Each month throughout the school year, the Watkins Museum’s education team offers interactive hands-on activities based on Lawrence history for children ages 3-5 who have not entered school. Tours include story time, videos, time in the galleries, handling artifacts, arts, crafts, and games depending on the month’s topic. Children must be accompanied by an adult […]
We're holding a poster sale! We have deaccessioned duplicate copies of posters and other archival materials already in the museum’s collections and several posters unrelated to Douglas County history. All proceeds from sales of these items will go toward the Watkins Acquisitions and Conservation Fund. The fund will be used to purchase materials for the […]
Join us at the Watkins Museum for classes based on Lawrence and/or Douglas County History. Topics will be explored using hands-on activities, art projects, and will be multi-subject when appropriate. Parents may attend class, or this can be a drop-off program. Students can be enrolled for Tuesday or Friday classes. Time: 10:30-11:30 AM Enrollment: Students may enroll for […]
The 11th annual Lawrence Poetry Fair will be hosted at the Watkins. Poets and poetry aficionados, lovers of spring and dancing in the rain among flowers, please join us as we celebrate the sweet song of poetry. If you care to share your Voice, please message Ronda Miller of the Kansas Authors Club at [email protected] […]
Watkins Summer Games are back! Every Wednesday in June and July, bring your kids age 10 and under to the museum for super fun games, crafts, and dances. AND you can enter a drawing to win a $50 gift card to The Toy Store! The theme for each Wednesday will be a different state from […]
Jeanne Klein will lead a walking tour of prominent African Americans buried in old Section 5 at Oak Hill Cemetery. Sites will include civil rights advocates, attorneys, policemen, business owners, church ministers, elementary school teachers, and other occupations. The tour will begin at the Langston’s family plot on the far eastern side of old Section […]
Join us on Wednesdays in July as Bon Bon holds East Lawrence History Salons at the Cider Gallery, featuring Dennis Domer and guests. Chef Simon Bates and Codi Bates have planned inspired evenings of food, drink, and conversation while raising funds to support the Embattled Lawrence book series. This is a continuation of the first […]
Join us on Wednesdays in July as Bon Bon holds East Lawrence History Salons at the Cider Gallery, featuring Dennis Domer and guests. Chef Simon Bates and Codi Bates have planned inspired evenings of food, drink, and conversation while raising funds to support the Embattled Lawrence book series. This is a continuation of the first […]
Join us on Wednesdays in July as Bon Bon holds East Lawrence History Salons at the Cider Gallery, featuring Dennis Domer and guests. Chef Simon Bates and Codi Bates have planned inspired evenings of food, drink, and conversation while raising funds to support the Embattled Lawrence book series. This is a continuation of the first […]
Your local American Red Cross is in urgent need of blood donations. Step up and save lives! The Watkins will host a blood drive on Tuesday, July 30. To make your lifesaving appointment, download and use the Blood Donor App, call 800-RED-CROSS, or visit RedCrossBlood.org.All donors receive a Fandango Movie Ticket code via email good […]
Join us on Wednesdays in July as Bon Bon holds East Lawrence History Salons at the Cider Gallery, featuring Dennis Domer and guests. Chef Simon Bates and Codi Bates have planned inspired evenings of food, drink, and conversation while raising funds to support the Embattled Lawrence book series. This is a continuation of the first […]
Step back in time to the thrilling, terrifying days of the Civil War. Local historian John Jewell will lead you on a downtown walking tour of sites and stories from William Quantrill's devastating raid on Lawrence in 1863, a defining event in the city's history. Tour goers get a free information packet full of maps, […]
Here is your chance to experience Quantrill's Raid in art, view a rarely seen artifact, and think like a museum curator! Get your tickets here or pay at the door. Art historian and Watkins Director Steve Nowak will provide a behind-the-scenes look at Art of Tragedy: Depictions of Quantrill's Raid. Additionally, you'll be able to view […]
About 75 flags from Kansas' involvement in the Civil War are in the collections of the Kansas Historical Society. Tattered and torn, these irreplaceable pieces of Kansas' past need your help. Boone Dodson, KHS curator, will speak on the long-running project to Save the Flags. Most flags in the collection represent various Kansas regiments, but […]
Our annual memorial service for the victims of Quantrill's Raid will be followed by a new presentation by clothing historian and tailor Eric Smallwood. Using original pieces from the collection of the Merchant Tailor Museum, Eric will discuss the evolution of menswear during the mid-1800s. This talk will be a follow-up to his highly popular […]
The Watkins Museum offers an exciting way to experience the history of early Kansas! In this unique tour, you'll explore sites in Lawrence that witnessed the stirring events of Bleeding Kansas. This tour involves stopping and walking at three different locations. Those wishing to remain on the bus may do so. Sponsored by the Lawrence […]
Bring your kids age 5-10 for a class based on local history! Our first topic of the year will be "I am a Story" (personal and community storytelling). Topics will be explored using hands-on activities, art projects, and will be multisubject when appropriate. Parents may attend class, or this can be a drop off program. […]
Hands-On History is a project-based educational program for middle and high school students aged 11 – 16 years. The program is cumulative and offers students the opportunity to create a unique exhibit display for summer 2025 in the Watkins Community Gallery. Content and lessons are adapted from the Facing History & Ourselves curriculum, and designed […]
Tiny Tours is a popular, free museum series for kids age 3-5 and their grownups. Activities offer a play-based approach to learning and include stories, crafting, and more! Register your child by contacting Education Coordinator Shannon Hodges at [email protected]
