Freedom's Frontier

The Old Castle Museum Complex on the Baker University Campus in Baldwin City, Kansas, is home to a museum and three historically significant buildings: Old Castle, the Palmyra Post Office, and the Kibbee Cabin.

As the first home of Baker, Old Castle was once known as "The College Building," because at that time it was the first and only college building in the state. Now as a museum, The Old Castle houses artifacts from early Kansas, Methodist, and Baker history. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The town of Palmyra formed in 1855 as a wagon repair stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The Post Office is the last remaining building from the town, which merged with nearby Baldwin City. Moved to its current location in the 1960s, the Palmyra Post Office is one of only ten wood-frame structures associated with the Trail left in Kansas. It was added to the Register of Historic Kansas Places in 2017.

Next to Old Castle is the Kibbee Cabin. The cabin played an intricate role in the creation of Baker University when a group of Methodist ministers gathered to form a college in the town of Palmyra, now Baldwin City. While Kibbee Cabin is a replica, it is still a direct part of Baker's history, as is the Palmyra Post Office.

The Old Castle Complex can be found just east of the main campus.