By Heather Hagedorn
Geary County Historical Society Director / Curator
As we get close to the Geary County Commission making decisions on financial support, we are hearing a lot of questions about “what does the Historical Society do?” so, we’d love to tell you.
The Geary County Historical Society has been a proud part of Junction City and Geary County since 1972 when it was founded by a group of people hoping to save a historic building downtown. They ultimately failed in their mission, but over the years our organization has been instrumental in getting ground support behind preserving buildings like the Bartell House, the C.L. Hoover Opera House, the Spring Valley School site, Wetzel Cabin, St. Joseph’s Historic Church and of course our beloved museum building in the old Junction City High School/ Departmental Building, which was at risk of being turned into apartments before Fred Bramlage donated it to the Historical Society for restoration and preservation.
Six historic buildings are still in the care of the Geary County Historical Society.The museum staff is small; currently we only employ two full-time staff members and a part-time custodian. Prior to 2020, we had the privilege of having 3 full-time staff members and a part-time custodian, but as we’ve found our budget shrinking each year and costs rising, we have had to eliminate a position. Despite that, museum staff and volunteers are proud of the work we do.
Annually, the Geary County Museum hosts between 5,000-6,000 visitors to our museum building. These numbers include school children on free school field trips, homeschool families looking for additional educational opportunities for their families, past-residents of our community looking to reminisce or donate a precious piece of their family history, and visitors from out of town who are either looking for a place to stop on the interstate and choose our town because there is a museum to visit, or who are visiting family stationed at Fort Riley looking to understand their loved one’s new community better.
We were recognized as a “non-profit to know” in North Central Kansas in 2024. Exhibits within the museum rotate regularly, so there are new Geary County stories being told all the time. Past exhibits include Letters from Home, A Soldier’s Words; Healing Geary County, Geary County Doctors; The Year of the Soldier, an entire 3-floor museum display honoring our soldiers; SubMerged, Milford Dam and the History of Flooding; and dozens more. Current exhibits include the recently completed Missing Piece, Black history exhibit and Business Through the Ages.In the first half of 2
In the first half of 2025 alone, we have had 2,900 visitors from 22 states and 3 different countries visit our museum, we have had 15 school field trips or presentations, we have hosted 16 Hands on History, STEAM Saturday or Homesteading 101 programs and we have held 7 events for the community, including History Alive! a reenactment weekend that nearly 1000 people attended from across the state.
Along with front-facing work, museum staff also oversees the preservation of Geary County’s history. This includes thousands of photographs, dating back to the 1850 to the present; nearly 100,000 objects including military uniforms from our local military heroes, wedding dresses lovingly saved, the candy making tools from the Kaw Theater, the bar mirror from the original Bartell House, the counter top from the Peter Pan Grocery Store, items from local indigenous tribes, mammoth bones found in local rivers, Civil War weaponry, every Junction City High School yearbook printed since 1900, postcards, letters, and more. We hear so often that history is important, and we couldn’t agree more—that is what your hard-earned tax money is supporting: history!
We are just as horrified as you by the recent news that the Fort Riley museums are at risk of closure—that is local history that will now be unavailable to the public to learn from. We are asking that you remember your outrage at that news and hold onto the belief that history is a vital part of our community as you consider the support of our organization when speaking with our commissioners and among our community.
And if you haven’t visited us yet, it isn’t too late! We are located at 530 N. Adams (yes, that big building across from Subway). The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 1-4pm (mornings are kept open for school field trips, prep work, meetings and private tours). Starcke House is open for tour any day that the museum is open. Spring Valley Historic Site can be toured by appointment, or you are welcome to wander around the exteriors during daytime hours. St. Joseph’s Historic Church is a work in preservation progress, but it is also available to tour by appointment. We are so proud of the history of our community and the work we do to preserve and share it. We hope you will join us in feeling that pride.