Eudora Area Historical Society

05/29/2026

Please attend the Open House at our museum tomorrow (05/30)! The Open House is in commemoration of the “Bleeding Kansas” themed traveling exhibit that we are hosting at the Eudora Community Museum (720 Main Street) through the end of August. The Open House is also being held in commemoration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Open House will be held from 1:00pm through 4:00pm. Free refreshments and souvenirs will be provided. Admission to this exhibit and our museum is free.

The Bleeding Kansas themed exhibit that we are hosting through the end of August is titled: "Stories from the Western Frontier." This fantastic exhibit uses colorful images to explore Bleeding Kansas and the enduring national struggle for freedom and equality for all Americans. "Stories from the Western Frontier" places the violent and turbulent period of Douglas County’s history, known as Bleeding Kansas, within the context of the national struggle for freedom and equality, a struggle that began in 1776. Bleeding Kansas and subsequent civil rights movements are the direct legacy of the concepts explored in the Declaration of Independence, which states that ALL Americans are entitled to equality and freedom. We are grateful to host this exhibit, which was created by Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area and the Wabaunsee County Historical Society and Museum. You can find out more information about this exhibit here:
https://wabaunseecomuseum.org/2016/10/27/freedoms-frontier-stories-from-the-western-border/

The Eudora Area was of course heavily impacted by Bleeding Kansas; therefore, this exhibit has significant connections to the Eudora Area. The first European/American to settle in what would become Eudora was Dr. Abraham Still, a fervent abolitionist. The Eudora Area community of Hesper was established by abolitionist Quakers. Eudora was of course established by German immigrants. The German immigrants who settled Eudora were largely “Moderate Free-Staters;” they were opposed to slavery spreading into Kansas. Eudora was a strongly pro-Union or Northern community. During the US Civil War (1861-1865), nearly 50% of all Eudora Area men enlisted in Union militia units. On August 21st, 1863, Confederate guerrilla William Quantrill and his men rode through the Eudora Area where they killed several Eudora Area residents. Later that day, Quantrill and his men murdered over 160 Lawrence residents, including children, and destroyed most of the City, in what became known as the Lawrence Massacre, or Quantrill’s Raid. The Lawrence Massacre was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in American history.

05/26/2026

You can now watch the EAHS program: "Eudora's Veterinarian: Dr. Ron Lee" our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6RQ47bsh2Y.

Dr. Ron Lee established his Veterinary Clinic, the Eudora Animal Hospital, in Eudora in 1975 when he was only 25 years old. Over the next several decades, Dr. Lee became a beloved Eudora Area icon because of his ability to medically treat and serve Eudora’s pets and livestock. Dr. Lee also became heavily involved in the community in several capacities. Dr. Ron Lee has since retired from his Veterinary Practice. However, the practice he established, the Eudora Animal Hospital, continues to serve the Eudora community.

The EAHS deeply thanks Dr. Ron Lee for delivering this fantastic presentation to the EAHS membership and the public on May 21st, 2026! The EAHS was delighted to have a huge turnout for this presentation; around 90 people attended Dr. Lee's presentation!

05/23/2026

Did you know that Eudora used to have a movie theater?! The Victory Theatre, which was located at the northwest corner of 7th and Elm Streets, first opened in Eudora in 1942.

1942 was a monumental year in Eudora's history, because that was the year when construction began on the nearby Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. The Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant was built as a result of US entry into WWII in 1941. In 1942, thousands of people moved into the region to work on the construction of the Plant. When the Plant became operational in 1943, thousands of more people moved into the area. Over 12,000 individuals worked at the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant after it opened. Many Plant workers and their families moved to Eudora. The population of Eudora increased from 600 to over 2,000 within months. The Victory Theater was largely built to offer Eudora's new residents a form of entertainment. Television sets were a rare luxury in the 1940s. Instead, in the 1940s, people flocked to movie theaters for entertainment.

During World War II, the United States used the theme of "Victory" to unite the country and mobilize the home front. This manifested across American culture, including "Victory Gardens," which were used to supplement food supplies. Therefore, the Eudora movie theater was named the "Victory Theatre" as a show of patriotism, and the optimism that the US and its allies (UK, USSR, China) would be victorious in WWII against the Axis nations (Germany, Japan, Italy).

The Victory Theatre building was also used to house a wide variety of other businesses. For a time, the Victory Theatre building was home to several Eudora Elementary School classes because the actual Eudora Elementary School building was too overcrowded to host all its classes. Sadly, the Victory Theatre building was destroyed by a large fire in 1966. Eudora has not been home to any movie theaters since the closure of the Victory Theater. Today, the site that was formerly home to the Victory Theatre is occupied by two buildings owned by the City of Eudora.

Do you have any memories or stories to share about the Victory Theatre? If so, please share!

05/16/2026

Dr. Ron Lee established his Veterinary Clinic, the Eudora Animal Hospital, in Eudora in 1975 when he was only 25 years old. Over the next 33 years, Dr. Lee became a beloved Eudora Area icon because of his ability to medically treat and serve Eudora’s pets and livestock. Dr. Lee also became heavily involved in the community in several capacities. Dr. Ron Lee retired from his Veterinary Practice in 2008. The practice he established, the Eudora Animal Hospital, continues to serve the Eudora community.

We are very excited that the May EAHS program is: "Eudora's Veterinarian: Dr. Ron Lee!" This free program will be presented by Dr. Ron Lee. This program will be on Thursday May 21st, at 7:00pm, and it will be held at the Eudora Community Center (1630 Elm Street). At this program, you will learn about the history of Dr. Lee's Veterinary practice, all the people he worked with, and fascinating stories from his 33 years as Eudora’s beloved Veterinarian. This program is free and is open to the public.

YOU COULD WIN A DOOR PRIZE IF YOU ATTEND THIS PROGRAM! The door prize for this program is a $15 gift certificate to Zeb’s Coffeehouse in Eudora (located at 724 Main Street). If you are an EAHS member, your membership dues pay for our six annual programs. Accordingly, these programs are one of the main benefits of EAHS membership. Therefore, please get your “money’s worth” and attend our interesting and educational programs! Our programs are free and open to the public; we hope to see you there!

05/13/2026

The Eudora Community Museum relocated to the former Nottingham Elementary School building 15 years ago today! On May 13th, 2011, the Eudora Area Historical Society (EAHS) moved its entire museum from the former Eudora High School and Middle School building (EHS&EMS building) at 10th and Main Streets into the former Nottingham Elementary School (1428 Elm Street). City of Eudora Public Works Department very generously helped the EAHS relocate its museum, the EAHS would not have been able to relocate its museum without their help!

The EAHS was established in 1980, but its museum, the Eudora Community Museum (ECM) was not established until 2004. In 2004, the Eudora School District allowed the EAHS to use two rooms at the former EHS&EMS building at 10th and Main Streets for its museum for free. The Eudora School District vacated the former EHS&EMS building in 2003. By 2004, the EHS&EMS building was in a state of disrepair. The original ECM at EHS&EMS building lacked heating, cooling, water, restrooms, reliable lighting, and working door locks. The building was also infested with mice, rats, and insects. Nevertheless, the two rooms at the former EHS&EMS building gave the EAHS a place to establish its first museum.

In January of 2011, the City of Eudora hired Ben Terwilliger to work part-time with the EAHS. Ben became the first professional employee to work with the EAHS. One month after hiring Ben, the City of Eudora notified him that the City intended to demolish the EHS&EMS building to build the new Public Safety building. Therefore, the ECM would have to relocate. Thankfully, the City of Eudora and Eudora Schools came together to make sure that the EAHS would get a new home. The Eudora School District generously allowed the EAHS to relocate its museum into the former Nottingham Elementary School building for free. The ECM established at the former Nottingham Elementary School building was a significant improvement over its former location. The ECM at the former Nottingham Elementary School had heating, cooling, water, restrooms, reliable lighting, and working door locks. The building also contained far fewer mice and rats than the former location. The ECM grew greatly and thrived while located at the former Nottingham Elementary School building.

However, immediately after relocating to Nottingham, the EAHS realized that it would eventually be kicked out of the former Nottingham School building. Therefore, the EAHS began a serious effort in the summer of 2011 to find a permanent home for its museum. Thankfully, later that summer, Ben Terwilliger met Pam (Trefz) Staab, who offered to donate her building at 720 Main Street (built in 1866) to the EAHS. 720 Main Street was officially donated to the EAHS for free in 2013 by Pam. However, 720 Main Street required extensive rehabilitation work to make it habitable. Between 2013 and 2022, the EAHS invested the equivalent of $750,000 ($1,000,000+ adjusted for inflation) into the rehabilitation of 720 Main Street. The ECM officially opened at 720 Main Street in on April 4, 2015.

05/05/2026

Thank you The Eudora Times for publishing this great article about our future exhibit on "The Fish Family of Eudora!" The Fish family, who were led by its patriarch Chief Paschal Fish (1804-1893), were members of the Shawnee tribe and were instrumental in the foundation of the City of Eudora. Chief Fish, his family, and his extended family owned all of what is now the Eudora Township in the 1840s and 1850s. In 1857, Paschal Fish sold the land he and his family owned to a German immigrant company for $10,000. The German immigrants were so grateful for the chance to establish a new community on Fish's former land, that they decided to honor Chief Fish by naming the new city "Eudora" after his 8/9-year-old daughter Eudora Fish (1848-1877).

The Eudora Community Museum's "core exhibit" contains an entire section on the Shawnee tribe of Eudora, and a few paragraphs relating to the Fish family. However, the Fish family were so important to Eudora Area history, it was decided that an entire exhibit would be needed to tell their whole story. The Eudora Area Historical Society (EAHS) started the work to create an exhibit on "The Fish Family of Eudora" earlier this year. The EAHS is fortunate to have received help with the creation of this exhibit from two KU students, Tara Mitchell and Sophie Wanamaker. The EAHS thanks Tara and Sophie for their contributions to creating this exhibit!

Originally, the EAHS planned to complete the exhibit "The Fish Family of Eudora" by the spring of 2026. However, it has been determined that it will take more time than originally thought to complete this important exhibit. Essentially, the EAHS wants the content of this exhibit to be based on sources from the Shawnee tribe. Therefore, the EAHS will spend time to locate as many sources from the Shawnee tribe that relate to the Fish family as possible. While the EAHS has ample sources on the Fish family and the Shawnee tribe in its collections, they are not sources from the Shawnee tribe itself. The EAHS is going to invite the Shawnee tribe to give feedback on the content of this exhibit. An exhibit about a Shawnee family should be based on Shawnee sources and it should receive Shawnee feedback. This approach will take more time, but it will ensure that an accurate story is told. History is not "set in stone." History is always changing. History changes as new sources are discovered, and as communities previously excluded from the history writing process are invited to share their stories. This exhibit on "The Fish Family of Eudora" will help us tell a more complete history of the Eudora Area.

Creating a better understanding of Pascal Fish is the goal of a joint project between the Community Museum and KU. Fish, a Shawnee tribe leader, lived in the area from the 1840s until the 1870s. He owned the land that is now Eudora and sold it to a German immigrant company in 1857. They established....

04/28/2026

It's Track and Field season! We wish the Eudora High School Track and Field teams and the Eudora Middle School Track and Field teams the best of luck! Go Cardinals! Please enjoy this film footage of several track meets of the Eudora High School track team from the early 1960s! Some of this footage was filmed in Eudora, at Kerr Field, which is located just south of 10th Street, along Elm Street. This footage was donated to the Eudora Area Historical Society by Duane Smith. Eudora Schools Eudora High School Athletics

Eudora (Kansas) High School Track Meets 1960s

04/24/2026

The Eudora Dairy Queen first opened 30 years ago this month! Eudora's Dairy Queen first opened to the public in April of 1996. The restaurant was developed and operated by Ike Walter and his son Steve Walter. The Walter family owned and operated the Eudora Dairy Queen until 2023. Dairy Queen became one of the first national and/or fast-food chains to open in Eudora. The Eudora Dairy Queen quickly became deeply connected to the Eudora community. We congratulate the Eudora Dairy Queen for 30 years of business!