The Museum

Part of the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, the Johnson County Museum is a showcase of the region’s history based in Overland Park. There, visitors can tour through the 1950s All-Electric House, a blast from the past that demonstrates a post-war vision of the future.

There’s also KidScape, an interactive history experience that immerses children in historical settings. From 1870s farm life and selling produce at the City Market in the early 1900s to midcentury suburbia, there’s nothing quite like this time-traveling tour.

Also part of the museum is the Lanesfield Historic Site, the oldest remaining structure in the community of Lanesfield. The limestone schoolhouse, which operated from 1869 to 1963 and is a 30-minute drive from the museum itself, is now home to an escape room and historical panels that detail the site’s past.

The Exhibits and Events

In addition to the award-winning signature exhibit, Becoming Johnson County, the museum offers rotating exhibitions in the temporary exhibit space. Whether curated in house or brought to you from museums around the nation, these exhibits provoke, challenge, delight and inform. Previous exhibitions include looks at L. Frank Baum's Oz and the turbulent era commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties, a community history told through quilts, explorations of Native American stereotypes through works presented by Native American artists, and a history of thrifting.  

Meanwhile, daily and weekly events keep guests coming back for more community-centric fun. Bring youngsters out to enjoy retro story time in the All-Electric House, go on a scavenger hunt, try your hand at an escape-room experience and more.