About the Collections

The Hesston Public Library Digital Special Collections contains unique historical items held at the Hesston Public Library. Currently, it contains two collections:

The Hesston Tornado Collection documents the tornadoes that devastated Hesston and surrounding communities in south central Kansas on March 13, 1990. Soon after the event, the Hesston Public Library opened its doors as a repository for photographs, first person accounts, videos and other memorabilia relating to the tornadoes, and continues to collect items to this day. Some of the items are housed in our permanent archives, while others are on loan for solely for digitization.

The Hesston Centennial Collection (1886-1986) tells the story of Hesston's founding and first hundred years. Compiled by former Hesston mayor and author, Murray C. Bandy, this collection of photographs, maps, plats, correspondences, negatives, newspaper clippings served as the research material for Bandy's book, "Hesston Centennial, 1886-1986", published in 1988. Many of the photographs in this digital collection can be found in the book, while others are being dusted off and placed into public view for the first time.

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Bit by bit, amidst the many projects and happenings at the Hesston Public Library, we continue to add content to our digital collections. Digitization work is done by Hesston Public Library staff members and a host of excellent volunteers.

Hesston Public Library Digital Special Collections is made possible through grants from the South Central Kansas Library Foundation, the Kansas Humanities Council, and support from the South Central Kansas Library System.

Copyright. These items are made available for educational purposes only. Commercial use is strictly prohibited by law without prior written consent from the copyright holders. The responsibility for the use of these materials rests exclusively with the user.

We look forward to learning more about our digital holdings, and to hearing from any copyright owners who may not be properly identified. If you have any additional information about our collections, or if you would like to suggest a correction, please contact us.