Augusta Historical Museum & C.N. James Log Cabin

See Augusta’s first building – the 1868 C.N. James log cabin, which stands on it’s original site.

A must see while traveling across Kansas. The Augusta Historical Museum is home to the 1868 C.N. James Log Cabin and Trading Post. The cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of only two log cabins on its original site in the State of Kansas. It is the oldest building in Augusta and one of the oldest landmarks in Butler County. The cabin is being restored to its 1868 use as a trading post.

When visiting the C. N. James Log Cabin you feel the warmth, determination and struggles of the early pioneer. Built in 1868, the cabin stood 1.5 stories tall and was known as the Shamleffer and James Trading Post. The cabin is built of hand-hewn cotton wood logs from along the Walnut River. Some of these logs are 12″ to 14″ in width.

Augusta’s first school classes were held in the upper loft and it became the meeting place of the Baptist and Methodist churches and the Masonic Lodge. Over the years it was used as a boarding house, residence and woodworking shop. In 1939, it was purchased by the Augusta Historical Society, who restored the building and opened it for a museum as part of the Historical Museum complex.

The attached museum is filled with artifacts from Native Americans, the Early Pioneers, the arrival of the Railroad, and the Oil Boom. These items and other rotating exhibits depict life in Augusta from the mid 1800’s through the 1940’s.

Museum Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11a – 3p; Sat./Sun. 1p – 4p; Tours available.