Important Notice about Donating Items to the RCHS/RCHM

Donation of Historical Objects/Records

A Collecting Pause…

After over 100 years of collecting, the Riley County Historical Society & Museum has made the decision to place a temporary moratorium (pause) on acquiring new items or objects. This moratorium will be in place until May 1 of 2025 and has been initiated in response to the Museum’s and Historical Society’s lack of space. This period will allow the curatorial staff to perform an extensive assessment of our collections, reorganize the overflowing storage areas, establish more efficient storage solutions, and update the policies and procedures related to our collections management activities.

Any unsolicited items for donation will not be accepted at this time, and drop-offs without an appointment will not be considered.

In very limited cases, exceptions to the moratorium may be made for items of significant historical importance, essential to telling Riley County history. If you still wish for your objects to be considered, please email us your request. Requests will be evaluated regularly by our curators and you will receive a timely response. 

Thank you for your interest in supporting the Riley County Historical Society & Museum. As a professional museum working toward accreditation, we have a stewardship role in preserving our historical assets that include a collection of over 90,000 diverse objects. This collection, made up predominantly of items donated by the public, tells the story of the cultural history of our County, the state of Kansas, and this region and its peoples’ influence on national history.

If you wish to support the care of our historical collections through a monetary donation, please see the top of the page, click the donate tab, and indicate, “collections,” in the memo field. Thank you for your ongoing support.

For more information or if you have questions, you can contact us here or call 785-565-6490 and request to speak with someone from the collections department.