Published October 22, 2026 at 4:00 AM CDT

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But Hawley has unsuccessfully searched for several years to find a new location with more space to build out the museum. He’s explored options in Leavenworth, Kansas, and at Marshall Junction in Missouri, and a previous effort to relocate the museum up the Missouri River to St. Charles fell through.

“When you begin to look at what it costs to construct a building, unless you've already got a place all set up and kind of sort of ready to go, you're looking at $50-60 million, and for a town like Marshall, that's a lot of money,” Hawley told KCUR’s Up to Date.

Earlier this week, Hawley met with leaders from St. Joseph and Buchanan County to discuss the city as an option. The city already has buildings that could be retrofitted to house the museum.

“St. Joe, Missouri, has a list of historical places: the Pony Express, the Robidoux House, which is an old fur trading place that really began St. Joe, and others. And the Arabia seems like it would fit quite nicely there,” Hawley said.

Meanwhile, Hawley has asked the city of Kansas City to extend the Arabia Steamboat Museum’s lease in the River Market through the end of November.

“It would get us through the Thanksgiving holiday season, when a lot of people come to town and they would love to see the collection,” Hawley said. “This past Saturday, I had over 700 people come to the museum. I have no idea how they found a place to park, but they did. They were determined.”

Kansas City has not yet responded to Hawley’s request to extend the lease. If the request is denied, Friday, Nov. 13 will be the last day that the museum is open to the public.

“I want to just send a thank you out to all of the Kansas City folks and those in the region who have brought guests and have returned to the museum,” Hawley said. “You have been such a support.”

• David Hawley, owner, Arabia Steamboat Museum