Frequently Asked Questions
About Museum Operations
What are your hours? Are you open [during specific in-season date]? Are you open [during in-season holidays]?
SEASON: Typically we open during our local spring break, which occurs sometime during the second or third full week of March (varying by year depending on the high school sports schedule) and we stay open through to Halloween. If the weather is mild we may on occasion stay open for a week or so into November. This is a case-by-case scenario.
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HOURS: During our season, we are open Sunday through Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm
HOLIDAYS: Yes, this includes any holidays that fall within our season
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CLOSING DAYS: We only close for our off-season months from November to mid-March and for inclement weather. There is minor flooding that can occur out here, so we prefer to err on the side of caution if we receive over a certain amount of rain. The flooding occurs around the schoolhouse in particular and thanks to a handful of nearby creeks, sometimes water comes up over the road.
Never drive through water over the road even if it appears shallow! We prefer our patrons stay safe and visit us another day if the museum is inaccessible for this reason. Watch our social media for updates such as this
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OFF-SEASON POLICY: When we are closed for the season, the property itself is still accessible, but all the buildings will be closed and locked. Please be kind and remove any trash you bring with you to help us keep the site as tidy as possible. Keep Kansas Clean! Thank you!
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What is your admission cost?
As of the 2024 season our admission costs are as follows:
Adults 18+ $5.00
Children 4-17 $3.00
Children 3 and under are free
At this time we do not currently have discounts for seniors or veterans
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Do you take credit cards?
Yes!
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How many visitors do you get a day?
During summer vacation months, we average around 75 people per day. It does drop a bit when school is in session to around 45-50 people per day and increases significantly around holidays and our events to upward of 150 people. We love it when you sign in with us. Our goal every year is to see visitors from all 50 states and as many countries as possible!
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Do you have a spot to eat? What are some good places to eat around here?
We do have picnic tables out here just past the well that are free to use at any time, including off-season. As for food options, there are a number of fantastic restaurants located in Independence, Coffeyville, and Caney including Mexican, Chinese, Homestyle, and of course all the Midwestern fast food favorites
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How far is Independence?
Independence, Kansas, is approximately 15 miles to the northeast from our location
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Is there parking for motorhomes/RVs/buses?
Yes, our parking is located directly out front. There is a gravel strip. You are also welcome to park on the other side of the street in the gravel if there are too many other vehicles or if it's easier depending on your own vehicle. Leaving either direction down the street will take you back to Highway 75, so no need to turn around if there isn't enough space
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What buildings/sights do you have out there?
We have an old farmhouse that's been converted into a giftshop, a replica of the cabin build per Laura's descriptions in the book, an old post office, and a one room schoolhouse. We also have the hand dug well that Pa dug. As far as facilities go, we have working public restrooms during our on-season.
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How long does it take to go through the museum?
To read through all our information, it takes approximately 30 minutes. However, given the open air self-guided nature of the museum, most people like to take a bit longer to really take it all in
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Do you have any events? What and when are they?
Every year we host a birthday party for Carrie's Birthday. She was born August 3, 1870, so the event will be held on the weekend nearest to August 3rd. For the 2024 season, Carrie Days will be held on Saturday, August 3rd.
For the 2024 season we also have an additional event that we are apart of. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the television series. Some of the cast will be visiting Independence, Kansas and our site on Friday, May 31st through Sunday, June 2nd.
Keep an eye on our home page and our social media for more information
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Can I pet and feed the donkeys?
Yes! They adore the attention and are big fans of things like lettuce, apples, watermelon, and carrots. Be mindful as a couple of them sometimes like to nip
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Is it always so windy out here?
Indeed it is. This is the Great Plains. Most of the trees you'll see out here were planted by farmers; notable in the fact they all line the property fencing lines. With very little resistance (as there are very few buildings out here as well) the wind just cuts straight through. You'll certainly earn yourself a uniquely Kansan hair style thanks to the wind if you spend long enough with us
Historical Facts
So is this the house Laura lived in?
No, though we understand the farmhouse does look a bit like her home in Mansfield, Missouri, it is a different house altogether. Laura Ingalls and her family never lived in the farmhouse located here. They lived in a cabin much like the one we have here
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Is that the actual cabin?
No, what we have is a replica of her cabin. It was over 100 years before anyone discovered this was one of her historical sites. The replica we have today was build in 2017 to replace the previous replica (built in 1977) that was destroyed by wood bees.
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Is that the location of the actual cabin?
No. In the books she talks about the well being dug at the corner of the house. Based on that knowledge, we suspect the cabin actually sat somewhere behind the farmhouse as that's where the well is located.
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Is that the well Pa dug?
Yes, it is. It's about 20 feet deep. So for safety, it's currently sealed off
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Did the Ingalls build the barn?
No, the red barn was built by the owners' grandparents in the 1920s shortly after they first purchased the property
So when was the farmhouse built?
The farmhouse was built around 1885. When the property was purchased in 1923, the floors were replaced to the thin wood boards we have today. Evidence of the wood burning stoves still exist in the two main rooms. The back third room was a lean-to. This room was formally added to the house in the 1960s
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Are these other buildings original to the site?
No. The school house and the post office were brought in from a nearby town called Wayside when it came time for them to be demolished. The post office held the names of several local families, including the owners' family. In addition, the school house was once taught by the owners' grandmother
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Did the girls go to this school?
No. The schoolhouse was built a few years after the Ingalls left, but it's very likely they would have attended had they stayed.
Did [specific decorative item] belong to the Ingalls?
No. They lived here for such a short time the only thing of theirs that remained was the well. The rest is either long gone or was taken with them. You can see things like Pa's fiddle in other historical museums
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Are the owners related to the Ingalls?
No, they are not. But family descended from the Ingalls' family have come to visit us a number of times. It should be noted that Ma and Pa do not have any living descendants. All Ingalls' relatives that are alive today are thanks to Ma and Pa's siblings or are descended from Carrie's step-children.
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How was it discovered this location was the actual place?
The owners have always been historical investigators. When researching a gap in information regarding the previous ownership in the property a local census taken in 1870 was discovered. On the census, Charles and Caroline along with daughters Mary, Laura, and 10 day old baby Carrie were listed alongside Dr. George Tann. The Ingalls were listed as being part of the Rutledge Township which consisted of three properties, ours and two neighbors. Of the three properties, this one is the only one with a well.
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I didn't know baby Carrie was born here. Why is that not in the books?
The events of the books were written a bit out of order. Many events regarding Little House in the Big Woods is likely about their second time living in Peppin mixed with events from the first time. Given Laura wrote about Carrie in that book, it's likely that for ease of storytelling she was kept in Little House on the Prairie
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Why did the Ingalls move away?
It's not explicitly listed anywhere, only suspicions. In the book, it's implied the government was going through and kicking people out. Historically, people like the Ingalls were considered squatters on the lands they settled on. It's hard to say if Pa decided to move due to fear of dealing with soldiers or if they were just plain tired after all the setbacks they experienced. Maybe it was a combination of all of the above. What we do know is they only lived here around 18 months before going back to their little house in the big woods in Peppin, Wisconsin, before moving on to locations mentioned in her other books.
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How many books did Laura write?
She wrote 9. 8 of them were published during her lifetime. The ninth, known as "The First Four Years" was found as an unfinished manuscript in her home in Mansfield, Missouri, after she passed away. It was edited and published.
The Neighbors
Mr. Edwards
Yes, Mr. Edwards was a real person, but not the way you think. He was a combination character of sorts. A technique sometimes used in entertainment to simplify storytelling. In the case of our location, Mr. Edwards was a man by the name of Edmund Mason, an Englishman.
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Edmund Mason traveled from England to Canada before traveling south and settling here in southeast Kansas. He had a wife and children and at the end of his days, his daughter took care of him. His descendants still live in the area to this day. His homestead was about two miles to the east of our location and he is buried in Harrisonville Cemetery, located nearby.
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The Scotts
The Scotts aren't mentioned in the other books and appear as an elderly couple, though their ages are never specified. All that's known about them is they live within shouting distance, have no children, and they help the Ingalls several times during their prairie stay.
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There is no couple with the last name Scott listed on the census beyond a family of six who lived on the other side of Independence around the same time. There was a couple who lived in the Rutledge Township by the name of Longcor, however.
The Longcors traveled down from Missouri around the same time the Ingalls did with their infant son. Their son died within a few months of settling in Independence, however. The following year, Mary Jane Longcor gave birth to a daughter and passed away 10 days later, leaving her husband George to care for newborn Mary Anne.
George and Mary Anne would remain for another year and a half before setting out to rejoin George's family who lived in Iowa at the time. Unfortunately, their tale would end shortly after when they would make a pitstop at an inn in Labette County some 30 miles from this location. Their disappearance at the hands of the Bender family would set events in motion that would go down in national history, marking the first known serial killer family in the United States.
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Mary Jane's family would be the ones to claim George and Mary Anne's bodies after the discovery. In a news article, they told the press that all four of the Longcors were buried together in an unmarked grave near Wayside.
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Potential evidence of another homestead was recently found on our current property out here that could point to where the Longcors had settled as the Ingalls neighbors
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Dr. Tann
Dr. George Tann lived up on a nearby hill and was responsible for treating the Ingalls when they were sick with fever 'n' ague. He was also the presenting doctor for baby Carrie's birth. He is buried in Independence, Kansas at a well marked grave visible from Pennsylvania Ave.
Book vs. Television
Is this where they filmed the show?
No, Hollywood was responsible for filming the show. We are the historical location from Laura's book "The Little House on the Prairie"
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Is that the actual China Shepherdess Ma owned?
No. We sell a shepherdess designed by us as the books do not give a formal description.
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Is it the Shepherdess from the show?
The shepherdess on display in the cabin is actually one of the models used in the show. This particular one is broken and can be spotted in one of the television episodes
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Was Mary actually blind? Did she get married?
Yes, she did go blind as a result of scarlet fever, but she never married
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What happened to Laura's brother?
Laura did have a baby brother who survived 9 months before passing away. His fictional counterpart was alive and well in the television series