shawnee indian mission state historic site

This is really interesting about the history of the mission and the Methodist minister who founded it. The buildings are almost eerily empty when a festival isn't going on. It is historical and worth seeing. More information on the history of the times and exhibits would be worthwhile. Everyone was friendly and helpful.

The exhibit, while interesting and informative, was a little sketchy. Not all the buildings were open they runs 20 min movie, that I didn't really want to watch but the curator on staff at the time insisted. After the show I proceeded to ask several and was not only not given a decent answer but she seemed extremely annoyed at the questions about the school.

These buildings give a good idea of our early county history. Some walking and stairs. Fun to visit during the Fall Festival.

Don't miss the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site! A great trip for my whole family with interesting history and fun for every age. My kids thought they would be bored but they were anything but.. A must see while in the area

go back to a time and imagine how it would have been to live as an Indian student

In the early 1800s, all the land west of Missouri was given to the Indian nations. This site was the school for the Shawnee Indians. It is easy to reach from anywhere in Kansas City and will provide the history buff with plenty to think about.

while most people think Johnson County started in the 1950's they would be off by 100+ years, the Shawnee Indian Mission that gives its name to the area, takes a look back to the 1800's when this was the center of the area.

The Shawnee Indian Mission is located on the outskirts of Kansas City, MO. The mission's intent was to educate Indians from several tribes including the Shawnee who are from this area as well as many others who were forcibly relocated. The school provided education to both boys and girls, with the boys working in the shop or on the farm and the girls focusing on sewing, cooking and washing. The mission was essentially a small village in itself. with the complex spreading over 2,000 acres and had 16 buildings. Today the historic site only has three buildings, two of which are open to the public. The third looks to be a private residence now, but it has a small garden you can walk through. The main building houses the administrative office, museum and small gift shop. There is a small entrance fee to visit. They will start a movie for you once you pay the fee which gives a general overview of the mission and its history up until it was forced to close in 1862. The main floor has an exhibition of different artifacts and provides panel boards with detailed information. The second two-story building is located across the street and provides more information on a wider scale of the forced migration to Indian Reservations and how various tribes survived in their respective climates. The second floor provides a modern day exhibit on how traditional arts and crafts are maintained by the modern generation. The Museum is definitely a valuable learning experience, providing a short but detailed account of history sometimes overlooked by many. It is not well advertised, at least outside of Kansas City, so most tourists do not visit. If you have a few days in Kansas City, I would recommend spending an hour here.