The Historic Ritchie House
Home of John and Mary Jane Ritchie
Kansas Territorial Settlers of Topeka and a stop on the Underground Railroad
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Cox Communications
Heritage Education Center
Shawnee County Historical Society
1116 and 1118 SE Madison Street
Topeka, Kansas 66601
785-234-6097
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Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 to 1pm However the two sites are closed for the Holidays until Thursday, January 2nd, 2025.
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Adults $2.00 Students $.50
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Learn about the Bleeding Kansas era of the 1850's. And see an Underground Railroad Site and learn about the quest for Freedom before the Civil War.
Click on picture above to learn more about the House built in 1856
In the coming weeks, the Shawnee County Historical Society will present these various programs.
2025 Programs
January 26th Lofts in Topeka 3pm Mark Burenheide at 1118 SE Madison
February 2nd Topeka Radio Stations 3pm Marshall Barber at 1118 SE Madison
February 16th Old Movie Theaters 3pm Bill Shaffer at 1118 SE Madison
March 2nd Nick Chiles 3pm Sonja Czarnecki at 1118 SE Madison
March 16th Civic Theater 3pm Shannon Reilly at 1118 SE Madison
March ?? Show and Tell 3pm 1118 SE Madison
March ?? Rossville Baseball Stadium 3pm Undecided where
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All programs are free to Historical Society members however non members will be asked to donate $5 to attend.
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The Shawnee County Historical Society formed in 1946. It's founders recognized the need to preserve the facts and legends of the early days of our county up to more recent times.
The Historic Ritchie House
and Cox Communications Heritage Education Center
Shawnee County Historical Society
1116 and 1118 SE Madison Ave
P.O. Box 2201 Topeka, Kansas 66601
785 234-6097
Frequently Asked Questions
What does your historic site consist of?
Our site contains two historic buildings on what remains of the original John and Mary Jane Ritchie homestead. The brick and stone building was built by John Ritchie c.1856 and was the family home during the Kansas Territorial era and through the Civil War. The Hale Ritchie home was built by son Hale for himself and his wife Anna c.1887. The John Ritchie home is maintained as close to its original appearance as possible outside with the interior meant to appear as it did when the Ritchies first occupied the home. The Hale Ritchie home has been restored to the appearance of the original outside and houses our Education Center.
Where are your programs conducted?
Our Education Center is the usual starting point for our programs, allowing us to use our multi media facility. We consider our site to be a “working” site in that a portion of our programs, i.e., the “Underground Railroad Experience” utilizes the grounds and the John Ritchie home as active parts of the program.
How large a group can you accommodate?
We can have comfortably up to 50 people on site. However, larger groups sometimes can be accomodated.
Do you have programs for adult groups?
We do! We have programs centering on “Bleeding Kansas” and the Kansas Territorial era, and the Underground Railroad activities of John and Mary Jane Ritchie.
How much time should we allow for your program?
For students, we ask teachers to plan for 1 hour 15 minutes on site for a complete program. A shorter time on site forces us to delete elements of a program which we feel depreciates the experience for the students, and lessens the value of the program for the teacher.
For adult groups, we ask that they plan at least 1 hour on site, depending on the particular program that they’re interested in.
Do you charge for tours or groups?
Currently, we hope that you will give us $.50 for each student and $2 for an adult. However, our site is maintained by the Shawnee County Historical Society which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All functions of the SCHS, maintenance of the site, and expenses of programs are supported by donations from members, financial partners, and visitors. Any donation from a tour group or school group is gratefully received and is devoted to continuing our education programming.
Is your site handicapped accessible?
Yes, both buildings are accessible by ramp.
Have questions not answered here? Want to make arrangements for your school or group? Click here to contact us! We’re happy to help!
