Our Mission
The Chapman Center for Rural Studies is committed to researching, preserving, and sharing the history of rural Kansas. Through the establishment of a research lab, archives, curriculum and publications the Chapman Center will link the community of learners at Kansas State University with the communities of the past. The stories and lives of all peoples who shaped the history of this region are significant; and as a premier land-grant institution, Kansas State University supports and encourages the recovery of lived experience, lost towns and settlements, original lands, and changing landscapes. An important objective of the Center is the creation of a website storing histories of lost towns which are easily accessible by the internet. The Chapman Center is committed to continually adding to and upgrading the site with the goal of listing most Kansas lost towns.
