The Topeka Room has the resources for local historians and genealogists, to discover their family connections as well as the stories of Topeka and Shawnee County’s people, places and events.
A few of the more popular items our researchers use are: yearbooks from Topeka high schools and Washburn University; Topeka city directories from 1870 to the present; and an extensive Local History file collection which covers topics like Topeka and Shawnee County people, schools, businesses, churches, and neighborhoods.
Our computer lab provides access to a host of electronic databases as well as a copier, scanner, and a microfilm scanner. The best utilized resource is the specially trained staff to help you with your research needs.
The Local History Digital Collection consists of a wide array of digital reproductions of architectural drawings and blueprints, photographs, oral histories and select topics from our Vertical Files.
Recent Posts
Researching your family’s veterans
Find resources to help you explore the lives of your family’s veterans from any U.S. military conflict.
Bank robbers, G-Men & 1937 Topeka shoot out
On April 16, 1937, 2 fugitives & 3 FBI agents met at a Topeka post office. What happened became national news.
Local History: The eccentric life & death of Samuel Radges
Explore one of Topeka’s most unusual citizens – secretary of a liars club & eccentric afterlife planner.
Local History: Topeka’s spiritualist fraud
In 1881 at a séance held by Mrs. Holladay in Topeka, William W. Aber said spirits declared him to be a powerful medium.