Connelley (1918), Annals of Kansas (Vol. I & II), Kansas/Kansans (Vol.I-V), History of Leavenworth County, KS by Leavenworth County Genealogical Society (1991), History of Leavenworth authors include, but are not limited to: Hall & Hand (1921), H. Miles Moore (1906), Burke (1860), Leavenworth City Directories from 1859-2012,
Charter of Ordinances of City of Leavenworth, Ks 1869-70
Portrait & Biographical Record of Leavenworth, Douglas, & Franklin Counties, Kansas (1899).

 

What follows is a sampling of our holdings:

Categories for Leavenworth Research:

Banks & Banking, Barns, Breweries (Kunz, Grund, Kirmeyer), Bleeding Kansas, Bridges (Begley, Centennial, Ft. Leavenworth Bridge, Pontoon, Terminal), Businesses Cemeteries, Churches, Coal Mines (Rocha Research), County and township histories Farms and farming, ferries, floods, Fort Leavenworth, Fort de Cavagnial, Fur trade Genealogies Historic Districts & Properties, Historic Preservation, Hospitals (Cushing & St. John’s), Hotels Industries & manufacturers (Abernathy Furniture, Missouri Valley Shipyard, Ackenhausen Saddlery, Great Western Stove, Union Stove, Fisher Machine Works, Goodjohn Door & Sash, Helmers Furniture, Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Kelly Broom Co., C. W. Parker), Immigration (African & Native Americans, German, Irish, Polish, Italian, French, Polish, Scandinavians) Jewish Synagogue Leavenworth photographers, mayors, sheriffs, businessmen and women News columns (Evelyn Delaney, Elizabeth Dysinger, George Remsburg, Harry Seckler, Annie & J. H. Johnston, “What’s in a Name” and museum columns) Parks, Railroads, Riverboats School Districts and one-room schools, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Sister cities: Omihachiman, Japan and Wagga Wagga, Australia Underground Railroad, University of St. Mary Vintage Homes World Wars and Leavenworth

Everhard-Phillips Glass Plate Negatives

Everhard-Phillips Collection of 30,000 Glass Plate Negatives taken in the first century of Leavenworth. Discover if your family is represented in this collection. Since most of the photos are identified by name, researchers may discover a portrait not previously known.
Visit the Historic Prints Glass Plate Collection page.

Leavenworth Notables:

Many early settlers came through Leavenworth on their way west and others visited or lived for a time in Leavenworth. Fort Leavenworth produced many of the nation’s generals.
James Abernathy, Susan B. Anthony & her brother Col D.R. Anthony, Sen. Lucien Baker, Gen. George B. Barth, Supreme Court Justice David Brewer, B.K. Bruce, Senator Alexander Caldwell, Gov. Thomas Carney, E.S. Catlin, Buffalo Bill Cody, Hilda Clark, Robert Crozier, Harriet Cushing, Mark Delahay, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Thomas Ewing, Jr. and III, E.E. Henry, Madame Carrie Hall, Fred Harvey Family, Wild Bill Hickok, Percival G. Lowe, Douglas MacArthur, H. Miles Moore, C.W. Parker, Russell, Majors & Waddell to mention only a few.

Other Significant Collections:

•Abraham Lincoln Visit to Kansas 1859
•Isaac Cody Family (Buffalo Bill Cody, Buffalo Bill Days Programs)
•Chambers Collection (LV Terminal Railway & Bridge Co., 1896-97; Home Riverside Coal Mine)
•LCHS Newsletters & Minutes from 1955
•Leavenworth High School June Bug yearbooks (1907-1978)
•Leavenworth County Genealogy Society’s “Rooting Around” publication (1981-2001)
•Scrapbooks (H.H. Seckler, Margaret Taryman, Renensland, J. Baum, Feller, Mitchell & Roach Family of Lowemont and Boling Community –70 volumes) •Burial Index & Permits, Divorce & marriage records
•County Cemeteries to include Greenwood Cemetery 1866 map
•Family Papers (Gov. George Anthony, Mary Everhard, Arthur Stanley, Fred Harvey, Edward Carroll, Chester & Annabelle Morris, Helen Yoakum, Bannon, Edward Chapman, Farrell & Yoakum)
• Feth & Feth Architect Buildings
•Genealogies: (Bromell-Richstatter; Edward Carroll & F.E. Hunt; Considine-Sachse; Gaiser-Brandt; David Brewer; Greenamyre; Ben Holladay; Hollowell-Cronkite; Arthur Jahn; King, Potter, Rosa, Cutler & Hare; Heinrich Klemp; W.M.D. Lee, G.W. Lang; Phillips; Reed; Rohrbach; Lucien Scott; Martin & Elizabeth Smith; Hon. Arthur J. Stanley Jr., David Sloan Stanley; Taylor, Stith, Learned, Wilmer & Rutherford; Tearney; Tullock; Wollman-Bloch)
•Historical Plaques of Leavenworth County
•Historic Preservation (Leavenworth Historic Resources Survey, National Register of Historic Places in Leavenworth County, Leavenworth Historic Districts, Leavenworth Survey & Nomination project, Leavenworth Riverfront Downtown Economic Strategy, Leavenworth Vision Building a Livable Future, Leavenworth Landing Project Area, Kansas Preservation Alliance Most Endangered Historic Places, Kansas Preservation, LV Co. Courthouse Historic Collection)
•Leavenworth Girl Scouts (1933-1940)
•Leavenworth Vintage Homes
•Maps 1903 Leavenworth County Townships, Bain City, Eastern Kansas 1856, Easton, Ks 1856, Fort Leavenworth, 1881, Pony Express, Plan of City of Leavenworth, 1876 by Ado Hunnius, Leavenworth City, K.T. 1858, Leavenworth, KS, 1869, VA Campus
•Selected issues Kansas Magazine
•Sexton Funeral Home Records
•Dwight D. Eisenhower Veteran’s Administration (Photos, Historic Preservation Plan, Proposed Redevelopment & Adaptive Reuse Program)

 

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Helpful Links to Historical Research of Leavenworth:

 

 

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Appointments:

Research appointments are required so that an archivist/research assistant will be available.

Research Fees:

$25 for initial request to conduct research; $20/hour thereafter.
$10/hour for in-person research. It is strongly recommended that an appointment be made so an archivist/research assistant is available to assist you.
Members of the Leavenworth County Historical Society are entitled to 2 free one-hour searches of the archives per year.

Photocopying Fee:

$0.50/ per page for black & white
$0.80/ per page for color
$10 fee for use of a personal scanner, camera, or iPhone.

Photo Print Pricing Available Upon Request

Photo prints purchased from the LCHS files cannot be used for purposes other than private study and research. Publication and or copying of photo prints require the express permission of the LCHS and payment of required fee.

Reproduction of archival items will be made in accordance with the Copyright Law. Items copied are restricted use for the purposes of private study, scholarship or research. It is up to the patron to determine copyright status and to contact the copyright holder if they wish to use the copies in a manner that does not fit the terms of "fair use".

Online Request Method

Requires online payment

NOTE: Before proceeding, please have ready as much additional information as you can and send to us with this form -- such as names and dates for all spouses, children, siblings, parents, other; church membership; place of burial; other places of residence; etc.
We do not have Leavenworth County adoption or court records.

Research requests are generally completed within 6 to 8 weeks

Research fee is $25 for initial request to conduct research; $20/hour thereafter.

Mail in Request: Research requests are also accepted by mail. Use the format on the following page to print all the information and mail in, along with payment of the fee.