Andover Historical Museum

Andover Historical Museum Building and sharing the Story of Andover, Kansas

Todd Drake remains one of the most accomplished athletes ever to come through Andover High School, and the community has...
06/02/2026

Todd Drake remains one of the most accomplished athletes ever to come through Andover High School, and the community has always taken great pride in calling him one of our own.

In 1988, Drake became Kansas' fifth ever four-time state wrestling champion, cementing a legacy that stands among the greatest in Kansas High School Wrestling history. During his remarkable career at Andover High, he captured state titles in four different weight classes.

Drake began wrestling at just six years old through the Kansas Kids Federation, where his success started early with two state championships, four runner-up finishes, and two third-place finishes.

By the end of his school career, Drake had compiled an incredible 126-1-1 record under longtime Coach Terry Alley. His only loss came in overtime to Ark City wrestler Billy Ross at the Newton Tournament, while his lone tie came against Derby's Lee Noel.

After graduating from Andover, Drake continued his wrestling career at the University of Central Oklahoma, where he became a four-year starter and finished with a 121-54-1 collegiate record. He earned NCAA Division II All American honors three times, placing third nationally in 1991 and 1992 before reaching the pinnacle of college wrestling in 1993.

In his senior season, Drake captured the NCAA Division II National Championship at 142LBS. In the championship match, he defeated Portland State's James Sisson 7-6, denying Sisson a chance to become a four-time national champion himself.

Todd Drakes accomplishements brought tremendous pride to Andover High and the entire community. His work ethic, determination, and success on the mat helped establish a standard of excellence that continues to inspire generations of Trojan Athletes. Drake will be part of the Andover History Talk on June 11th held at the Andover Public Library, along side his former coach, Terry Alley.

06/01/2026

We are curious if there is anyone in Andover who would be willing to help us with acquiring funding through Grants to improve the museum?

The Andover Grange was organized in the fall of 1917 with 190 charter members. The charter was applied for and received ...
06/01/2026

The Andover Grange was organized in the fall of 1917 with 190 charter members. The charter was applied for and received in March of 1918. In December of that year, the first purchasing agents, Art Michel, Milton Ayres, and Charles Gelwicks were elected and potatoes, twine and coal were purchased.

The Andover Grange was our local chapter of the "Patrons of Husbandry", their official name. The group was also know as "P of H". A nationally chartered organization that was organized back in 1867 to support Americas farming families and rural communities. It served as a social, educational, and civic center where neighbors gathered to share ideas, improve farming practices, advocate for rural interest and build stronger communities. In the early days of the organization, their symbolism was shown as a sheaf of wheat which represented agriculture and prosperity. Farm tools such as sickles, rakes and plows were often incorporated into the design over time.

We need volunteers to help at the Museum. We currently get together every Wednesday afternoon, and the 1st and 3rd Satur...
05/31/2026

We need volunteers to help at the Museum. We currently get together every Wednesday afternoon, and the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month. Our Museum meetings are held once a month on the third Monday evening starting at 6:30pm.

It's a relaxed environment, and we always have fun together discovering our local history and getting organized. Currently there are only two of us that can get together each time, but we have a few additional ladies who participate when time allows. Our goal for this summer is to start packing up all the archives to be prepared for the start of the renovation. This year has been a lot of work for a small group, and we are asking the community for help. This is a community project, and we hope there are more people who can come help us accomplish this great tribute to Andover.

If you have any extra time, we could really use some help this summer. Once the renovation is completed we will need Volunteers to help us rebuild new exhibits. If you are curious, or have good memories of Andover, please stop by and see the vision boards. We need your input to make these exhibits the best they can be!

Just show up! No appointment needed!

05/30/2026

Remember?

Very few individuals have had a greater impact on wrestling in Andover than Terry Alley. A former Kansas state champion ...
05/30/2026

Very few individuals have had a greater impact on wrestling in Andover than Terry Alley. A former Kansas state champion wrestler himself, Alley dedicated decades to coaching and mentoring student-athletes at Andover High School, Augusta High School and Andover Central High School. His teams produced numerous state champions, including four-time state champion, Todd Drake, and he led Andover Central to a Kansas state team championship in 2011. In recognition of his lifelong commitment to the sport, Alley received the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award in 2015. So well deserved, as he inspired and guided so many of our local athletes for such a long time as he helped establish and grow the wrestling program locally. Join us on June 11th at 6pm at the Andover Public Library to hear some of his stories and challenges of making such a big mark in local youth sports. All part of the we plan to capture!

To raise funds for the Museum, we plan to start our Garage Sale during the Andover Garage Sale Weekend. We will be open ...
05/30/2026

To raise funds for the Museum, we plan to start our Garage Sale during the Andover Garage Sale Weekend. We will be open Saturday, June 6 from 9AM-3PM and continue during regular hours throughout the month of June. Please come see the treasures we have collected to sale. We will also be selling a few of the display cases we will no longer need for the new design. Help us fund the

The Taylor Family ran the Lehr's Restaurant when this ad was published in the Andover Journal on Sept 3-9, 1986. It was ...
05/29/2026

The Taylor Family ran the Lehr's Restaurant when this ad was published in the Andover Journal on Sept 3-9, 1986. It was located where the Via Christi Clinic is now, in front of K. Westphal Jewelers. Who ate there and what was so tasty we need to bring it back to today?! Were the Mexican Food Nites good, or was it the all you can eat fish on Wednesday that kept you going back? Can anyone else tell us more about the Taylor Family?

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937 N Andover Road
Andover, KS
67002

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