The Lyon County Historical Society was established in 1937 when it archives were first located in the basement of the Civic Auditorium/William L. White Auditorium. In 1980, operations moved just across the street to the vacant Emporia Public Library, formally the 1904 Carnegie Library Building which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum operated there for 36 years when it moved to its current location at 711 Commercial St in historic downtown Emporia.

The archives house one of the state's largest collections of letters, diaries, and local newspapers, dating from Lyon County's early settlement to the present. There are more than 25 scrapbooks alphabetized by family name that cover more than 100 years of newspaper clippings about births, deaths, marriages, honors and activities of Lyon County families.

It is an excellent source for genealogists and historians.

Exhibits include the following eight core themes: Natural History, Native Americans, Immigration, Transportation, Farming, Ranching, Business and Industry, and Military/Veteran's Day