Buster Keaton Museum
Rural Water District 1
302 South Hill Street
Piqua, Kansas 66761
(620) 468-2385

Open 9 AM - 2 PM    Monday - Friday
other hours by appointment     free
Buster Keaton Museum Map

Buster Keaton Celebration

The Buster Keaton Story poster at the Buster Keaton Museum
Buster Keaton Museum - Piqua, Kansas
Buster Keaton Museum

The Buster Keaton Museum in Piqua, Kansas is devoted to Buster Keaton, the film actor, writer, and director.

Keaton's parents were vaudeville performers that were in Piqua, touring with Harry Houdini as part of a traveling show, and Frank Joseph Keaton was born in Piqua on October 4, 1895. That was his only connection with the community until many years later when he and his wife were driving through Kansas on the way to the State Fair, saw a sign for Piqua, and visited it.

In 1992, the nearby community of Iola started an annual event devoted to Keaton, and people started donating memorabilia. The Piqua water department houses the collection, since there are not enough visitors to justify staffing a separate facility. There are few visitors, the same page of the guest registry that we signed in the summer, went back to September of previous year.

The collection fills one room. Although there a few community history items out in the hall, the Buster Keaton Museum is just about Keaton, and surprisingly interesting. There are movie posters, articles and a great many photographs. There is also a small collection of his movies on video tape and visitors may play them.

Even to someone like myself, who was not familiar with Buster Keaton's work, the one room museum is fascinating. It made me want to view some of his work and I've seen several Buster Keaton movies since our visit.

Although the official Buster Keaton Museum hours are 9AM - 2:30PM, the museum Curator is often in the Rural Water District #1 office longer hours. Subject to her schedule, she is also happy to open the museum to visitors at other times, with an appointment at (620) 468-2385.

Buster Keaton Celebration poster display
Posters from the former Buster Keaton Celebration in nearby Iola, Kansas.

Buster Keaton videotapes
Settle in and view videos of some of Keaton's greatest movies.

Buster Keaton memorabilia
Buster Keaton memorabilia, including a life mask.


Woodson County Rural Water District #1 - there is no sign about the museum on the outside of the building.

Buster Keaton Birthplace memorial marker in Piqua Kansas
Marker erected next to the Water District Office. The site of the home where Buster Keaton was born is a
couple of blocks away, now the location of the Piqua Co-op.

Buster Keaton Museum Map - Piqua, Kansas
Buster Keaton Museum Map

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