Chase County Historical Society & Museum

Chase County Historical Society & Museum gives the region’s history a scale that a landscape overlook cannot supply. Established in 1934, the institution occupies two native limestone buildings on Broadway, one block north of the courthouse. Its collections bring together objects, photographs and records connected with life in Chase County from the nineteenth century onward.

Ranching and farming appear alongside schools, military service and domestic life. The material is valuable precisely because it is local: it links broad changes in settlement, work and transportation to identifiable communities and families. The museum also maintains records useful to genealogical and historical researchers. Anyone arriving with a specific research question should contact the staff in advance so that a casual exhibition visit and an archival inquiry are not confused.

A prominent exhibit concerns Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, who died with seven others in a plane crash near Bazaar in 1931. Photographs and objects from the crash site are accompanied by a 1932 Rockne Studebaker on loan from the family, according to the museum. This focused collection connects an event of national interest with its local setting. Admission is free, and the published schedule is Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum is a useful complement to the courthouse and prairie, giving those larger places a record of everyday experience.

Verified: 2026-09-26 · Official website · Address: 301–303 Broadway Street, Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845 · Phone: +1 620-273-8500 · Email: cscohistsocmuseum@gmail.com · Facebook · Official logo

Sources: Chase County Historical Society | Chasecountyhistoricalsocietymuseum.org · About | CCHS&M · HISTORY & MUSEUMS | Chase County Chamber of Commerce, Kansas