The Wilborn Collection was made possible by the generosity of Steve and Marianne Noll.

The Wilborn Photograph Collection is currently being processed and cataloged. Therefore, the collection is under restricted access. Researchers are unable to view the negatives at this time. Our staff and volunteers work diligently behind the scenes to make the collection available to the public.

On March 2017, the Jackson County Historical Society received a significant gift - the Wilborn Collection, a unique photograph negative collection. The acquisition was made possible by the generous donation of Steve and Marianne Noll.

The Wilborn Collection is the largest and most significant collection of historic photographs of the Kansas City region, including commercial entities, events, built environments, streetscapes, and people.

The collection dates back to 1895 and includes images through 2007. Special subsets include 360-degree panoramic photographs and photograph images or negatives that reflect changes in photographic medium and different dimensions. The vast majority of the collection is in the form of negatives, with some positive prints.

The collection comprises images from previous entities including Tyner Murphy, the Anderson Studio collections, Clarence Wilborn, and several decades of professional work produced by the former owner: Chris Wilborn.

The collection has more than 300,000 images (perhaps many more) that are not indexed or cataloged.

The Jackson County Historical Society is looking for additional monetary donations to support from individuals and businesses to process this collection in a timely fashion to pay for staffing, equipment, and storage needs.