US 250 Exhibits

Douglas County Heritage Sites - Finding Freedom: The Promise of 1776 in Douglas County, Kansas

  • Finding Freedom explores the realities of securing freedom for all people in Kansas. Issues that erupted when Kansas Territory opened to white settlement in 1854 did not end with statehood in 1861, nor with the end of the Civil War four years later. Throughout Douglas County’s history, people have struggled to gain freedom and secure civil rights. Their stories played out in different times and places across our county. These stories continue to unfold today. Finding Freedom will chronicle stories from the 1850s to the 1960s in Baldwin City, Eudora, Lawrence, Lecompton, and the communities of Clinton Lake.

 

Gardner Historical Museum, Gardner - 

 

Humanities Kansas - Declaration 1776 Traveling Exhibition

  • This traveling exhibit from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History will tour 46 different institutions in Kansas in 2026.  It focuses on how the Declaration of Independence has inspired Americans and others, and includes a panel on “Kansas” in 1776.

     

Johnson County Museum, Overland Park - Everyday Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Johnson County, February 7, 2026 - January 9, 2027

  • Democracy isn’t only written in founding documents or decided at the ballot box — it’s lived every day. For 250 years, people across the United States have claimed, challenged, and redefined democratic ideals through their choices, voices, and communities. This new exhibition explores how everyday experiences of Johnson Countians have shaped the meaning of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — and asks what role each of us will play in democracy's future.

     

Salina Area Museums - Moments that Made US, July 1 - August 29

  • Five locations in Salina will showcase panels from the Moments that Made US exhibit, which explores the ideals at the heart of the Declaration of Independence.  Panels are provided by the Smoky Hill Museum
    • The Garage – Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness
    • Salina Arts Center – Free & Independent States
    • Salina Public Library – Created Equal
    • Smoky Hill Museum – We Mutually Pledge

    • The Temple – Consent of the Governed

       

Smoky Hill Museum, Salina - America's 250th: Connecting a Nation, April 24, 2026 - October 10, 2026

  • From a musket used in the Revolutionary War to local celebrities to a sad iron, see how the Smoky Hill Museum, and museums across America, preserve, protect and share the rich history of American life.

 

Tonganoxie Community Historical Society, Tonganoxie - Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy, April 18 - May 17, 2026

  • When the Declaration of Independence was issued, the ideas that “all men are created equal” was revolutionary. Declaration 1776 illustrates how American and people across the word have been
    inspired by the Declaration in their pursuit of good governance and self-determination.  This exhibit was designed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and is sponsored by Humanities Kansas.