Since 1975, the Watkins Museum of History has been dedicated to preserving and sharing the vibrant heritage of Douglas County. Through collaboration with our community partners, we continue to inspire civic engagement by showcasing how individuals have driven change throughout our history.
This year, we proudly celebrate 50 years of success! As we mark this milestone, we are expanding the stories we tell—embracing new voices and diverse perspectives to deepen our connection to the past.
Below, you will find details about our anniversary celebrations, special activities, and community partnerships. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Anniversary Events
Community News and Celebrations
Watkins Museum Kicks Off 50th Anniversary with New Exhibition
Watkins Museum Marks 50 Years
Partnership Projects
Stevens & Brand has proudly served Lawrence and Northeast Kansas since its founding by Richard Stevens and John Brand in 1925. The partners that shaped our growth dedicated much of their energy towards community and state organizations. We are proud to continue that legacy and extend our congratulations to Bert Nash Center and Watkins Museum of History for their respective anniversaries. Our firm is grateful to see so many organizations succeed in providing such essential educational, social, health, and cultural services.
As we celebrate our own centennial anniversary, the entire team of Stevens & Brand would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the community we consider our home.
Brad Finkeldei, Managing Partner
The Bert Nash Center was founded in honor of Professor Bert Nash, whose advocacy for mental health—especially for children—left a lasting impact. From the beginning, ensuring access to mental health care for all has been at the heart of the Center’s mission. Over the past 75 years, the Center has grown from a staff of 3 in 1951 to a team of more than 400 dedicated professionals providing a wide range of services, including outpatient therapy, housing support, and crisis care. This unwavering commitment to our community continues to build on Professor Nash’s legacy. As we look to the future and expand our network of care in Douglas County, we celebrate the strong foundation that has supported us for the past seven and a half decades.
Patrick Schmitz, President
The Douglas County Community Foundation (DCCF) was created in 2000 as a tax-exempt public charity for the people of Douglas County, including the cities of Baldwin City, Eudora, Lawrence and Lecompton. The foundation is a community leader convening government agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, and coordinating resources to create positive change.
The foundation enriches the quality of life in the communities of Douglas County by: 1) Building philanthropic resources and relationships; 2) Providing attractive options for donors to make philanthropic contributions; 3) Being a catalyst for the betterment of the lives of the citizens of Douglas County.
Chip Blaser, Executive Director, Douglas County Community Foundation
Watkins Museum 50th anniversary activities are sponsored in part by a generous grant from the Ethel and Raymond F. Rice Foundation.
Four 2025 changing exhibitions are sponsored by Stevens & Brand, L.L.P.
Community Partners
American Red Cross
Anamcara Press
Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park
B.L.A.C.K. Lawrence
Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence
City of Lawrence Environmental Health and Science
City of Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department
Clinton Lake Historical Society
Coneflower Consulting
Department of American Studies, University of Kansas
Department of Museum Studies, University of Kansas
Douglas County Sustainability Office
Downtown Lawrence Inc.
Elizabeth B. Ballard Community Center
Eudora Area Historical Society
Explore Lawrence
Free State Brewing Co.
Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area
Hall Center for the Humanities
Haskell Cultural Center
Haskell Indian Nations University
Humanities Kansas
I’m So Glad Project
Just Food
Kansas Authors Club
Kaw Nation
Lawrence Arts Center
Lawrence Juneteenth Celebration
Lawrence, Kansas Branch NAACP
Lawrence Public Library
Liberty Hall
Living Local History
Merchants Pub & Plate
Munsee Tribe in Kansas
National World War I Museum and Memorial
Oak Hill Potter’s Field Committee
Raven Bookstore
Remembrance Project
Sacred Red Rock Project
Spencer Museum of Art
St. Luke AME Church
Territorial Capital Museum
The Merc Co-Op
The Writers Place
University Press of Kansas