Kansas Historical Society

What Kansas Historical Society does

The Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) is a state agency of the State of Kansas, established in 1875, that preserves and shares the history of Kansas through a multi-channel heritage and cultural resource operation. It serves the general public, K–12 educators and students, genealogists, historic property owners, and professional archeologists. Its core operations include the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka, the State Archives (housing millions of documents, photos, maps, and government records in a climate-controlled facility), the Capitol Visitor Center, and 16 state-owned historic sites distributed across Kansas — collectively serving 6 million+ visitors annually per the Society's own materials.

The Society's product surface spans physical sites, a digital repository (Kansas Memory — the largest online Kansas history collection), an online encyclopedia (Kansapedia), a quarterly peer-reviewed journal (Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains), a bimonthly newsletter (Zephyr), K–12 education programs (The Kansas Journey textbook, lesson plans, traveling trunks, virtual resources), and preservation services including National and State Register administration. It also operates the Kansas Archeology Training Program (KATP) field school (est. 1974) and a GIS database covering 17,000+ recorded archeological sites with USGS overlays.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of channels: museum admissions, retail merchandise via the Kansas Historical Foundation Store (store.kshs.org), tiered memberships ($60–$1,000), tax-deductible donations across nine designated funds, paid research and interlibrary loan services, GIS database subscriptions ($80 weekly / $900 annual), and historic preservation tax credit processing fees ($200–$2,000). The affiliated Kansas Historical Foundation, a non-profit, manages donations, memberships, and retail operations. No proprietary technology stack is described; the organization relies on standard web infrastructure and e-commerce platforms, and no AI/ML capabilities are evidenced.

Name

Kansas Historical Society

Legal name

Kansas Historical Society

Website

https://kshs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1875

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Kansas Historical Society is a Kansas state agency (founded 1875) that preserves and shares state history through the Kansas Museum of History, State Archives, Capitol Visitor Center, and 16 historic sites, serving 6 million+ annual visitors via admissions, memberships, retail, and research services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Libraries and Archives (51921), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

History Museums (THAJADAB), National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG), Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Historical preservation services
• Museum and archives operations
• Cultural heritage education
• Historic site management
• Genealogical research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Topeka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Museum Admissions and Site Visits: Revenue generated from visitor admissions to the Kansas Museum of History and special exhibits at various locations.
2. Retail Merchandise Sales: E-commerce and physical store sales of Kansas-themed merchandise including books, apparel, home goods, toys, prints, maps, and commemorative items.
3. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership programs (Friend $60, Ambassador $250, Patron $500, Builder $1,000) providing discounts, subscriptions to publications, and exclusive benefits.
4. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations to various funds including General History Fund, State Historic Sites, Kansas Memory digitization, Artifact Conservation, Education, Acquisitions, State Archives, and New Museum Exhibits.
5. Research and Reference Services: Fees for staff research assistance ($30 per request), interlibrary loans ($15 per 1-2 microfilm reels), photocopy services, and certification fees.
6. GIS Database Access: Geographic Information System database access providing archeological site data - weekly access at $80, annual access at $900.
7. Historic Preservation Tax Credit Processing: Processing fees for federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credit applications, ranging from $200 to $2,000 based on project scope.
8. Land Survey Services: Fees for land survey corner reports, GLO maps and field notes, and survey filing services.
9. Traveling Trunk Program: Educational traveling trunk rentals for classroom use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Kansas Historical Society operates the Kansas Museum of History, 16 State Historic Sites across Kansas, and the State Archives, providing museum visitation, historic site experiences, and in-person archival research services. It delivers K-12 educational programs (classroom materials, The Kansas Journey textbook, traveling trunks), administers federal and state historic preservation tax credits and National Register nominations, publishes the Kansas History journal and Zephyr newsletter, and runs an e-commerce store selling Kansas-themed merchandise alongside membership and donation programs.

Product overview

The Kansas Historical Society operates a multi-faceted heritage organization offering museum services through the Kansas Museum of History, manages 16 State Historic Sites across Kansas, maintains the State Archives with extensive document collections, and provides digital access through Kansas Memory (the largest digital Kansas history repository). The organization publishes the Kansas History academic journal and Zephyr newsletter, provides K-12 education programs including classroom materials and traveling resources, offers preservation services including historic tax credits and site surveys, and delivers archeology programs including the Kansas Archeology Training Program. Revenue-generating operations include an e-commerce store (Kansas Historical Foundation Store) selling Kansas-themed books, prints, maps, toys, clothing, and crafts, along with membership programs, donation acceptance, GIS database subscriptions, and fee-based research, land survey, and tax credit processing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kansas Museum of History

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 6 million visitors annually

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tennessee State Museum: State-owned history museum operating exhibitions, educational programs, and collections on Kansas-comparable scale. Similar operational model as a state agency with admission revenue, educational programming, and gift shop retail.
• Wisconsin Historical Society: Comprehensive state historical society with museum, archives, historic sites, and academic press operations. Closely comparable to KSHS in scope of activities (museum, archives, preservation, publishing) and nonprofit foundation structure.
• Virginia Museum of History & Culture: State-affiliated history museum and archive with comparable offerings (exhibits, publications, research services, membership tiers). Functions as the state historical society equivalent for Virginia and addresses a similar mix of general public, educators, and genealogical researchers.
• Missouri History Museum: State-level history museum in St. Louis serving a comparable Midwest audience with similar exhibit-based, educational programming, and membership-driven revenue model. Comparable in scale and visitor demographics to the Kansas Museum of History.
• Minnesota Historical Society: State-chartered historical society operating a history center museum, historic sites, archives, and publishing programs on a comparable scale. Most direct peer due to parallel structure: museum + state historic sites + archives + membership/donation model + state agency status.
• Ohio History Connection: Statewide history organization operating multiple historic sites, a history center museum, archives, and preservation programs. Direct peer given its analogous mix of museum, sites, archives, and educational programming under a single state-affiliated entity.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: Nationally chartered museum and research complex with history, archives, and education functions that overlap with KSHS's offerings, but at vastly greater scale and federal scope. Indirectly competes for tourism, donor attention, and digital history audiences.
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): Federal records and archives agency whose State Archives counterpart work overlaps with KSHS's State Archives functions. A broader incumbent in the same records management and archival services category, but operating federally rather than at the state level.

Others

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on historic preservation advocacy, education, and site stewardship. Not a direct competitor but operates in the adjacent preservation ecosystem where KSHS runs its SHPO and tax credit programs.
• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH): Membership association supporting state and local historical organizations through standards, training, and advocacy. KSHS is a typical member; AASLH is an enabling/ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but shapes the operating environment for all state historical societies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/kansashistorical
• Facebookfacebook.com/kshistoricalsociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/kansas_history
• Xx.com/kansashistory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-historical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kansas Historical Society