MUSEUMS AND TOURS
LEARN OUR BACKSTORIES
We've helped shape the nation.
BATTLE OF LEXINGTON STATE HISTORIC SITE & ANDERSON HOUSE
1101 Delaware St.
660-259-4654
Hours vary
CIVIL WAR TOUR
In and around Lexington
An early battleground, visit key battlefields from the Civil War’s first years. On the Trail of Shelby & Price, follow their desperate attempts to wrest Missouri from Union control.
WENTWORTH MILITARY MUSEUM
At the corner of Business Hwy 13 and Main Street, Lexington
Come visit the Wentworth Military Museum in Lexington, a fascinating collection of history! The exhibits represent 137 years of honor and artifacts from this distinguished military academy.
Find more info and hours on Facebook.
LEXINGTON HISTORICAL MUSEUM
112 S 13th St.
660-259-6313
Hours: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays
Don’t miss the elaborately decorated sword that James A. Mulligan turned over in surrender, but was later allowed to keep per orders of General Sterling Price. Stolen by a young boy shortly after Mulligan’s surrender and hidden in his father’s farm near Lexington, it was eventually returned to the widow of Colonial Mulligan in 1912. The family later donated the sword to the Lexington Historical Museum in 1967. See memorabilia related to the Pony Express mail service, steamboats, coal mining, Osage Indians, and the Wentworth Military Academy.
SALUTE FOR SERVICE
Lexington and Higginsville
Throughout this great Nation, there are hundreds of historic battle fields, war and Veteran’s Memorials, over 3000 National Guard units, a few dozen Military Academies and most cities have VFW and American Legion Posts. Lexington has all of these, with 2 additional sites located within 10 miles at Higginsville. Here you can find active representation of our military’s past, present and future!
SANTA FE TRAIL TOUR
Around Lexington
The Santa Fe Trail became America’s first great international commercial highway, and for nearly sixty years thereafter was one of the nation’s great routes of adventure and western expansion. With the success of the new Santa Fe Trail, most early traders traveled through Lexington. Trade goods such as tinware, tobacco, whiskey and beeswax originated in Lexington.
LISTEN TO OUR STORIES
Take a self-guided tour of four National Historic Districts listening to our theatrical audio tours that bring the characters of the past to life. You’ll be in awe of the stunning architecture of our many antebellum and Victorian homes that paint the cheery streets of Lexington. Or follow Lexington’s sites along the Santa Fe Trail and immerse yourself in the past.
HIGHLAND AVENUE HISTORIC DISTRICT
Once part of the Santa Fe Trail, merchants and business leaders built large homes that over look the Missouri River. Approximately 1 mile.
DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
From the steamboat era, to the Civil War, to the days when coal miners filled the saloons and other establishments of Block 42. Approximately 1 mile.
BATTLEFIELD/WENTWORTH HISTORIC DISTRICT
This area highlights Lexington’s military heritage, from the 1861 Battle of Lexington to Wentworth Military Academy, the oldest west of the Mississippi. Approximately 1.3 miles.
Note: Wentworth Section of Tour starts at 25:24 from parking lot at SW corner of 18th St. & Washington Ave.
OLD NEIGHBORHOODS HISTORIC DISTRICT
Homes dating from the 1830s to the early 1900s in styles from Greek Revival to Queen Anne line the streets. Machpelah Cemetery is the last resting place for many Lexington notables. Approximately 1.8 miles.
Note: Machpelah Cemetery Section of Tour starts at 37:30 just inside the North Gate of the Cemetery on S. 20th St., across from Jefferson Ave.