Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm

Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm

1200 Kansas City Rd.

Olathe, KS 66061

In 1865, JB Mahaffie built a farmstead on land that the Shawnee Indians coined Olathe (“beautiful”). His farmstead would later become an inn and stagecoach stop, welcoming some 100 passengers a day. Come explore this last remaining stagecoach stop on the Sante Fe Trail!

Hours of Operation:  Wednesday-Saturday: 10:00-4:00, Sunday: Noon-4:00. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Admission:  Wednesday-Friday:  $3/adults, $2/children ages 5-11, Free/4 and under.  

Special Event & Living History Saturday & Sunday: $6/adults, $4/children ages 5-11, Free/4 and under. 

Olathe residents receive $1 off admission with proof of residency.

Before You Go

Check Mahaffie's Website for upcoming events. Living history weekend activities include blacksmithing, knitting, outdoor cooking with Mrs. Mahaffie and a stagecoach passenger talk. Throughout June and July, be on the lookout for “Day Out With Frank &Ella” activities and enjoy family fun nights every Thursday.

Olathe Junior Service League provides a free e-book on their website (www.OJSL.org) called Plow, Plant and Play on the Prairie. Print it and take it with you as a guide book and memory book all in one! After your visit, you can substitute your own photos for the ones in the album.

While You’re There

Start your journey inside the Heritage Center. There you can view the exhibit I knew It Was a Fine Country and three documentaries (one on the history of the farmstead, one on the border wars and one of the history of Olathe). Make sure to have your camera handy! Visitors have opportunity to try on period costumes. Jot a note to a friend, buy a stamp at the gift store and your special someone can receive a message that “traveled” by stagecoach! Outdoors you will have a hands-on experience of life on a running farm in the 1860s.

After Your Visit

If one trip to the farmstead isn’t enough, consider getting an annual season pass, which entitles you to free admission to all special events and a gift shop discount. When you get home, consider indulging in some 1860s fun of your own! Some of the most popular games of the day included playing marbles, checkers and cards. For better insight into what life was like for a child growing up on a Midwestern farm, consider reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House on the Prairie series or watching the 1970s television series adaptation.

Lauren Greenlee is proud of the rich history her hometown, Olathe, has to offer. She and her family concur with the Shawnees that it truly is beautiful!