Independence Historical Museum & Art Center

Independence Historical Museum and Arts Center makes its home in the 1912 Federal-style building that was, until 1962, the United States Post Office. The building is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Eighth Street and West Myrtle Street in Independence, Kansas. It is a one-story hip-roofed, rectangular brick and stone Classical Revival structure located in the central business district. The main façade faces the east and is architecturally divided into seven bays. A three-bay addition was added to the west in 1936. Rooms on the main and lower floors, once used as offices now house exhibits depicting life on the prairie during the 19th and 20th Centuries. The expanded workroom forms the museum's spacious gallery with a large overhead skylight to the west. A mezzanine used as a suite of offices provided a lookout into the gallery for postal inspectors. These rooms now house vintage dining room and barbershop exhibits.

Over 25 exhibits and a large collection of sculptures and paintings are housed at the museum. The museum is accessible via elevated sidewalk from the northwest. Once inside, a modern elevator takes visitors to all three floors of exhibits. The gallery is a popular place for banquets, meetings, receptions, reunions and other gatherings, large or small. A small lighted stage sits in the corner of the gallery. The gallery is available for rent.