As the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Kansas Museum of History invites the public to explore what the land that would become Kansas looked like in 1776 through its new special exhibit, Kansas 1776: A Dynamic Landscape.
The exhibit offers visitors an opportunity to reflect on 250 years of change while gaining a deeper appreciation for the people, wildlife, and landscapes that have shaped Kansas across thousands of years. Highlights include mastodon teeth, a Tylosaurus skull from the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, an immersive visual space, a tree cross-section dating to the Revolutionary War era, and more artifacts from the last 250 years.
“The place we now know as Kansas has changed greatly over the last 250 years,” said Museum Director Sarah Bell. “Both environmentally and culturally, it was a vastly different place in 1776 than it is today. In honor of our country’s 250th anniversary, the Kansas Museum of History is opening a new special exhibit in July called Kansas 1776: A Dynamic Landscape. While not yet a state, Kansas was not a land waiting for something to happen. It was a dynamic landscape that had already changed greatly over the course of millennia, and it would continue to change over the next 250 years.”
Kansas 1776: A Dynamic Landscape opens July 2 and runs through February 2027 at the Kansas Museum of History. For more information, contact the Kansas Museum of History at 785-272-8681 or by emailing kshs.kansasmuseum@ks.gov.
Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) builds awareness of struggles for freedom in western Missouri and eastern Kansas. Established by Congress in 2006, FFNHA covers a unique physical and cultural landscape across 41 counties and 31,000 square miles. It promotes three diverse, interwoven, and nationally significant stories: frontier settlement, the Missouri-Kansas Border War and Civil War, and enduring civil rights disputes. FFNHA inspires respect for multiple perspectives and empowers area residents to preserve and share these stories, achieving its goals through interpretation, preservation, conservation, and education for all residents and visitors. It is one of 62 federally recognized national heritage areas across the United States.