Osage Mission - Neosho County Museum — Attraction in St. Paul

This is a very nice county/historical museum. Majority of staff appear to be volunteers, but all seem to be very well versed in the history of the area. They have a much larger collection of artifacts tied to the history of St. Paul, KS and, before that, what was known as Osage Mission, than most similar county museums do.

I have worked with them several times, both by phone and in person, researching my family genealogy, and have always found them to be very friendly and helpful. This is true whether they just use local records or have to contact sister organizations in other countries or states.

One of the outstanding resources that this library has are all of the notes, records, and indexes of W. W. Graves, the long time publisher of the town newspaper and an enthusiastic amateur historian who has written a number of books on the history of the area. Unlike many town and county histories, Graves had the decided advantage of living through a good chunk of the history he writes about, as well as access to primary sources, such as many of the original pioneers, who were still alive at the time.

Anyone interested in the history of this area, as well as the influence of the Jesuit and Passionist priests or the Sisters of Loretta and the Sisters of St. Joseph on the area will not find a better resources than this museum. Known as 'The Beacon of the Plains', the work of what originally started as a mission to the Osage Indians, far outweighs the town's current size in terms of it's bringing education and 'civilization' to the surrounding areas, attracting students from all over Kansas and as far away as New Mexico.

For anyone interested in history (and even those who don't think they are interested in history), and the areas major impact on the development of Kansas and the adjacent states, I highly recommend a stop at this museum.

While its official hours are some what restrictive, I've found the enthusiasm of the staff such that we would frequently work together long after the official hours, often without even being aware of it.

I highly recommend a stop, as I've seen exhibits here that I have not seen before, even in the largest metropolitan museum.

It is very easy to fly past it's unimposing building. You will find it located on the south side of the main highway just east of St. Paul, adjacent to St. Frances Catholic Cemetery and across the road from St. Frances...

Volunteer docents who are excellent interpreters of the area's history. Small, one room trading store inside. Rooms are arranged by historical moments or subject categories. Outside there are other displays, such as the interior of the one room school house, farm equipment, and other artifacts...

This museum has a wonderful history collection of some of the earliest...