Through a grant from Humanities Kansas, the Munsee Tribe in Kansas has embarked on “Niiloona Munsiiw: We Are Munsee,” a cultural preservation project and series of events that will protect […]

Join us at the Outdoor Aquatic Center as KU graduate student Maggie Brown-Peoples details her research into the issues around the creation of Lawrence’s first integrated swimming pool. From the […]

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 […]

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 […]

Join us at the Lawrence Public Library as we turn back the clock with an entertaining showcase of short films made in Lawrence! No tickets are needed. About the films: […]

Join us at the Lawrence Public Library for a unique presentation by Prof. James J. Heiman of Metropolitan Community College, Blue River. Selected, written, and sent by soldiers and civilians […]

Join us in celebrating the highly-anticipated book Embattled Lawrence Vol. 2 at Merchants Pub & Plate on Tuesday, August 15. The Raven Book Store will be selling copies of the […]

Join us at the Watkins for the most moving, important event of Civil War on the Border. After a reading by Anthony Boynton, writer and member of B.L.A.C.K. Lawrence, community […]

Join us at the Watkins for this free screening, a partnership with the I'm So Glad Project and the Lawrence Branch NAACP. From its pre-Civil War roots to today, Kansas […]

We invite you to join us for a unique two-part program: We'll mark the opening of our exhibit about the postwar lives of Vietnam veterans with discussions involving Hang Le-Tormala, […]

Help Anamcara Press celebrate the release of their first print journal The Write Bridge: Perilous and Playful, at the Watkins!In addition to celebrating contributing authors and artists, they will introduce you […]

Life, liberty, and the struggle for America. Join us as we partner with director Bob Hurst on a free screening of his acclaimed documentary, Garden City, Kansas. The film is […]

Margie Carr’s Kansas City’s Montgall Avenue: Black Leaders and the Street They Called Home is the extraordinary, century-old history of one city block whose residents shaped the changing status of Black people […]

Senator Preston B. Plumb is little known today, but in his lifetime he was a legend. Plumb smuggled guns for the Free State movement, pursued Quantrill's raiders, and served Kansas […]

Experience the Battle of Black Jack in a walking tour led by legendary 19th century abolitionist John Brown (AKA local historian Kerry Altenbernd). The tour will involve an explanation of […]

A controversial character largely known (as depicted in the movie Glory) as a Union colonel who led Black soldiers in the Civil War, James Montgomery waged a far more personal and […]

Don't miss your chance to meet bestselling author Tom Clavin as he discusses his latest book, The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang. Copies will be […]

In connection with our exhibit Bundle Up: Battling the Cold in 1850s Kansas, the Watkins is partnering with the Ballard Center on a winter clothing drive. During our open hours, […]

We invite you to the Watkins for the annual celebration of famed Kansas poet William Stafford. This drop-in event features readings by area Kansas and Missouri poets.

In connection with our exhibit Soldiers Return: Coming Home from Vietnam, former US Marine Pat Donahue has generously agreed to give a short gallery talk discussing his life during and after […]

Stories for All: A Digital Storytelling Project for the Twenty-First Century brings together over forty Kansas-based partner projects dedicated to gathering marginalized and suppressed histories, interconnecting them, and sharing them widely […]

Join us as historian Jeanne Klein speaks about Jennie Brooks (1853-1934), a local woman who studied plants and wildlife, published widely on them, and was one of the first observers […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Did you know you can find fossils just by walking through downtown?  Learn this and more with Andy Connolly, educator at the Kansas Geological Survey, who will talk about the […]

The Olympic Games celebrate athletic achievement and international cooperation. But the Olympics could never happen without the dedication of thousands of people helping to make the athletes shine. Join us […]

The Lawrence Public Library is pleased to host a book launch of "Massachusetts Street" by Lawrence physician and founder of lawrencehistorytours.com, Dr. Bob Dinsdale, in partnership with the Watkins Museum. Bob […]

Mass Street has been the heart of Lawrence since its founding in 1854. This is the place to be, the place where people live, shop, parade, protest, and be themselves! […]

Author Kathy Rose-Mockry will speak on the subject of her new book. Liberating Lawrence tells the first-hand story of the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front (LGLF), a KU student organization that began […]

Stop by to view our collaborative exhibit 50 Years of Cooperation: The History of The Merc Co+op and enjoy a photo slideshow and refreshments provided by The Merc!

Our friends at the Bowersock Mills and Power Co. are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year! Join us at the Bowersock South Powerhouse for live music by Lyle Griggs, light […]