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Thayer County Museum

4.5 (2 reviews)

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4 years ago

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14 years ago

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POW Camp Concordia Museum - Reconstructed Guard tower

POW Camp Concordia Museum

4.0(4 reviews)
44.8 mi

As you travel through farmland, hidden among the crops there are remnants of a once very large POW…read morecamp. ...Very interesting part of our history hidden in the fields of Kansas. History is everywhere! From 1943 to 1945 during the second world war over 4,000 Germans were held in an internment camp here in Kansas where I am visiting. The stories of these men are pretty fascinating - so many of them were talented musicians, cooks, artists, etc. Many renounced Hitler (as they were forced into military service for a cause they didn't support). Those who supported Hitler were taken to a different location in Oklahoma. I enjoyed just speaking with the women leading the tour. We tried to analyze photos that have no captions. The time, energy, and dedication to preserve and communicate history is admirable. IHistory

A very quiet but important piece of Kansas' WW2 and agriculture history!…read more I'd wanted to get by this Museum for years. Just recently, I made a committed effort to do so. And, am I ever glad I did! Camp Concordia at its peak had 304 buildings including a 177 bed hospital, fire Dept, warehouses, Cold storage, and officers club, and barracks, mess halls and administrative buildings and was holding over 4,000 German POWs. Though there are a few of the POW camp's original buildings standing, there are a few still remaining - pretty funny since they were designated "temporary" structures. Also, there are a surprising number of interesting artifacts on display. The docents give a very interesting accounting of the camp's function, population and impacts on agriculture and other projects in the area - without this available source of labor, crops wouldn't have gotten harvested because most of the capable US male labor was off fighting the war. Another interesting aspect of the camp is that after the war ended and the POWs were sent back to Germany, some returned to the US to live and others just to visit. Why? Because of the humane treatment they received from the guards and the local farmers for whom they had worked.

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POW Camp Concordia Museum - Replica SS officer's uniform

Replica SS officer's uniform

POW Camp Concordia Museum
POW Camp Concordia Museum

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Hastings Museum

Hastings Museum

4.4(25 reviews)
49.9 mi

I'll admit that the only thing about this museum that I experience was the basement, which to most…read morepeople is the most interesting part. What I'm talking about is the history of Kool Aid! Kool Aid is a brand we don't hear very much about anymore, unless we're talking about cults. But the town of Hastings does take pride that the founder of Kool Aid is from there. There is a huge detailed display about the evolution of Kool Aid, and its very cool to learn about. Remember the Kool Aid toys and collectibles we all grew up with, regardless of generation? They're all there. And you can also watch a montage of classic Kool Aid commercials while there. There's a statue of the Kool Aid Man outside the museum as well. I feel really bad that I didn't check out other parts of the museum (I think there are 3 floors...) as it talks about the natural history as well as the agriculture and cultural part of the town. But maybe for another time....

OK, this museum is a lot of fun. There is a lot to do for families of all ages and groups of all…read moresizes. We got there and came in and we're looking at the animal exhibits when someone mentioned that a planetarium show was about to start about black holes, so we went inside and my cousin and I both adults and three young children under 10 took our seats and really enjoyed the approximately 20 minute presentation on black holes, looking up at the ceiling in the projection and it was a lot of fun. There are multiple types of exhibits in the museum, including a really cool area celebrating Kool-Aid. Because apparently Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska. Who knew?! There is a antique car exhibit in the basement area as well and a Lego section that is interactive, and the whole experience was really nice. The bathrooms near the Lego exhibit were clean. We used the elevator to go between floors because my cousin has lots of small children in a rolling stroller/cart, and there's a little gift shop with fun things to view and purchase and I would definitely recommend if you're in the Hastings area. You spend some time here..

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Hastings Museum
Hastings Museum
Hastings Museum - An actual REO Speedwagon!

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An actual REO Speedwagon!

Thayer County Museum - museums - Updated May 2026

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