Every object has a story, and stories build history. To celebrate 150 years of Kansas statehood we’re featuring 52 objects (or collections of related objects)—something new each week throughout the year—from the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library’s 130-year-old special, and permanent collections, that represent our collective state history and cultural diversity.
Our collections are available for teachers, students, researchers and general interest, and we hope this online video program will provide insight into what’s so “special” about Special Collections. Your library’s commitment to collecting art and preserving local history makes it possible for users today and in the future to have immediate access to invaluable research material and cultural artifacts.
This is week one of our Kansas sesquicentennial series. Kansas celebrates its birthday on January 29th, so to kick off the sesquicentennial year, we’re taking a closer look at our copy of Kanzas and Nebraska by Edward Hale, a book published when Kansas was still a territory (1856). Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday, Kansas!
Kanzas and Nebraska is generally accepted as the first book on Kansas, according to Territorial Kansas Online.
For more information about this book, or for help finding other books and videos about this topic, call or stop by the Topeka Room (785-580-4510) on the Library’s second floor, located at the top of the stairs on your left.