Skip to main content

Exhibit Explores Andersen Collection Ties to Emporia, Lyon County History

A colorized photo of Peter Pan Park is a piece in the Walter M. Andersen Collection at Emporia State University.

Emporia State University Special Collections and Archives will hold an opening reception for the exhibit “The Big Picture: Connecting with the Walter M. Andersen Collection” on Wednesday, March 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event takes place in the exhibit hall on the first floor of William Allen White Library.

Locally known as “the man with the pictures,” Walter M. Andersen took and collected thousands of photographs that document the history of Emporia and Lyon County. This exhibit explores connections between the Andersen Collection and other materials housed in Special Collections and Archives that highlight the people and places of Emporia.

Visitors to the exhibit can see the town through the eyes of its first residents, follow the early development of Emporia State University and its campus, go sightseeing with vintage postcards and learn about local events that brought television film crews and a U.S. president to town.