History &
Heritage
You have the history
Help us tell it...
Education
From homeschooling to your next class fieldtrip let the Shawnee County Historical Society give you the tools to bring history alive.
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Shawnee County Historical Society
Cox Communications Heritage Education Center
The Historic John & Mary Jane Ritchie House
and the Bleeding Kansas era
1116-1118 SE Madison Avenue
P.O. Box 2201
Topeka, KS 66601
Phone: 785-234-6097
Emergency Phone: 785-224-4156
Historic Ritchie House Public Tours
Closed for Spring Break week of March 8th
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 am to 1 pm
Call for other times 785 234 6097
Suggested Admission Fee for Ritchie House
$.50 Students, $2.00 Adults.
Special Tours Available for Groups and Organizations
Every Sunday at 3:00PM, We are presenting Zoom meetings on various topics. You are welcome to join us and all you have to do is send us a request for a link at
Here are the tentative 3pm Sunday Programs in 2021
February 28th—Chris Cruz--Fred Harvey, setting the standard for fast, fine food with an envied concept that started in Topeka.
March 7th—Paul Post on the Bates Family, the Bates Banks and Bates Block(this is the Topeka Blueprint Building)
March 14th—Dan Werner—Historic buildings on Kansas Ave.
March 21st Landry Brewer The Cold War and its impact on Shawnee County
March 28th Brent Campney about Race Relations in the 1870's and beyond in Kansas
Lighting Freedom's Pathway;
Building Heritage & Culture
Are you interested in Lithographs of Old Areas of Shawnee county. We have five of them for sale for $15 a piece plus shipping and handling.
Click here to see the view of Tecumseh in 1869.
Click here to see old Topeka Buildings
Click here to see Topeka in 1869
Click Here to see Topeka in 1880
Click here to see a Map of the Great Plains
If you are interested call 785 234 6097 or send us an email at shawneecountyhistory.org
Please help the Society by signing up with Amazon Smiles or Dillon's and designate your purchases to help the Society. It won't cost you a thing and will help us. Click here and scroll down the page to see how to sign up.