Mahaffie Historic site activities:
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm History Site
1100 Kansas City Road
Olathe, Kansas
Educational Programs: 2006-2007
The past comes to life for students at the only stagecoach stop open to the public on the Santa Fe Trail! Riding a REAL stagecoach makes visiting Mahafiie a unique experience.
A minimum of 20 students, or a minimum fee of $80, is required per program. Call (913)971-5111 for reservations. Call early to reserve your date and time!One teacher or escort per 10 paid students is admitted free.
Our gift shop stocks affordable items for children and adults. We can prepare a souvenir bag for each student a at a cost of $1 per child.
Fees
$3 per program, per student, plus $1 for stagecoach or wagon rides: $4 total per student. large groups can easily be accommodated but may require a fee increase for extra staff.
Grades 3 through 8
- Wagons Ho — Pan for “gold,” ride the stagecoach, and explore a real prairie schooner packed for the Oregon Trail. Find out why, and how, so many 19th century Americans went west on the Oregon, california, and Santa Fe trails in one of our most popular programs.
- J.B. Mahaffie Had a Farm — Famous for their stagecoach stop, the Mahaffie’s farm operation was even more important to the family. Discover farm life in the 1860s by helping with farm chores and watching demonstrations. Lucinda Mahaffie made 600 pounds of butter in 1865 — and your class can make some, too!
- Home on the Range — Many of the tools, skills, and even words used by American cowboys trace their roots to the vaqueros of Mexico. Discover these connections, and find out if the lives of cowboys in Kansas in the 1850s and 1860s match what we see on TV and in the movies!
- Home Sweet Home — While some of our educational programs may include a visit to specific rooms in the Mahaffie house, a full tour of the home is not possible if we are to allow time for hands-on activities on the grounds. Some of our visiting classes choose this option for a full tour of the Mahaffie home (and our blacksmith shop) as a second program. This program can also stand alone for a single visit.
- When Johnny Comes Marching Home — Explore life on the Kansas – Missouri border during the civil War. Learn about the equipment carried by soldiers, write with an ink pen, and don’t be surprised if you end up marching or drilling! Program activities vary with available staff.
Most programs are approximately 2 hours in length; small groups may move through a program faster. Growing up Victorian is typically a 90 minute program. We can provide you with period games to play during lunch. A picnic area is available, with a playground nearby. Many groups schedule two programs, with time for lunch and the museum store in between. You may also schedule time to shop in the store before or after your program, or we can provide souvenir bags for $1/student. Educators receive a 11% discount on their own purchases in the store, which stocks books and other educational items.
