More than 230 museums, historical societies, and heritage sites partner with us in telling these stories. Join us in our efforts in helping to interpret history that helped shape a nation.
1855 Harris-Kearney House Museum and Westport Historical Society
1859 Jail, Marshal’s Home and Museum
Adrian Area Historical Society
Agency Ford Museum
Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art
Alexander Majors House and Barn
Alexander/Madison Chapter of KC Buffalo Soldiers
Allen County Historical Society
Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum
Amelia Earhart Hanger Museum
American Flight Museum
American Jazz Museum
Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center
Appleton City Landmark Restorations, Inc.
Arabia Steamboat Museum
Archives & Research Center of Franklin Co KS
Atchison County Historical Society
Atkins-Johnson Farm & Museum
Baker Wetlands and Discovery Center
Basehor Historical Museum Society
Bates County Museum & Historical Society
Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site
Battle of Lexington State Historic Site
Battle of Westport Museum
Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum
Beecher Bible and Rifle Church
Bingham-Waggoner Estate
Black American Blueprint Collective
Black Archives Museum of St. Joseph
Black Archives of Mid America
Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park
Blue Room and Gem Theatre
Boston Daniels Park and Corporation
Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site
Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center
Burlingame Historical Preservation Society
Burlingame Schuyler Museum
Burnt District Monument and Sharps-Hopper Cabin
Caney Valley Historical Society & Museum
Carnegie Building
Cass County Historical Society and Museum
Cave Spring Park, home of Barnes Enclosure, Cave Spring, and 3 Trails
Cherryvale Historical Museum
Civil War Round Table of Kansas City
Civil War Round Table of Western Missouri
Clay County Archives & Historical Library
Clay County Historic Sites
Clay County Historical Society Museum
Clearfield County Historical Society
Clendening History of Medicine Museum
Coffey County Historical Society Museum
Concordia Area Museum and Historical Society
Confederate Memorial State Historic Site
Constitution Hall SHS Lecompton
Constitution Hall Topeka
Crawford County Historical Museum
Curtis House Museum
Democratic Headquarters of Kansas Territory in Lecompton
DeSoto Historical Society
Dietrich Cabin
Dole Institute of Politics
Dorothy Day Log Cabin at Platte Wildlife Preserve
Douglas County Chapter of Santa Fe Trail Association and Ivan Boyd Prairie
Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council
Douglass School Project
Edgerton Community Museum
Ernie Miller Nature Center
Eudora Area Historical Society and Community Museum
Excelsior Springs Museum and Archives
First Territorial Capitol State Historic Site
Fishburn Archives & Special Collections at Park University
Flint Hills Discovery Center
Forest Grove Cemetery Project
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery
Fort Osage National Historic Landmark
Fort Scott National Historic Site
Franklin County Historical Society
Friends of the Free State Capitol
Frontier Army Museum
Gardner Historical Museum
Gardner Junction Park
Garrison School Cultural Center
Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America
Geary County Historical Society
General Jo Shelby Park and Statue
George Historic Cemetery Association, Inc.
Glore Psychiatric Museum
Goodnow House State Historic Site
Gordon Parks Museum
Great Overland Station
Grinter Place State Historic Site
Guardians of Grover Barn
Harry S. Truman Birthplace State Historic Site
Harry S. Truman Farm Home in Grandview
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
Harry S. Truman NHS Home Site – Independence
Harry S. Truman NHS Visitor Center
Haskell Cultural Center and Museum
Historic Mt. Gilead Church and School
Historic Topeka Cemetery
Historical Society of New Santa Fe and the Trailside Center
Howard Cemetery
Humboldt Historical Society and Museum
Humboldt’s Orcutt Living History Backyard Museum
Huron Indian Cemetery
Independence Historical Museum and Art Center
Jackson County Historical Society
Jefferson County Historical and Genealogical Society
Jesse James Bank Museum
Jesse James Birthplace Farm and Museum
Jesse James Home Museum (at Patee House)
John and Mary Ritchie House
John Brown Museum SHS and Adair Cabin
John Brown Speaks
Johnson County Historic Courthouse Museum
Johnson County Library
Johnson County Museum
Johnson County, MO Historical Society
Juneteenth, KC
Kansas City Area Historic Trails Association
Kansas City Kansas Community College
Kansas City Museum
Kansas Historical Society
Kaw Point Park
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
King Hill Cemetery and Preservation Corps
KU Natural History Museum
La Cygne Historical Society
LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, UMKC
Lanesfield School Historic Site
Lansing Historical Museum
Lawrence Public Library
Lawrence/Douglas Co Community Remembrance Project
Leavenworth Historical Society and Carroll Mansion Museum
Lecompton Historical Society And Territorial Capitol Museum
Lee’s Summit Historical Society, Museum, and Historic Cemetery
Legler Barn Museum and Depot
Leila’s Hair Museum
Lenexa Historical Society
Leonard H. Axe Library at Pittsburg State University
Lexington Historical Association and Museum
Liberty African American Legacy Memorial Project at Garrison School
Liberty Jail Historic Site
Lied Center
Linn County Historical Society and Museum
Little House on the Prairie Museum
Lone Jack Historical Society
Louisburg Historical Society
Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm
Marais de Cygnes Society and Massacre State Historic Site
Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art
Marla Quilts, and African Quilts Museum, Inc.
Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary
McClure Archives and University Museum UCM
Mem-Erie Historical Museum
Merriam Historic Plaza
Miami County Historical Museum
Midland Railway Depot
Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site
Miners Hall Museum
Missouri River Outfitters Chapter of Sante Fe Trails Association
Missouri Town
Missouri Valley Room KCMO Library
Monticello Community Historical Society
Mound City Historical Society and Park
Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park
Mount Mora Cemetery
Museum at Prairiefire
Museum of Deaf History, Arts & Culture, Inc (MDHAC)
Museum of the Kansas National Guard
National Archives at Kansas City
National Frontier Trails Museum
National World War I Museum and Memorial
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Newell-Johnson-Searle House
Olathe Historical Society
Olathe Memorial Cemetery
Olathe Public Library
Old Castle Museum at Baker University
Old Depot Museum
Old Jefferson Town
Old Prairie Town at Warde-Meade Historic Site
Old Quindaro Museum
Old Stone House Along the Oregon Trail Conservancy
Opothleyahola Memorial Building
Oregon-California Trails Association
Osage Mission-Neosho County Historical Society Museum and Graves Library
Osage Village State Historic Site
Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Overland Park Historical Society
Partners of the First Territorial Capitol
Patee House Museum
Pharis Farm
Platte County Historical Society and Ben Ferrel Museum
Pony Express National Museum
Poplar Heights Living History Farm and Museum
Prairie State Park
Quindaro Overlook and Ruins
Quindaro Underground Railroad Museum (Historic Vernon School)
Rapp School
Ray County Historical Society Museum and Genealogical Library
Raytown Historical Society And Museum
Remington Nature Center
Rice-Tremonti Home
Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum
Riley County Genealogical Society
Riley County Historical Society and Museum
Ritchie Cemetery Friends Group, Inc.
Roubidoux Row Museum
Sauk River Camp
SEK Museum Alliance
Shawnee County Historical Society
Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site
Shawnee Mission DAR Chapter
Shawnee Town 1929 Museum
Shoal Creek Living History Museum
Smithville MO Historical Society
Southeast KS Nature Center at Schermerhorn Park and Cave
Spencer Museum of Art
St. Clair County Historical Society and Museum
St. Joseph Museums
St. Philippine Duchesne Shrine and Potawatomie Trail of Death Memorial Park
Sumner Elementary School (Brown v Board Sumner Legacy Trust)
Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site
Tonganoxie Community Historical Society
Topeka Genealogical Society
Trading Post Museum
Union Cemetery Historical Society and Cemetery
Union Station
Vaile Victorian Mansion
Vernon County Historical Society and Bushwacker Museum
Virginia School
Wabaunsee County Historical Society and Museum
Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum
Wakefield Museum
Watkins Museum of History and Douglas County Historical Society
Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site
Weaving the River
Wells P. Bailey House & Historic Preservation Partnership of Lyndon, Inc.
Wentworth Military Academy Museum
William Clarke Quantrill Society
Wilson County Historical Society and Museum
Wonder Workshop Children’s Museum
Woodson County Historical Society and Museum
Wornall Majors House Museums
Wyandot Nation of Kansas
Wyandotte County Historical Museum
Wyandotte High School Alumni Center
Wyeth-Tootle Mansion
Extraordinary events in Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area forever changed America. In the nineteenth century, the nation turned its eyes to the Missouri-Kansas border, where peoples with diverse definitions of freedom collided, inciting and fueling a Civil War. The impact of these events is forever woven into the nation’s fabric.
Freedom’s Frontier began as a grassroots effort of people just like you, who were concerned about our landscape. They understood that we have an important, nationally significant story to share about shaping the frontier, the Missouri-Kansas Border War, and the enduring struggle for freedom. More than 230 museums, historical societies, and heritage sites partner with us in telling these stories. Join us in our efforts in helping to interpret history that helped shape a nation.
Freedom’s Frontier offers a wide selection of interactive tours that guide users to partner sites across the heritage area. Browse our library at our new tour portal.
FFNHA is located in Lawrence’s historic Carnegie building. There, interpretive panels across two rooms describe the settlement of the frontier, the Missouri-Kansas border war, and the enduring struggle for freedom.
These exhibits are open to the public by appointment Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. through 4 p.m.
To make an appointment, visitors may contact Kate Sutter.
Learn about the benefits of FFNHA partnership here.
