Heritage League of Greater Kansas City

11/13/2024

Thank you to everyone who made it out for the Fall Membership Mixer at the Lee's Summit History Museum last night. If you have not seen the exhibits in the former post office location, add the museum to the top of your must-see list!

11/12/2024

See you tonight! Heritage League Fall Mixer Lee's Summit History Museum!

10/21/2024

Save the Date for our Fall Membership Meeting - Tuesday, Nov. 12 at the Lee's Summit History Museum! Please share with your colleagues, cohort, and friends - the Fall Membership Meeting is free and open to members and non-members alike! See you there!

More details in the graphics below. RSVP to [email protected] to let us know you are coming.

10/14/2024

The next meeting of the Johnson County Genealogical is scheduled for Saturday, October 19 at 10 AM in the Carmack Room at the Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park, KS and is free and open to the public.

It will feature the topic:
Unlocking Your Roots: A Genealogy Help Session

A panel of JCGS members will be answering pre-submitted questions and questions from the audience. This is not for brick walls... Some of the questions we have received:
What is the difference between my Ancestry.com membership and what is in the free Ancestry Library Edition?
What is an interlibrary loan, and how do I use it?
5 Things you may not know about the Genie Area of the Central Resource Library.
I've been told that I am descended from President George Washington. How do I prove it?

*Note that this meeting is on the 3rd Saturday - not the usual 4th Saturday.*

For more information visit jcgsks.org or email [email protected].

09/25/2024

The next meeting of the Johnson County Genealogical Society is scheduled for Saturday, September 28 at 10 AM in the Carmack Room at the Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park, KS and is free and open to the public
It will feature the topic:

What About Our Criminal Ancestors?
Presented by Michelle Bates

Often, the criminal records found in genealogical research are overlooked, but they hold valuable information and insight into our ancestors' lives. Understanding how to research these records, where to find these records, and gleaning the information from them will provide new details about your ancestor, their family and associates. Michelle Bates, aka The Criminal Genealogist, will
explore this topic to answer the question, "What about our criminal ancestors?"

Michelle Bates, MJ, is a professional genealogist and speaker who specializes in criminal ancestors and probate heirship work. She is the creator and host of The Criminal Genealogist podcast, a member of committees for SLIG and the Association of Professional Genealogists, and a member of the board for the Tulsa Genealogical Society. During the day, she works as legal support for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma (NDOK) in the criminal division, supporting the OCDETF unit (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces). Her genealogy business, My Genealogy Roots, works
with attorneys on probate cases to find living legal heirs. In her spare time, she is working on creating the “go-to” criminal ancestor research database to help other researchers learn more about the criminal records of ancestors.

This Johnson County Genealogical Society program is free, and is open to the public. For more information visit jcgsks.org or email [email protected].

09/11/2024

Lenexa Parks and Recreation will host a free series of "Lunch and Learn" programs this Fall, with Humanities Kansas. The first program is Sept. 17. See more in the informational graphic below!

08/20/2024

Wornall/Majors House Museums is hosting Victorian Etiquette Trivia on Friday, August 30. At past trivia events some KC Museums formed staff/volunteers teams. Having them was amazing! We are writing KC history organization to invite them to join us at Etiquette Trivia. If it would be advantageous we can tag the Heritage League with a photo to say we are excited to have the team coming.

They can use the our members code for 20 percent off: WMHMMEMBER

Here is the event information:
Victorian Etiquette Trivia
Friday, August 30
5:30 p.m. Happy Hour
6:00 p.m. Trivia
$15, includes a drink and cupcookie from McLains

Ticket link: https://www.simpletix.com/e/victorian-etiquette-trivia-tickets-173964

06/28/2024

The Heritage League is proud to offer the Robert W. Richmond Scholarship to cover or reimburse the cost of registration for the upcoming American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) annual meeting, and to defray the cost of traveling to Mobile, Alabama for the conference, held September 11 - 14, 2024. The Richmond Scholarship was created to benefit an emerging public history professional (less than 5 years in the field) from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, or Iowa, who has never attended the AASLH conference before, and who is a current Heritage League member in good standing.

To apply for the Richmond Scholarship, please submit each of the following:

-your completed Heritage League membership form (if your institution is a current institutional level member, or if you have already completed an individual membership application for 2024, please indicate this on your materials; otherwise, Heritage League individual memberships are just $25.00! More info and the form can be found here: https://heritageleaguekc.org/about-us/membership/ );

-a brief cover letter describing your goals in the history field and how you and/or your organization will benefit from your participation in the AASLH annual meeting;

-a current CV/resume.

The successful applicant will be asked to share their experiences in a short, written blog post for the Heritage League website, or in-person during the Heritage League’s Fall Membership Meeting to be held in November.

Please email these three items to [email protected] by the end of the day Monday, July 22. Because Friday, July 26 is the deadline to register for the AASLH annual meeting with early bird pricing, reimbursements for those already registered will be accepted this year!

Find more information about the AASLH annual meeting here: https://aaslh.org/annualconference/2024-annual-conference/

Membership has its benefits, as the saying goes. Membership with The Heritage League of Greater Kansas City entitles you to a variety of invaluable benefits:

06/21/2024

Congratulations to the Johnson County Museum on the launch of their new online exhibition, "REDLINED: Cities, Suburbs, and Segregation"!

06/21/2024

The Johnson County Museum is thrilled to announce its special exhibit, “Free to Be... A 1960s Fashion Revolution,” opened to the public on June 1. This groovy exhibition takes visitors on a captivating journey through the vibrant world of 1960s women's fashion via four distinct themes that symbolize the era's spirit of self-expression and cultural transformation.

Visitors to the exhibit can expect a sensory feast of colors, textures, and designers, as period garments from the Johnson County Museum, Kansas State University’s Historic Textile and Costume Museum, Kansas City Museum, and Johnson County Community College’s Historical Fashion Collection transport them back to a time of creativity, individualization, and cultural revolution. See the flamboyantly futuristic styles of the Modernists, the counterculture chic of the Naturalists, the gala-ready grace of the Socialites, and the fashionable function of the Professionals.

Curated in collaboration with Johnson County Community College's (JCCC) Fashion Merchandising and Design Department, “Free to Be...A 1960s Fashion Revolution” features a treasure trove of iconic garments that highlight the groundbreaking trends of the era.
“The 1960s were a time of transformative change,” said Associate JCCC Professor Audrey Michaelis. “The convergence of politics and fashion became a dynamic force, shaping the narrative of an era defined by innovation, self-expression, and the relentless pursuit of equality.”

"JCCC's Fashion and Merchandising Department has such a rich collection of iconic fashion on campus. We're proud to partner with them to bring items from their collection and collections around the region to the general public,” said Johnson County Museum Director Mary McMurray. “The clothing, history, and exhibit design will draw you in and leave you thinking about fashion trends and the history that motivates them in a new way."

A slate of programming is also planned to complement the exhibit, with a variety of topics including fashion designers of the era, civil rights activism, psychedelic drug culture, and more. “Free to Be...A 1960s Fashion Revolution” will be on display at the Johnson County Museum from June 1, 2024, to Jan. 11, 2025. Don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the style and spirit of one of the most iconic decades in history. Learn more at JCPRD.com/freetobe.

Exhibit Details:
Title: “Free to Be...A 1960s Fashion Revolution”
Dates: June 1, 2024 – Jan. 11, 2025
Location: Johnson County Museum at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center – 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kan., 66212
Admission: Entrance to the special exhibit is included with regular admission to the museum. Admission is $6 for adults; $5 seniors, students, and military; $4 for children; and free for museum members.
Website: JCPRD.com/freetobe

06/20/2024

The Watkins Museum of History announces the opening of Honoring the Ancestors: African American Textile Arts, an exhibition presented in coordination with the National African American Quilt Convention taking place in Lawrence from June 19-22. The exhibition features work by nationally regarded textile artists, including Veronica Mays, Theresa Shellcroft, April Anue Shipp, and Lawrence’s own Marla Jackson. The quilts on display chronicle the artists’ family histories and explore community heritage.

Honoring the Ancestors allows museum visitors to explore history through a different medium. Museum director, Steve Nowak, indicated “the Watkins Museum is excited to present material that our visitors do not usually have an opportunity to see at the museum and that shares heritage stories in a new way. This exhibition reveals that history is not always recorded in pen and ink, but in needle and thread as well.”

Honoring the Ancestors: African American Textile Arts is on view in the Watkins Museum’s second floor changing exhibit gallery through July 30. The museum is open 10-4 Tuesday through Saturday. Admission to the museum and this special exhibition is free.

For more information about Honoring the Ancestors or the Watkins Museum visit www.watkinsmuseum.org, or email questions or requests for more information to [email protected].

06/18/2024

The Kansas City Museum's next "Nuestro Legado/Our Legacy" program is on Saturday, June 29:
The Vaqueros – The First Cowboys

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
JE Dunn Construction Theater

Free Program. Space is Limited.
RSVP Required. RSVP at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-vaqueros-the-first-cowboys-tickets-921507091517

When Spanish settlers arrived in New Spain – later Mexico and the American Southwest – they brought with them the tradition of the Vaqueros, who were horse-mounted livestock herders that originated on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. As American settlers moved west, they adopted the methods of the Vaqueros for managing large herds of cattle.

In the 1800s, the demand for beef grew and the cattle industry boomed. Massive cattle drives to railheads in towns like Sedalia, Missouri, and Abilene, Kansas required the unique skills of Hispanic, Black, American Indian, and white cowboys of the Vaquero tradition. This presentation facilitated by Gene T Chávez, Ed.D., and Tony Florez will highlight the history and culture of the vaquero.

When Spanish settlers arrived in New Spain – later Mexico and the American Southwest – they brought with them the tradition of the Vaqueros.