Welcome to the North Lyon County Museum, dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of North Lyon County.  Pioneers, merchants and military crossed the north end of the county on the Santa Fe Trail, while the Burlingame Trail connected the fledgling city of Emporia with settlements to the northeast and passed through this area. Geographically the area lies nestled where the scenic Flint Hills grasslands meet the fertile Osage Cuestos Hills.  The dominant agricultural industry of the area is evenly divided between the production of beef and grain.

Homeland of the Kanza (or Kaw) Natives, Lyon County had its first homesteads in 1854 when Kansas Territory was opened to white settlement.  A number of small communities were founded in the county, with only a few still surviving.  Americus and “Old” Allen were among the early pioneer settlements, and Reading owed its inception to the AT&SF railroad in 1867.  In 1886, the Missouri Pacific railroad was built through northern Lyon County, and the towns of Bushong, Allen, and Admire were established along the railroad in that year, and Miller followed in 1910.

The museum itself has a brief history, having first placed displays on view in 2011, organized the Historical Society by Jan. 2012, and started our first regular hours of operation in the spring of 2012. Currently it consists of two display rooms in the former Admire School, which was built in 1925 to replace the wooden structure that burned in 1924.  Since the last classes were held there in 2010, the school has been converted to a community center operated by the City of Admire.  This sturdy brick building, around which centered many of the area events in the past, today provides a wonderful space for the museum’s artifacts and displays, and for the local history preservation and education efforts of the Historical Society.

Our museum is operated entirely with volunteer labor and donated funds and materials.