​Celebrating Our Past. A Legacy for our Future. 

Welcome!

Our museum features collections from the early settlers of Stony Point and Pink Hill, the building of the Alton Railroad, the first citizens of Grain Valley and artifacts from 1878 to the present.
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While the history and collections from the early settlers are an important part of the museum, the procurement and preservation of memorabilia from the modern day community is equally important.  Allowing future generations to better understand their cultural heritage is the primary goal of the Society. 

The Museum is open on Wednesdays from 10:00am - 3:00pm, and by appointment.
Call Marty, 816-686-7582, to schedule an appointment.​

Upcoming Events:

Membership Meeting
Thursday, January 23rd - 6pm
Guest speaker: Suzanne Hogan, KCUR
​GVHS will meet Thursday January 23 at 6 pm with desserts and beverages provided before the speaker presentation and business meeting which will be the case for all regular bi-monthly meetings except for the July Ice Cream Social and possibly other special events during the year. Volunteers will need to sign up for providing desserts starting with the March meeting as volunteers are already assigned for the January meeting. You do not need to bring anything to the regular meetings unless you are providing desserts that evening.
 
This month's speaker is Suzanne Hogan, a podcast producer, storyteller, host, educator, presenter and consultant based in Kansas City, Missouri as well as serving as the Senior Managing Producer for KCUR Studios, the podcast wing of KCUR 89.3 FM, Kansas City’s NPR affiliate. Throughout her career at KCUR, her creative documentary style has helped expose corruption in the Kansas City, Kansas police department, demystified the Midwest accent and taken her inside the den of a wild bear. 
 
In 2020, she launched " A People's History of Kansas City" an award-winning podcast that shines a spotlight on overlooked everyday heroes
and visionaries that shaped the region. Join us for an intriguing presentation and conversation with Suzanne Hogan about her unexpected journey into podcasting, as she shares a behind the scenes look of the making of the podcast, and lessons learned along the way. This is a tool that history buffs and historical societies need to explore to help make history more interesting and relevant.

Read Marty Napier's weekly "Looking Back" column in Valley News:

The Voice:
​The Historical Society's Newsletter

January 2024

ABOUT 

  The Grain Valley Historical Society formed in 1991 when a small group of citizens with an interest in history and a love for their hometown made plans to start a society.  They began actively meeting at the Grain Valley Methodist Church (now Faith United Methodist) and by early 1992 they had adopted a constitution and elected Winona Sharp Burgess, one of the founders, the society’s first president.

     The group met bi-monthly for an educational program and to conduct society business.  A compilation of historical papers, photographs and artifacts was begun.  The need for a building to display the collection soon became apparent to the Society.  Many options for a museum sight were under consideration including a silo on property that was once a part of Sni A Bar Farms.  Many projects were pursued to raise the funds necessary to purchase a site.  Land was purchased to construct a building, however, in 1995 the land was traded as partial payment for the current location.
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Projects continued and with the generosity of members and friends of the Society, the present building at 506 Main was purchased.  Hundreds of hours of love and labor went into restoring the old tin ceiling and adding a few modern conveniences before the building was ready for its debut at the Christmas Homes Tour in 1996.

EXHIBITS

​Our museum features collections from the early settlers of Stony Point and Pink Hill, the building of the Alton Railroad, the first citizens of Grain Valley and artifacts from 1878 to the present.
​
While the history and collections from the early settlers are an important part of the museum, the procurement and preservation of memorabilia from the modern day community is equally important.  Allowing future generations to better understand their cultural heritage is the primary goal of the Society.  It is not necessary to live in a town for fifty years to be a part of its history.

If you have pictures of old school buildings, businesses, homes or family photos that could be copied, or artifacts to give or loan to the Museum, please contact us at (816) 686-7582 or write us at
​P. O. Box 414, Grain Valley, MO 64029

JOIN THE GRAIN VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Help keep local history alive by joining the Grain Valley Historical Society.

Membership in the Historical is $20 per year for Individual Membership and $30 per year for Family Membership. 

Checks should be made payable to Grain Valley Historical Society and mailed to:

Grain Valley Historical Society
510 Main Street
Grain Valley MO 64029


The Society gladly accepts donations of significance to Grain Valley History.  Donations of photos or other memorabilia can be donated by contacting Marty Napier, [email protected] or phone (816) 686-7582.  
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LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBERS

EPR Properties, Kansas City
Grain Valley Chiropractic
Grain Valley Education Foundation
Grain Valley News
The Iron Kettle 
Meinershagan & Co.
St. Mary’s Medical Center of Blue Springs 
State Bank of Missouri
Ward Development Company

CONNECT WITH US

Address: 506 S Main, Grain Valley, MO 64029

Telephone: (816) 686-7582​

The Museum is open on Wednesdays from 10am - 3pm, Saturdays 11am - 3pm (when building is not rented for an event), and by appointment. 

LET'S TALK

Keep Grain Valley's History Alive!

Address: 506 South Main, PO Box 414, Grain Valley, MO 64029

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