Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site

Although there were three buildings on the site, only one of them was open since it houses the museum about Shawnee Mission and how it relates to Bleeding Kansas. Otherwise, it was interesting to view exhibits about Native Americans in Kansas and westward expansion in the 19th century.

A nifty little tour site. It's free and open during normal hours. Two of the buildings are open while one is a private residence.

This was a place I spent a lot of my childhood at Pioneer Camp and at their big Fall Festival every year, so let's channel my inner 11 year old self to see what the Fall Festival at the Indian Mission is all about:11 y/o Adam: First off, the Indian Mission is awesome! We got rubber band guns, slingshots, got to dress up, drank as much root beer we could hold down, we got to camp out like pioneers... We also made some weird friends that we weren't such if they were just really good actors or if they actually live like it's 1850. Oh and we got to ride horses, make rope, eat funnel cake and the best part is this goes on for three days.32 y/o Adam: Well the weather was really nice when we went. It was a sunny, crispy fall afternoon. There were a lot of booths with and I think I've seen enough dreamcatchers and hand made wooden signs to get me through the year. There were a couple food trucks and the funnel cake smelled good but didn't partake. Music with hay bale seating was nice and relaxing. Nice little stroll through here on a Sunday afternoon but didn't do much.Alright so first of all my 11 year old self is way more fun but overall, past or present, I'm a fan of the Indian Mission Fall Festival which makes up a big part of this historic site. For the remainder of the year, I remember also churning butter at Pioneer Camp and learning about life back in the day. We went here often and it really is a unique, preserved spot in Johnson County. While the rush of chugging sarsaparilla and shooting at friends with a rubber band gun has diminished, I think this is an awesome place to take the kids and something that I'll likely involve mine in as they're old enough to know what everything is about here.

I attended a legitimate ghost hunt tonight at the Indian mission. Beyond my wildest expectation. I sincerely could not have come up with a more engaging nor abstract idea for an event. I absolutely complement the site manager and extend my gratitude for putting on such a one of a kind evening.

This is a place I've driven past many times and I've always wanted to go visit. Well, I figured next time I pass it, I'd visit. And that would never happen. Well, having a little time, I decided to roll in the other day instead of saying "next time" yet again.The Shawnee Indian Mission seems like it would be one of those field day trips for students in the MoKan area and I'm sure nothing's changed since you were little if you did do this place. For those who haven't, though, I really do suggest budgeting an hour of your time to check this place out. Whether you are a lover or hater of JoCo, you'll find the history of the county interesting. For instance, did you know that Johnson County wasn't named in honor of anyone, rather a guy gave his own name to the county? And that the area was all wild west and Indian land for some time?The museum itself is not very big. It's just the one building with a 20 minute video, a wonderful volunteer who will answer every question of yours (really) and an upstairs showing who settled the land. The kicker is that before the government bought this place out, it was dance hall and jazz club; quite the polar opposite from its initial use as a Methodist mission school.On the flip side, I wish it had more information and history. It seems to just stop in the very early 1900s. I also wish that Johnson's house wasn't closed. Also, the $5 admission was a bit steep for what's offered. $3 is more fitting for what is offered. Though it's going to the upkeep of the place so that's okish.It's all volunteers running the place so hours vary. Call beforehand to make sure it's open.All in all, 4 stars if you're a huge regional history fan but it'll probably fall to 2-3 stars if you aren't.