Edna Kansas Historical Society Museum

10/16/2026

📣 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! 📣

The Edna Historical Society Museum belongs to our community, and we want to make sure we are preserving and sharing the history that matters most to YOU!

As we work to preserve our historic building, protect our collections, and share the stories of Edna and the surrounding area, we would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

💭 What would you like to see from the Historical Society?

📸 More old photographs and stories about Edna's past?
🏛️ More museum hours, tours, or special events?
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family histories and stories about the people who built our community?
🏪 The history of local businesses, schools, churches, and organizations?
🎓 Educational programs or activities for children and adults?
🗃️ More opportunities to research family history and identify old photographs?
🤝 Volunteer opportunities to help preserve our local heritage?

Or is there something else you would like us to consider?

We know that preserving history takes time, dedication, and community support. We want the Historical Society to be a place where our community's past is protected, shared, and appreciated for generations to come.

👇 **Please share your ideas in the comments!** Tell us what you would like to see, what interests you most about Edna's history, or how you think the Historical Society could better serve our community.

No idea is too small, and every suggestion is welcome!

Let's work together to keep Edna's history alive! ❤️

10/06/2026

A Wonderful Piece of Edna-Area History ❤️

Betty Neville recently gifted the museum a beautiful, one-of-a-kind quilt filled with names, businesses, and memories from the history of the Edna, Valeda, and Coffeyville areas.

As we have begun researching some of the names and businesses stitched into the quilt, we believe it may date to before World War II. What makes this quilt especially fascinating is that each block provides another little piece of our local history.

The pictures below show just a few of the many blocks on this incredible quilt. We would love to hear from anyone who recognizes a name, business, or family represented on it! Your memories and information could help us uncover the stories behind these names.

The quilt is currently available for viewing at the Edna Historical Society Museum.

📍 Museum Hours: Sundays, 2–4 p.m.
📅 Other times: By appointment

Come take a look and help us uncover the stories stitched into this wonderful piece of Edna-area history!

09/29/2026

🌪️ Remembering the Edna Tornado of 1982

March 15, 1982 — a night many in the Edna area would never forget.

An F3 tornado tore a path of approximately 30 miles through southern Labette County, beginning near the Oklahoma border south of Valeda and moving northeast toward Hallowell.

At approximately 8:04 p.m., the tornado passed about 1½ miles east of Edna, striking a mobile-home park where 15 mobile homes were overturned.

The storm continued northeast toward Hallowell, where the destruction became even more severe. Three homes were destroyed, approximately 45 others were damaged, six people were injured, and one person lost their life.

The National Weather Service’s historical documentation refers to it as the “Edna Tornado.”

🌪️ From the Oklahoma border…
through the Edna area…
to Hallowell…

It was a powerful reminder of how quickly a Kansas evening can change.

Do you remember the tornado of March 15, 1982?
Did you or someone in your family live in Edna, Valeda, Hallowell, or the surrounding area? Do you have photographs, newspaper clippings, or memories of that night?

The Edna Historical Society Museum would love to hear your stories and preserve them for future generations.

Source: National Weather Service/NOAA historical storm records.

Picture added for attention and not of actual reported damage

09/27/2026

09/23/2026

Valeda Kansas Community Homecoming Reunion is Saturday September 26 potluck lunch at 12.

Valeda, Kansas — A Brief History (AI)

Before Valeda: Deerton

The story begins with Deerton, an earlier settlement in the area. Deerton was established in 1881 and was named for the abundance of deer reported by early settlers. It was located in Section 20, Township 34 South, Range 18 East.

Aaron Humes opened the first store in Deerton in 1880 and became its first postmaster when the post office was officially established on September 5, 1881. Other businesses followed, including another general merchandise store, blacksmith shops, a woodworker and a broom factory.

The Railroad Changes Everything

The major turning point came in 1886, when the railroad was constructed through the area.

A new townsite was established on part of Section 33, Township 34 South, Range 18 East. The land belonged to the Excelsior Town and Mining Company, and the plat for the new community was filed on July 7, 1886.

The first building was a merchandise store erected by Stone & Willie. C. M. Keeler also constructed a store, while Dr. Kenworthy established the first drugstore. A schoolhouse was also established.

And then something quite unusual happened:

Deerton moved.

The historical account says that when the railroad was completed in the fall of 1886, the town of Deerton was moved to the new Valeda townsite. The Kansas Historical Society’s post-office records likewise identify Valeda as having moved from Deerton.

Valeda’s Post Office

The Valeda post office was established on September 3, 1886, replacing the Deerton post office. It remained in operation for more than 81 years, finally being discontinued on January 12, 1968.

Valeda in the Early 1900s

By 1910, Valeda was a small but active railroad community. It was located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad and had a money-order post office, rural mail route and express office. Its population was approximately 100 people.

The town also developed a financial institution. The Valeda State Bank was organized on June 1, 1915, with a state charter and $10,000 in initial capital.

What Makes Valeda Important to Edna-Coffeyville Area History

For the Edna Historical Society, Valeda is especially interesting because it illustrates how dramatically the railroad changed the communities of Labette County.

There was a whole network of small settlements in the area during the 1870s and 1880s. Some disappeared, some changed names, and others physically moved. Deerton becoming Valeda is one of the clearest examples.

The Kansas Historical Society’s records show just how fluid these communities were: Deerton’s post office existed from 1881 to 1886, while Valeda’s began immediately afterward in 1886.

09/23/2026

Solving a Little Museum Mystery

There is something especially fulfilling about solving a mystery—particularly when the answer helps bring a piece of local history back to life.

The Edna Historical Society Museum has been entrusted with a number of old photographs dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some have names carefully written on the backs, while others remain unidentified. One photograph in particular has been a mystery for some time.

It is the photograph of a lovely young boy from the late 1800s. Written on the back was the name “Jimmie Ragel Phillips.” Initial research failed to identify the child or connect him to a family in the Edna area, so the photograph was carefully stored away.

Recently, the photograph resurfaced while we were searching for something else. Then came the thought: Ragel is a name found in the early historical records of Edna.

A more thorough search of the Ragel family finally provided the answer.

It became clear that the writing on the back was actually “Jimmie Ragel, Philip’s”—indicating that Jimmie was Philip Ragel’s child.

For those who may not know the sad story of the Ragel family, here is a brief history.

Philip Ragel and Emma Triebel Ragel moved from Illinois to the Edna, Kansas area sometime between 1880 and 1883. Records indicate that before or around the time of their move, the family had already experienced the heartbreaking loss of one, and possibly two, children.

Their son James, known as Jimmie, was born in Edna in 1893. Sadly, his life was very short. James died in 1896, at only about three years of age, and was laid to rest in Elm Grove Cemetery.

The tragedy did not end there. In 1904, the remaining members of the Ragel family were killed in a devastating train wreck at Sedalia, Missouri, while traveling to the St. Louis World’s Fair.

Today, more than a century later, this little photograph gives us another connection to the Ragel family and to the early history of Edna.

The museum is honored to preserve these pieces of the past—especially those that help us remember the families who helped build our community. Little Jimmie Ragel’s photograph can now be reunited with his story and added to the history of Edna’s early settlers.

Sometimes a name written in faded ink on the back of an old photograph is all it takes to lead us back to a story that has been waiting to be found.

09/10/2026

This beautiful quilt was regifted to the museum by the raffle winner. There is now a unique opportunity for you to own this historical memory quilt. https://www.facebook.com/groups/467159370009876/permalink/28606746368957799/?sale_post_id=28606746368957799

08/28/2026

Johnny Cash’s One Piece at a Time Cadillac will be at the Welch High School football game tonight. If you’re a Cash fan this is an opportunity to see a small part of his history in person. The car was built by Welch resident Bill Patch and given to his friend Johnny.

08/16/2026

The Maxson family played an important role in the history of Edna and the surrounding agricultural community. Their roots in the Edna area predate the livestock sale barns for which the family later became well known throughout southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Historical Society states that the Maxson family began a cattle-auction business in 1928 and opened the Maxson Sales Barn in Welch, Oklahoma, in 1967. The Welch barn was eventually sold in 1977 and became the Welch Livestock Auction.

Irvin Maxson, who was born in the Edna area in 1893 and died in 1960, represents an important generation in the family’s history. His lifetime spanned a significant period of change in southeastern Kansas agriculture. He was born when Edna was still a young rural community and witnessed the transformation from horse-powered farming to mechanization, the difficult agricultural years of the 1920s and 1930s, and the growth of the livestock industry that eventually extended the Maxson name throughout Kansas and Oklahoma.

Irvin married Geneva Irene Duncan, and together they raised the family that continued the Maxson agricultural and auction tradition into succeeding generations.

During Irvin’s lifetime, the agricultural economy around Edna was closely connected to neighboring Oklahoma. Farmers and ranchers routinely bought, sold and transported livestock across the state line, and the Maxson family’s business grew to serve this regional agricultural community.

Over the years, the family operated or was associated with livestock sales in:

* Welch, Oklahoma
* South Coffeyville, Oklahoma
* Parsons, Kansas

The Maxson story is an important part of the agricultural history of Edna and the surrounding Kansas-Oklahoma region.

If you or your family have photographs, sale bills, advertisements, auction memorabilia, documents, or other items relating to the Maxson family or their local business, we would be very happy to hear from you. The Edna Kansas Historical Society and Museum would be honored to preserve and share these pieces of our community’s history for future generations.

08/06/2026

Vinnia Rexwinkle won the beautiful quilt created by The Stitchin' Barn. Vinnia has kindly regifted the quilt to the Historical Society Museum and we thank her for this generous gift. Watch for updates on the next step in its journey.