Welcome to the Goodnow House State Historic Site virtual tour page!
Through this website, learn more about the Goodnow family and the house they made their home in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Goodnow House, built in 1861, is a noteworthy historic site to the citizens of Kansas. As Abolitionists, Isaac and Ellen Goodnow emigrated to Kansas in 1855 to establish Manhattan as a free-state community. Isaac Goodnow served as a founder of the college that became Kansas State University and was instrumental in developing the Kansas public school system as the first elected Superintendent of Public Instruction. The site has significant documentation through letters, diaries, photographs. Much of the furniture on display original to the house. |
The Goodnow House Historic Site is located next door to the Riley County Historical Museum at 2301 Claflin Road in Manhattan, Kansas. The Riley County Historical Society, Riley County, and the Kansas State Historical Society signed a partnership agreement for the operation of Goodnow House in 1996. The Goodnow House is also a Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area partner site. |