The Watkins is partnering with the Lawrence Public Library on a frightfully fascinating event! In 2020, Matt Kirkland of Lawrence started a blog called The Dracula Daily, in which bite-sized (get it?) chunks of Bram Stoker's Dracula were delivered to your inbox to digest over the course of six months. Today it's an internet sensation, […]
After 7 months of renovation, the Watkins Museum will officially debut the newly completed KRAMER Family Research Room with a public opening on October 29 at 2:30 PM. After a short presentation in the Community Room, the public will be invited to tour the newly finished space on the museum’s second floor. As always, admission […]
Bring the kids to the Watkins Museum during downtown trick-or-treating for candy and a ghostly scavenger hunt for prizes!
Federal and state census records are filled with useful information for genealogists. Understanding how to interpret and analyze these records is a key skill for building your family tree and learning more about the context of your ancestors’ lives. Alisa Branham's class presentation will show various census examples, including the recently released 1950 US Census; […]
The Watkins Museum is partnering with the Douglas County Community Foundation on their year-end Giving for Good campaign to raise money to help us purchase display cases and custom mounts for artifacts. To donate online, click the donate button below. To donate via check, send and make checks payable to the Douglas County Community Foundation […]
Announcing the return of this popular holiday event! From December 2-9, look for the famous Watkins Hobby Horses in the windows of businesses in the 700 and 800 blocks of Massachusetts Street. Bring your checklist downtown, write down locations for at least six out of the eight horses, then drop it off at the Watkins […]
Announcing an electrifying holiday game: Bring the kids into the Watkins on December 3, locate the miniature versions of our mascot Ellie the Electric Car on all three floors, and receive a Watkins Museum coloring book. Plus, you'll be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card to The Toy Store! The drawing winner […]
Due to the success of our January 10 Genealogy + Local History Spotlight, we're hosting another one! Researching your house’s history, delving into genealogy, or exploring Kansas’s storied past? Join us to get acquainted with resources for digging into local and family history. Meet Lawrence Public Library staff at the Watkins Museum for an introduction […]
German genealogy research is so complicated, expert researcher Alisa Branham will cover this topic in multiple classes. This introductory class will cover basics and the particular challenges of German history and genealogy record such as locating your ancestors, changing political boundaries, terminology, and reading old German script. A useful handout (or two!) will provided to […]
Looking for a fun event for your homeschool child? The Watkins Museum shares Lawrence history with homeschool students ages 5-12 every month throughout the school year. Each lesson studies a topic based on Lawrence and/or Douglas County History while spending time in the galleries and using artifacts to learn about past citizens and events. Lessons […]
Join us for a special event during this month's Final Friday. The museum will be open from 6:00-8:00 PM for visitors to explore the new exhibit From Then to Now: A Student History of Haskell Indian Nations University. Then from 7:00-7:30 PM, the exhibit's curators, Geoffrey Pate and Brittany Keegan, along with Travis Campbell of […]
German genealogy research is so complicated, expert researcher Alisa Branham will cover this topic in multiple classes. This introductory class will cover basics and the particular challenges of German history and genealogy record such as locating your ancestors, changing political boundaries, terminology, and reading old German script. A useful handout (or two!) will provided to […]
Looking for a fun event for your homeschool child? The Watkins Museum shares Lawrence history with homeschool students ages 5-12 every month throughout the school year. Each lesson studies a topic based on Lawrence and/or Douglas County History while spending time in the galleries and using artifacts to learn about past citizens and events. Lessons […]
DNA is a powerful tool for genealogy research, helpful for confirming your ancestry or identifying family members in situations like adoption. In this class, genealogy expert Alisa Branham will cover the various companies with a primary focus on AncestryDNA, and we will illustrate how to work with the “matches” to your family tree. Case studies […]
Join us on the Watkins Museum YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter as we chat with historian Frank Van Nuys about his fascinating book, Varmints and Victims: Predator Control in the American West. Varmints and Victims puts the debate over predator control into historical context, tracing the West’s relationship with charismatic predators like grizzlies, wolves, and cougars from […]
Drop by the museum to view exciting local history exhibits, including From Then to Now: A Student History of Haskell Indian Nations University and Creatures From the Vault: Animal-Themed Artifacts from the DCHS Collection.
Share your story at the next History Harvest for the Oak Hill Cemetery Potter's Field Remembrance Project. If you have a story, photograph, document, etc. about the potter’s field or someone buried there and would like to share it, please stop by the Lawrence Public Library's Videocasting Studio on Wednesday, April 5. If you have […]
Join us as we celebrate an exceptional Lawrence woman and the new biography written about her. In the engaging new book The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Miller Watkins: A Pioneering Philanthropist, Mary Dresser Burchill and Norma Decker Hoagland’s extensive research paints a portrait of a remarkable woman whose generosity endures at KU and in […]
Join us for the family-friendly Trails that Connect Us event! Come to the Free State Brewing Bottling Facility on the Burroughs Creek Trail Loop section, located at 1927 Moodie Rd., Lawrence. Enjoy a beer, brewery tour, trail information, food trucks, kid-friendly activities and more.
