Current Exhibits at the Prairie Museum

A Little This, A Lotta That: An Introduction to the Kuska Collection
The exhibit explores the lives and collections of Joe and Nellie Kuska. The Kuska Collection includes glass, furniture, ceramics, toys dolls, stamps, clocks, coins, silver, jewelry and other antiques.

Glorious Glass: European and American Traditional and Decorative Glass
The impressive exhibit of over 1,000 pieces of glass is accentuated by the beautiful Bohemian and Venetian art glass and pieces by Steuben, Galle’ and Tiffany.

Voices of the Stars:
Opera Stars of NW Kansas
Native son Sam Ramey grew up in Colby is renowned around the world for his opera performances. Marion Talley, an opera star of the 1920s, once owned land in Thomas County and visited the area many times.

Fired UP! The Art and Function of Ceramics
This exhibit showcases 18th century Meissen, plus over 1,200 pieces of outstanding ceramics from Europe, Asia and the United States.

Alphabet Soup: The Amazing ABC’s of Collecting
A new temporary exhibit with each of the 26 cases representing a letter of the alphabet. The cases are filled with an array of artifacts which represent the depth of the collections.

Batteries Not Included: Toys of the Past
The centerpiece of the 1,000 toys is a operational Lionel train and a vintage coin operated horse. The toys range from the 19th to the 21st century.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue:
Wedding Traditions
The wedding dresses and accessories represent the Midwest wedding traditions from the late 1880s to the 1980s.

Prairie Life: Conquering the Great American Desert
The introductory exhibit explores the settlement period of high plains of Kansas from the 1880s – 1930s.

Rags to Riches:
Playing with and Collecting Dolls
A Victorian dollhouse highlights the gallery with an exceptional exhibit of bisque dolls. Over 1,000 dolls from all over the world make this a charming exhibit.

Home Sweet Home
The furniture and home furnishings samples the collections from the French Louis the XV inlaid desk to the vernacular horn chair from Thomas County.

Sod House

The sod house shows the ingenuity of the homesteaders. The late 19th century dwelling exhibits furniture, clothing and other artifacts of pioneer life on the prairie. Click on the picture for a printable document containing more information about the sod house.

1930's Farmstead
The Eller House, displaying typical furniture, clothing, and objects, tells of farm life in the 1930s. In the yard is an early type of wooden blade windmills, an outhouse and the Vacin Barn. The small red barn is typical of early barns with its loft and corral and was moved to the site in 1985. Click on the picture for a printable document containing more information about the Eller House.

One-room School
The one-room Nicol School building symbolizes the cultural and social importance of education to the pioneers and represents the 94 one-room rural schools that once graced the landscape in Thomas County. Click on the picture for a printable brochure containing more information about the Nicol School.