Katie Hart Armitage is a Lawrence, Kansas-based independent historian whose research interests concentrate primarily on the history of the local area, particularly the American Civil War, including Quantrill's Raid and Order No. 11, as well as the 19th century overland trails to the Western territories of the United States, such as the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails.

Armitage has worked both in a voluntary and in an official capacity at the Watkins Museum of History in Lawrence and the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka, as researcher, consultant, educator, and tour guide. She is a talented presenter and has given presentations on various historical topics to a wide variety of audiences at conferences, events, workshops, programs, and conventions, both in Douglas County and further afield.

Armitage is the author of several books relating to Lawrence history, including Food in Kansas: A Cookbook for Young Kansans with Historical and Nutritional Information (1986); Nineteenth Century Houses in Lawrence, Kansas (1991); On the Hill: A Photographic History of the University of Kansas (2007); and Lawrence: Survivors of Quantrill's Raid (2010).

Armitage has been active in the Lawrence community for decades, participating in dozens of local projects and sitting on several committees, including the site study committee at the Lawrence Arts Center during its planning project. She has been an active participant and organizer of local commemorative historical events, particularly relating to the Civil War and the overland trails.

Katie Armitage is married to Kenneth Armitage, a professor emeritus of biology at the University of Kansas. One of their children, Karole, is a professional ballet dancer and choreographer.