113 N. 6th
Seneca, Kansas
The Nemaha County Historical Society, Inc. purchased the Sheriff’s Residence and Jail in 1978 for use as a museum. The museum had its grand opening in July, 1978. Quilt blocks were sold at $20 a block to raise money for the museum purchased. Over $7,000 was raised by three quilts.
At that time, the Historical Society renovated the interior of the sheriffs residence and removed all the heating and plumbing except for the fixtures in the kitchen and lavatory. All of the rooms were returned to their original early 20th century style. In 2006, the building was accepted to the Registry of Historical Places (Nemaha County sites on National Register of Historic Places).
- Residence Displays
- Displays in recreation areas of Jail
- History of the Residence / Jail from the local papers
- Jail History – AI Generated from Newspaper articles
- 1879 P. J. Pauly Bid
- 1879 P. J. Pauly Contract
- 1879 P. J. Pauly Bond
- 1879 Jail Specifiations
- 1879 Specifications for Residence and Jail – signed by P J Pauly
- 1879 Specifications Summary – created by ChatGPT from the transcription of the 1879 specifications
- National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form
- Jail Stories
Since then, the front porch has been stabilized, the forty-nine (49) original windows have been restored, and the original exterior mortar and bricks have been repointed and restored. A new foundation was placed under the summer porch in 2023.
Annex 1 was built in 1994 and Annex 2 was built in 2001 with funds donated by Harry C. M. Burger, whose grandfather settled north of Seneca.
The Nemaha County Historical Society, Inc. relies on donations, fundraisers, and grants to maintain the sheriffs residence and jail and to improve its displays.
