Juneteenth is the African American celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation and the actual freeing of the last slaves in South. The Library will hold a Watch Party to celebrate the 150th Anniversary.

Genealogy enthusiasts, rejoice! The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library is now a designated FamilySearch affiliate library–and that means that the world’s largest repository of free genealogical records is within your reach.

Troubled by the scheduled tear downs of historic buildings around Topeka? At their regularly scheduled meeting, The Local Landmarks Commission discusses the “Topeka Worth Saving Endangered Property Program”. There will be a review of the status of those currently listed, a discussion of those added in 2015 and highlight properties that might needed added in […]

John and Mary Ann “Mollie” Lytle were both former slaves who had moved from Tennessee to Topeka with their young family in 1882. Their children would leave a legacy of success in the fields of law and law enforcement.

During and shortly after the end of the Civil War in April of 1865, African Americans began migrating into Kansas and surrounding states in large numbers. Learn how Topeka responded to this influx of new immigrants.

This April marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War. This post is the second of four which highlight ties between Topeka and Shawnee County and national movements during and after the Civil War. By the 1870’s over 20,000 Union Civil War veterans resided in Kansas. Locally, many veterans joined their regional Grand […]

This April marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War. This post is the first of four which highlight ties between Topeka and Shawnee County and national movements during and after the Civil War. Chances are, if you have a male ancestor that came to Kansas in the late 19th century […]

Get inspired to find your family’s story with Barbara McTygue Scanlon, Genealogy Specialist for the Kansas City Irish Center, as part of our library’s Celtic Celebration on March 29 from 2-5. Her presentation contains Irish history, how-to genealogy help and—in the Irish fashion—a few good laughs.

On March 4th, 2015, one of genealogy’s favorite databases, HeritageQuest Online (HQO), got a new look! It is the most popular source of the U.S. Federal Census records available for free through the Library. Patrons have been able to access it from home with their library card. Now, it has a new interface run by Ancestry.com. It looks a lot […]

In this episode, local genealogist, librarian and author Sherri Camp talks about her book featuring stories and photographs that place the history and experience of African Americans in Topeka in the context of American history.

Come learn more about local and family history resources at the Educator’s Appreciation Night on Thurs, November 6.

The 5th Annual Kansas Ancestor Fair is Sat. October 18, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Kansas Historical Society.