The Adair County Historical Society & Museum preserves the artifacts, history, and genealogy of Adair County through its museum, archives, and quarterly magazine, The Adair Historian. This page is a standing reference for contacting and visiting the museum; see our companion post for its recent news and local-history columns.
211 S. Elson St., Kirksville, MO 63501.
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, 1–4 p.m. Admission is free; donations welcomed.
Phone: 660-665-6502
Email: adaircohistorical@gmail.com
Website: adaircohistorical.org
Facebook: facebook.com/achsmuseum
The Society was organized in 1916, the same year its building was constructed. The building originally housed the Sojourners Club, a women’s civic organization that ran Kirksville’s only public library for 70 years; the Historical Society took over the building once the city built a separate library. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 and designated a City of Kirksville Historic Landmark in 2019.
The museum’s basement display rooms hold artifacts organized by topic — including Civil War uniforms, vintage buggies, and period furniture — alongside archives of photographs, county histories, yearbooks, family histories, city directories, probate records, maps, and microfilm available for genealogy and local-history research. The Society publishes The Adair Historian quarterly and runs a small gift shop (books, pamphlets, postcards, and a calendar), now with an online catalog. It is entirely volunteer-run and funded by memberships, publication sales, and grants — it receives no government funding.
Annual memberships (Bronze/Silver/Gold tiers) run $30–$70 individual, $40–$110 family, $60–$225 business, and $250–$650 for a lifetime membership; all include a subscription to The Adair Historian. Checks, cash, and PayPal are accepted. Volunteers, including students, are welcome — contact adaircohistorical@gmail.com.
