Contact Us

Shawnee Town 1929's Visitor's Center (Google Map)
11501 W. 57th Street
Shawnee, Kansas 66203

Phone: (913) 248-2360

E-Mail

Driving Directions
Shawnee Town 1929 is located 3 blocks west of Nieman Road on 57th Street and is accessible from all major thoroughfares.

From I-35 to Visitor's Center, 11501 W. 57th Street:
Take the Johnson Drive exit and go west onto Johnson Drive to Flint (about 1 mile). Right on Flint, one block, left on 57th Street (1/2 block).

From Town Hall, 11600 Johnson Drive
Johnson Drive past Flint Street and turn right into the parking lot next to the First Baptist Church.

From I-435
Take the Johnson Drive exit and go East (left) on Johnson Drive to Flint Street (about 3 miles). Left on Cody. Right on 57th to Visitor's Center, 11501 W. 57th Street, Shawnee, KS 66203.
Museum Staff
Charlie Pautler - Museum Director E-Mail
Charlie Pautler is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Historic Preservation from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Arts in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University. Before coming to Shawnee Town he worked for museums and historic sites in Minnesota and Alabama. His areas of expertise include United States 19th and 20th century agricultural and military history, as well as music history from the 1940's through 1960's. He is married, and is also a percussionist for various bands and music projects.

Responsibilities: The Museum Director is responsible for organizing and coordinating all Museum activities with the assistance of the Museum staff and for managing and implementing the plan for Shawnee Town 1929. The Museum Director is also the primary spokesperson for the Museum.

JoJo Gordon - Curator of Collections E-Mail
JoJo is the Curator of Collections for Shawnee Town. She is responsible for the museum’s collection, and enjoys researching and learning about Shawnee in the 1920’s. JoJo attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri and participated in the Museum Studies program at the University of Kansas. Two years later she received her Master's degree along with thousands of hours of museum experience. In her free time she enjoys reading, going on walks and practicing yoga. She also loves to cook and to eat-she's Italian, it is in her blood! JoJo is also an avid Royal's fan, thanks to her husband.

Responsibilities: The Curator of Collections is responsible for the care of all of the artifacts, photographs, textiles, and manuscripts of the Museum. This includes managing the care and use of interpretive spaces and research.

Hannah Howard - Curator of Education E-Mail
Originally from North Carolina, Hannah earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Roanoke College and a Master of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Hannah came to Shawnee from Nashville, Tennessee where she recently served for six years as Director of Public Programs for Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. Before Nashville, she served as Volunteer and Public Programs Coordinator for Pennsbury Manor outside Philadelphia, along with several sites in North Carolina. She has expertise in museum interpretation planning and,living history program design, and historical research. Outside of work, Hannah enjoys travel, cooking, and exploring the Kansas City area with her dog Sadie.

Responsibilities: Shawnee Town’s Curator of Education is responsible for creating educational programs and materials and implementing and evaluating indoor and outdoor Museum interpretive programs and exhibits for school groups and the general public. These programs include special events, workshops, lectures, seminars, school programs, group tours, and outreach programs.

Royal Krueger - Site & Events Coordinator E-Mail
Royal received her Associate of Arts Degree from Johnson County Community College. Royal is a Certified Tourism Ambassador through the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association. She has been an employee with the City of Shawnee since June 2000, and with Shawnee Town 1929 since February 2001. She enjoys spending time with her four children and her husband.

Responsibilities: The Site & Events Coordinator is responsible for planning and executing all of the community based special events.  They are also responsible for greeting the public, managing the Museum store, showing & booking Town Hall for rental, receiving rental information and ensuring that facilities are set up & staffed to meet customer’s desires. The position performs various routine clerical and administrative support work at Shawnee Town as well as assorted tasks related to the operations of Shawnee Town.

Julie Bishop - Volunteer Coordinator E-mail 
Julie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and from a young age has enjoyed exploring museums.
She has been fortunate to turn her interest into a career, working at museums and in the tourism industry in Kansas City, Chicago, and Orlando. In her free time, Julie enjoys photography, lawn games, and growing seasonal flower gardens. It is no surprise that her favorite hobby is traveling- her bag is packed and ready for a spontaneous day trip or a faraway escape!

Responsibilities: The Volunteer Coordinator manages the recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training and scheduling of volunteers for the Museum. This position advocates for volunteers and leads their integration into the organization. Additional responsibilities include assessing and analyzing the Museum's need for volunteer assistance, articulating a vision for volunteer involvement, developing program goals, objectives & assignments.

Kaitlyn Dickerson- Museum Assistant E-Mail
A native Kansan, Kaitlyn has experience with museum education and historical interpretation at several museums and historic sites around the KC metro area. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Art History from the University of Central Missouri and a Master’s in History from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Responsibilities: The Museum Assistant is involved in two sectors of museum work. Part of her time is spent working as a collections assistant, working closely with the Curator of Collections, with the care of the the museum's artifact collection. The other part of her job is spent working as a museum interpreter, working closely with the Curator of Education, working with school programs, mission based programming and working with the museum's interpretive volunteers.

Bill Kusmit- The Museum Interpreter E-Mail

Bill earned his BS in History from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.  He was a humanities teacher in both Connecticut and Oregon.  Bill has lived on both coasts, now he resides smack in the middle!  He was a historical interpreter at George Washington's Mount Vernon before moving here.  In his free time, Bill loves playing with his German Shorthaired Pointer, Miss Pennylane.  Bill also enjoys reading and foraging in his free time.


Responsibilities: The Museum Interpreter leads and engages visitors through tours, school programs, and other mission-based  programming.  They work closely with the Curator of Education to develop and deliver educational content and routinely help with other museum, visitor, volunteer and collections needs.
Photo Policy
On occasion, City staff or independent photographers hired by the City, may take photographs or videos of participants in our programs, parks, and special events. Please be aware that these photographs or videos are for the department’s potential use in future brochures, pamphlets, social media, and website. If you object to having photos of you or your family used for future City publication, you should notify the photographer at the time the photo is taken.