Kansas City History

Wild Bill Hickok was a figure in Shawnee history in the 1850s. The artwork, which was installed on Shawnee Mission Parkway and Nieman Road, depicts Hickok astride his legendary horse, Black Nell.

The Shawnee Tribe says the state of Kansas should give up ownership of the historic Native American boarding school in Fairway. But this week, the Kaw Nation made an argument that they — as the original inhabitants of the land — should have a say in who controls the site.

The images document celebrations, parades, and dedications, and archivists' painstaking work is revealing the history of a growing city in the Midwest.

A report commissioned by the Shawnee Tribe concluded up to $13 million in restoration and repairs are needed at the longtime Native American boarding school. But the city of Fairway, which is responsible for maintaining the site, says it has no plans to transfer ownership.

A hidden gem of Kansas City's historic Roanoke neighborhood, the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio takes you back in time to the place Benton lived, worked and died.

In 1948, Phillip Sollomi debuted an Italian vinaigrette at his Kansas City fried chicken restaurant, the Wishbone. An immediate hit, the salad dressing formed the foundation for an empire: You can find that iconic Wish-Bone bottle in nearly every supermarket in the country. Decades after Sollomi left the company, his family has returned to the city to reclaim their legacy.

Some of Kansas City's historic cemeteries — including Hill Park and Elmwood — and are reported to be haunted, with rumors of glowing figures appearing in the dark or following visitors through the grounds.

If you love a haunted house and learning our region's history, this list of Kansas City ghost tours and paranormal investigations is for you.

The 122-year-old former burlesque house — the oldest theater in the city — will officially welcome patrons to new carpets, artwork, larger seating and other upgrades after a four-month closure.

Members of the Elmwood Cemetery Society hope the 150-year-old graveyard can once again be a place for family picnics and walks.

Central United Methodist Church will become a satellite for the Leawood-based Church of the Resurrection. Its history says much about Kansas City's, and it's own, past ties to slavery.

The second-oldest cemetery in Kansas City was created by business leaders. Its first burial was a six-month-old girl.