Freedom's Frontier

Discover how the tallgrass prairie provided a home for Native Americans and settlers from the east, alike.

The Riley County Historical Museum and Archives current building was constructed as a Bicentennial Project for Riley County, Kansas, in 1976 on land once owned by Isaac Goodnow. The Hartford House, located beside the Museum, is one of the original pre-fabricated houses brought by early settlers on the Hartford Steamboat in 1855.

Visit and discover the past through changing exhibits on Riley County history and in the photographs, manuscripts, and records of the research archive.

The Goodnow House State Historic Site is located next door to the Riley County Historical Museum and tours begin there.