Railroad Arch Begins Your Exploration at the Visitors Center
Welcome to the PAST!The upside down railway symbolizes the beginning of your adventure into Wichita's past. Beyond this arch you will find recreations of history, exhibits filled with curious objects, and entertaining people and activities that will help you see, feel and know the past. Be an explorer!Be curious! Ask questions!You may be surprised at the things you already know . . . .and the new things that you learn. We hope that when you are through with your journey that you will have an appreciation of where we came from . . . . and can use this experience to help chart your future!Welcome!
Heller Cabin - 2 steps
The Heller Cabin in the Wichita Beginnings section of Old Cowtown Museum represents a trading post that would have been used by Town Founders such as J.R. Mead or Dutch Bill Greiffenstein. Their activity represents the roots of pre-railroad Wichita. hunting trapping and trading with the Native Americans were the only economic ventures in the area. The Buffalo Hunter and Trader was a businessman whose activity paved the way, as well as overlaps the cattle and farming economy that builds Wichita. The Osage Nation, people of the middle Waters, is a Midwestern native nation of the Great Plains. They originated in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys and later occupied the area across Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. They became the dominant power in the region who depended upon nomadic buffalo hunting and agriculture. The land that Wichita was built upon by treaty was owned by the Osage Nation. As the opinion of the value of the land that the Osages and other relocated Nations inhabited changed from the Great American desert to the future breadbasket of the nation, the United States government worked to relocate the Native nations once again to a new Indian Territory that would become the state of Oklahoma.The Wichita Nation inhabited the area that became the city of Wichita in the 1500s. Unfortunately by the 1860s they had been driven South by other nations to the northern part of Texas. With the outbreak of the Civil War the Native Americans took sides, with most hoping for a better deal from the Confederates. The Wichita sided with the Union and was moved for their protection to the future city site of Wichita for the duration of the war. They were removed back to Indian Territory after the war. It was this nation that the town took its name.Jesse Chisholm was a freighter, trader, guide and interpreter who mediated relations between the native and white people. He was an essential negotiator for many treaties in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. A trader by occupation he knew 14 different languages and traveled extensively through the area. Some call him the Prairie Ambassador as he was trusted by all sides for his neutrality. One of his trade routes became known as the Chisholm Trail during the Cattle Trail years.William “Dutch Bill” Greiffenstein of Germany had an understanding of big business as well as knowledge of urban areas and the way that they grew. He was involved in trade with Native Americans in Oklahoma but was charged with selling contraband and exiled from the area. Coming to the Wichita townsite he bought Trading Post and plated a pair of town south of the competing town created by the Wichita Town and Land Company between present-day Douglas and Central Avenues. The two towns joined and Greiffenstein s business and promotional skills dominated the town sites. As the owner of the southern town he could give away land, cut deals and entice businesses to relocate from the Wichita Town and Land section. Greiffenstein also worked with J. R Mead to develop Douglas Avenue as a cattle thoroughfare to the Stockyards. They also constructed the Douglas Avenue Bridge over the Arkansas River to make it possible for cattle herds to come in on the west side of town and pass all the businesses on Douglas Avenue before stopping at the Stockyards.James R. Mead was a hunter, trader, merchant, naturalist and state legislator who was one of the founders of Wichita. He aided in directing the cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail to the city in the 1871 as one of the “Four Horsemen” who induced the first herd of the season to avoid town rival Park City. This set the stage for Wichita's rise as a cattle town. He was instrumental in the creation of the Wichita on Southwestern Rail Road that linked the Santa Fe Rail Road to Wichita. He provided land for the Presbyterian Church and Wichita schools. He possessed a lifelong interest in biology and ethnology. Later in life he wrote articles for the Kansas State Historical Society and the Kansas Academy of Sciences. His memoirs were published in the book "Hunting and Trading on the Great Plains 1859 to 75."INTERIORSouthwest trading table with large buffalo hide. West wall display of hunting goods. Southeast corner with a display of trade goods.Northeast wall with informational pannels, the kitchen area and green buffalo hide on floor.Second floor viewed by mirror on east wall - rope bed in living space.
Cowboy Camp
The Cowboy Camp in the Wichita Beginnings District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the on the trail home for the cowboys as they brought their most important commodity, cattle to Wichita. At the end of the civil war, with beef stocks in the east exhausted because of need to feed soldiers on both sides, America looked for a ready supply. The Texas Longhorn with its roots in Spain had gone largely unattended during civil war and reproduced at a great rate. While their meat was considered lean and very stringy, it was beef and that is what the public demanded. With no rail system into Texas the only means of getting them east and west was by trailing them north overland to meet up with the railroads. The fever to acquire the railroad, to become a railhead for the Texas cattle spread all through southeast and south central Kansas. Wichita joined that drive and had high hopes that the Santa Fe railroad would come through the area. Wichita hoped that The cattle trade provided the economic bridge between the hunting and trading, and the developing farming economy.The inability to settle land ownership in a timely manner meant that the railroad that had wintered in Newton, 20 miles north had to push west to meet the state deadline. Not to be undone, the citizens of Wichita and Sedgwick County passed a bond issue to fund its own railroad, with Santa Fe help, to meet up at Newton. Once the rail link was established the cattle drives could cut 90 miles from going to Abilene Kansas and 20 miles from the route to Newton. Wichita became a booming cattle town for 4 years, providing profits for businesses and limited city taxes.Unfortunately the acquisition of the railroad, while necessary to secure and sustain the role as a rail head, unwittingly led to an increase in town and farm population that later pushed the cattle trade west. Farmers and local anti-vice groups persuaded the State Legislature to move and north south quarantine line west of Sedgwick County, prohibiting Texas cattle east of that line. The texas cattle trade moved to Ellsworth and Dodge City. The cowboys who moved the cattle from Texas to Wichita were a mixed group. The majority were white men some who had direct investment in the cattle. Mexican Vaqueros, part of the long Spanish tradition of cattle working were joined by newly emancipated slaves. While still slaves, they had learned their craft and now with their freedom found relative prestige because of their skills, as well as the same amount of pay as white men. There were also a large number of Native American cowboys from the southwest, and some who had herds in Oklahoma. The drive from Texas to Wichita took from twenty‑five to one hundred days, depending how long the herd lingered in Indian Territory fattening on grass. They traveled between 8 to 15 miles a day guided by about 12 cowboys (the norm was two men for every three hundred cattle). They often spent 18 or more hours a day in the saddle. At night the cattle would be bunched together and sung to by cowboys riding in opposite directions to keep them from stampeding. Anything could spook a herd of cattle and running cattle could injure themselves or the cowboys, as well as lose up to 50 pounds of valuable weight. The cattle drives, in addition to the natural hazards of heat, wind and lightning, faced hostility from homesteaders as the cattle trampled fields, and the longhorns infected the local herds with Texas Tick Fever.At the end of the trail laid profits, gambling, prostitution, and drinking, from which Wichita profited to the degree that for three years there were no property taxes and the profits for local businesses made many fortunes in Wichita. With the defeat of the plains Indians, the demise of the Buffalo, and westward moving farming population, cattle were slowly confined to ranches, rather than overland drives.
Orientation Building
Learn about the history of the buildings of Old Cowtown Museum.Watch a 8 minute video about the history of the area.Look at a 3d model of the museum.
Trappers Cabin - uneven ground, slight step
The Trappers Cabin in the Wichita's Beginnings District at Old Cowtown Museum represents a dimension of the hunting and trading economiy that was the foundation of early Wichita. In addition to hunting fur bearing animals, others used traps instead of guns. The Trapper’s Cabin is interpreted as a structure that was used by a trapper as a residence and a base of operations. While a less lucrative occupation, it continued to profit from the prairie as did the buffalo hunters, traders and freighters. This hand-hewn, cottonwood log cabin originally stood near the Chisholm Trail several miles south of present-day Clearwater, Kansas. It was built around 1865 on the south bank of the Ninnescah River by an unknown individual.When the Osage Trust Lands were opened for settlement, a man named Kincaid filed a claim on the land occupied by the cabin and lived there with his family. He sold the property in 1878 to Adrian Sautter, an immigrant from Switzerland. He built a new frame house connecting the cabin which was then used as a summer kitchen. By 1934 the cabin had been completely incorporated into a larger house which accounts for its preserved state. The structure was donated to Old Cowtown Museum by Sautter's son, Louis A. Sautter, in 1969
The Munger House - 2 steps, narrow doorway
The Munger House in the Wichita's Beginnings District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the intentional piviot point to move toward creating a city and moving away from an unicorporated group of dwellings. Darius S. Munger of Topeka was sent by the Wichita Town Company in 1868 to create the town of Wichita. Though others lived in the area, his was the first formal attempt to build a town. In 1869 he completed this story and a half residence on a plot of land near 9th and Waco. It served as the core of the original platted town site. The structure is considered to be the first substantial structure in Wichita.All of the building materials come from the river bank vicinity with the exceptionof the hardware and windows, which had to be freighted from Emporia. The logs are hand-hewn cottonwood, the floors are walnut and samples of the original plaster still exist on the second floor. A log barn stood between the house and the river.Due to Munger's role in the development of the fledgling town, his family residence served many functions, including that of Post Office, boarding house, meeting place and office of the Justice of the Peace.In 1874 W.C. Woodman, an early entrepreneur and Wichita's first banker, purchased the Munger House. Woodman enlarged and improved the structure until it was completely integrated inside a Victorian house that he named "Lakeside Mansion". The Munger House was rediscovered when Lakeside was demolished in the 1940s.The Wichita Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution purchased the cabin to preserve the city's heritage and donated it to Historic Wichita Cowtown, Inc. in 1949. The Munger House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.INTERIOR1st Room - Public Room - Hotel Lobby, Land Office, Justice of the Peace / Courtroom, Kitchen - Cooking for 18 people 3 times a day when hotel was full.Family Bedroom - Darius, Julia, Daughters Amelia (arrived at 26 yr.) and Mary Ellen (AKA Molly) (arrived at 14 yr.)Original plaster hand made by Munger - on second floor - Sand, buffalo hair and ground burnt fresh water mussel shells.
Ross Furniture Store
The Finlay Ross Furniture Store in the Business District at Old Cowtown Museum represents a business dedicated to furnishing the Victorian home. There is no one Victorian style of furnishings, rather a wide conglomeration of many styles. These styles reflected whims and fluctuating tastes of Queen Victoria as well as the many years the Victorian Era covers.What did change was the access and affordability of the products. The growing newly-monied nineteenth-century middle class rushed to embrace a suddenly-affordable, opulent style of household furnishings even with its occasional excesses.Before the Industrial Revolution, furniture was made by hand one at time by craftsmen. After the Industrial Revolution, furniture could be mass produced in factories, making a wide variety in style and quality available. The middle class people demanded that the new wealthy look wealthy, Large families and lavish entertainment produced a greater need for furniture. Rooms had to be crowded with furniture and mass production made it possible.When Finlay Ross Furniture opened its doors on the corner of Main and First Streets in late 1876 he quickly set himself apart from the competition by continually improving and adding to his store. As was common they sold everything from cradles to caskets and sofa's to sewing machines. They also could order most any kind of furniture from factories in Kansas City, by telegraph and have it shipped the next day. One picked the style of furniture and if it was upholstered, there were samples of the fabrics that were available.By 1885, Finlay Ross Furniture had moved to a 3 story building at 119 and 121 Main Street and had already opened all three floors almost 20,000 square feet of furniture to the public. Finlay Ross sold many grades of furniture from medium grade to costly hand carved pieces along with an endless variety of carpets, oil clothes, rugs, mattress, mirrors, children’s carriages, window shapes, fixtures, cornices etc. Ross moved to Wichita from Canada and lived his life here. Not only was he a very successful furniture salesman he was also mayor of Wichita from 1897 to 1900, and from 1905 to 1906.
Harness and Saddle Shop
The Harness and Saddle Shop in the Business District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the key business in the transportation system in the 1870s. The trade and craft of the saddle and harness business was crucial support for transportation in early Wichita. The importance of the manufacture and maintenance of the saddles and harnesses to cowboys, farmers, and townspeople is apparent. New saddles, bridles, and harnesses were in demand, as were leather straps, buckles, hooks and other hardware (called findings) used by persons doing repairs of their own.Wagon freighting was an important business in early Wichita. The economy of early Wichita was dependent on goods transported from the industrialized East. Hides, machinery, and grocery supplies were among the items shipped in trains of up to ten or fifteen wagons, to and from Wichita.After the arrival of the railroad in 1872 transportation of people and goods was still dependent on team drawn vehicles to outlying areas, as well as from one establishment to another in town.The number of saddle and harness shops did not decrease when the railroad arrived in 1872, but increased along with the growth of industry and population throughout the 1870s. By 1875, the four saddle and harness shops in Wichita had a combined net profit of approximately $47,000. Smith & McComb Bros. competed for the local trade by listing a newspaper ad assuring readers,All Work Manufactured in the Shop, under the special superintendence of the proprietors. A large Stock of Saddles, Harness, Bridles and Collars, Constantly on Hand. The Wichita City Eagle, June 6, 1878
Baldwins Photographic Gallery
The Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the Business District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the promotion of a social and cultural atmosphere in Wichita during the 1870s. Nereus Baldwin was one of the first photographers to photograph Wichita and regularly advertised in the newspaper that he stocked stereoptic views of the city. As the permanent residential community of 1870s continued to expand, the pursuit of leisure, social, and cultural activities became an increasingly important part of life. Residents and to town promoters who wished to extol the virtues of their city to outsiders and potential settlers extolled advancements.Baldwin also entertained locals with his refracting telescope. His followers kept up a running correspondence with the newspapers on matters of interesting astronomical events. Baldwin’s Gallery became the seat of the first library in Wichita. In 1876, the Wichita Library and Lecture association and the Ladies AuxiliaryThis site houses Red Rock Photography studio and, by appointment, takes 1870s style photographs of guests in a wide range of genres, in clothing provided.
Klentz Dressmaking and Millinery
The Dressmaking and Millinery, located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents the entrepreneurial role of women in early Wichita who provided necessary fashion needs for ladies. The Dressmaking and Millinery were appropriate occupations for women, single and married. Social norms restricted occupations to home or home / caretaking related. In 1878, when the population of Wichita was around 4,000, there were at least 47 businesses owned and operated by women. Over half of those businesses were listed as seamstress, dressmaker, milliner and/or hairdresser. This was followed by a large number of laundresses, homes as a boarding houses or music teacher.Skilled seamstresses were valued as ladies’ clothing was very form- fitted. Each garment made to fit the size and shape of each lady. It required a skilled seamstress to tailor the clothing to the individual. With the need for such tailored garments, standardized sizes were not practical or available. Women could not purchase clothing “off-the-rack”. The idea of standard sizes or off the rack clothing would not come until later in the century. Dressmakers were in used if a woman was wealthy to purchase her clothing, a special occasion was coming up that required the latest fashions or if one was not skilled with a needle. While the sewing machine changed the arduous chore of sewing for the farm women, who made their families clothing and undergarments, or the middle-class women who sewed for their families, it did not change the dressmakers work as much. The machine was still used for large seams and other simple stitching, but the dressmaker did the complex handwork herself. The intricate structure of the fashionable clothing of the period required extra care and skill.Even the foundation garments required specialization. Corsets were a staple in any woman’s wardrobe,. They could be ordered from manufacturers or purchased from far away cities, but but local corsetieres, ladies specializing in the construction of corsets, were in high demand to fit this most necessary garment.a valuable resource.Milliners were in high demand. Hats and hairstyles changed almost yearly during the decade of the 1870s. This was not something most women would not even attempt at home as the construction of a hat was time consuming and took great skill both in execution and design. Many milliners were also hairdressers, as the style of the time made hair and hats to work together in creating the fashion of the day. Surprisingly false hair and an individuals reclaimed hair was often an integral part of the creating the uinque victorian hairstyles. Hairdressers had to be very skillful to integrate these elements and create a natural look.
First Arkansas Valley Bank
The First Arkansas Valley Bank, located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents the financial institutions which serviced the expanding economy in Wichita during the 1870s. The evolution of the First Arkansas Valley Bank is typical of many early banks in the Midwest. William Woodman moved to Wichita from Illinois in 1870. An experienced merchant, he opened a general store, and as was customary sold things on credit to many in the area, especially the farmers. As his transactions and wealth increased he created a bank that issued the first mortgage in the county. He continued in the banking business until his death.Banks were a necessary part of town building. For cities and farmers they provided the necessary capital for growth and expansion. Unfortunately they became a driving part of the Wichita / Sedgwick County schism. As mechanized farming had increased since before the civil war, farming required a large amount of money to buy land, machinery and expand over time. Farming was fraught was challenges in the new country, from inconsistent weather, drought or flood, locust infestation and just learning what would grow in this formerly called “Great American Desert.” Farmers often felt they were charged extreme interest compared to their city citizens. With only one railroad they also felt hostage to the shipping fees that were charged to move their produce. These two complaints were of the greatest factors that gave rise to the farmer’s political organization, The Grange, which was active in local, state and national politics for many years.Wichita was founded on Osage Trust Land and the land was held and sold for the benefit of the Native Nation the Osages for $1.25/ acre. This land was not avialble for the terms of the homestead act – 160 acres free if lived on for 5 years.Most farmers had to borrow money to purchase their land. The settler on Osage lands had one year from the filling date to pay in full. A farmer in search of a longer term of payment was forced to mortgage his property to a Wichita banker at ruinous rates. An area farmer during the period complained that the objectives of congressional land laws must be "to give the land grabber a chance to buy cheap land with improvements already made or money lenders a chance to loan at rates that would double in eighteen months."The land mortgage system seemed especially unsound and unfair to the farmer who compared the borrowing power of a cattle broker in Wichita. Local farmers complained bitterly at paying annual mortgage interest rates of 30-60% while nonresident cattle men received loan rates as low as 4%.The general assumption by farmers during the period was that anyone connected with the booming cattle‑trailing industry that followed the cattle town promoter and entrepreneur Joseph G. McCoy, was sufficient collateral for speculation in the cattle trade. The commitment to the frontier farmer who was often viewed with tepid interest by the typical cattle town businessman. Rural residents during the cattle trade era in cattle towns like Wichita were considered a subsidiary clientele, albeit an important one.
Jail - 1 very tall step
The Jail located in the Business District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the city's move to a more formal law enforcement system. Wichita’s first city jail was constructed during the summer of 1871. The jail, or calaboose as it was commonly referred to, was constructed of cottonwood two‑by‑sixes laid flat and spiked together with square nails. The construction and size of the jail make it evident that it was not meant for long‑term prisoners.The jail was used mostly for cases where drunkenness and rowdiness had erupted into violence. It was a “cooling off tank” for those whose public behavior exceeded the limits deemed acceptable by the community.It was set back from other buildings to keep ladies sensibilities safe from the vulgar cowboys who may holler and swear. The jail had solid wooden doors before doors of metal bars were added. One cell has metal bars that many take selfies behind.
General Store - 1 step
The General Store in the Business District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the earliest mercantile and banking operations in the young city. Before Wichita received rail road service in 1872, general stores were the primary outlet for any and all types of groceries and dry‑goods. The general store sold everything needed and available to life as it was lived in 1870s Wichita. Rea Woodman said that her father, W.C. Woodman, sold everything from shot to coffins. Vegetable seeds, chairs, several kinds of soap, pipes, pills and tonics, notepaper and pens, garden tools, candles and lamps.After the rail road came to Wichita, general stores could distribute all the goods available elsewhere in the United States. Eventually, the rail road also would facilitate the growth of specific retail businesses and the decline of the central and important role the general store had in early Wichita.General stores were also the forerunner of banks in Wichita. As cash and coin were not always available, and grocers let customers buy on credit, due at the end of the month, or until the crops came in. Banking in Wichita developed as a natural outgrowth of credit and bookkeeping systems used by general store merchants.INTERIOREast wall - "clothing" fabric and toys sectionNortheast wall - crockery, bolts, garden tools, business deskNorthwest wall - Note the commercial "ice box", garden tools, housewares West wall - "grocery" section - coffee and canned goods, medical and tobacco
Thomas Shaw Music Store
The Thomas Shaw Music Store located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum represents an opportunity to fill a growing cultural need. Music is essential for a community cultural life, public as well as private. In the public, music was used to serenade the cowboys, celebrate the arrival of the railroad and encourage those in the saloon to spend more. There were traveling troupes as well as local groups that performed classical music, opera, and minstrel shows.Music at Victorian home centered around the parlor, though front porch playing was not unheard of. It was part of a young woman’s training to learn how to play an instrument, preferably the parlor organ or the piano. Women and music were said to be the “twin souls of creating civilization and man” and music was medicine for the soul. Parlor organs were more prevalent as they did not require tuning and could withstand the wild fluctuations in weather and temperature. In response to another towns’ boasting, according to Marshall Murdock, by 1873, Wichita was the most musical townThere is a town -situated at the confluence of the Little and Great 'Arkansas River, which has three brass band, four orchestra band, an Italian street band, and two concert saloons, all of which not only torture the zephyrs by night but the air by day. In addition this three-year town has a grinding organ which plays the mockingbird most deliciously for a "six legged and no armed .show,'' over on the corner, forty fiddles, several pianos, and innumerable organs, all operated upon independently as the whim ‘seizes the proprietors,With no means of electronic transmission, radio or mp3, people relied on sheet music to find new music. It was printed in newspapers and periodicals as well as by itself. The Thomas Shaw Music Store opened in 1884 at 113 E. Douglas. In 1886, he moved his store to 129 N. Main where it was known as one of the finest music stores in the West. Shaw also established one of the first orchestras in Wichita. He became known as the “Music Man of Wichita.”
Zimmerly Hardware - Exterior only
The Zimmerly Hardware Store in the business districty at Old Cowtown Museum represents the rise of speciality shops that occured after the arrival of the railroad. Hardware stores departed from the traditional general store, which sold some hardware in addition to various other necessary supplies for a frontier city. Many hardware stores sold more than hardware such as agricultural equipment, nails, stoves, and tinware. By 1878, there were eight hardware stores in Wichita.Mike Zimmerly arrived in 1871. He owned a hardware store and tin shop where he sold a variety of items including stoves and agricultural implements and made roofing and guttering. He owned a substantial amount of land and was a member of Wichita’s city council while still in his twenties.
Empire Hall
This building houses rotating temporary exhibits.
Blood House and Orchard - 3 steps
The Blood House in the Agricultural District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the entrepreneurial spirit of the early farmers in Sedgwick County who relied on diversity of activities to thrive in the former Great American Desert.Gillman Blood and his family arrived in Sedgwick County, Kansas from Peoria, Illinois on May 4, 1871. When the Blood family moved to the area, there were few settlers and no market for farmed products. Despite the many challenges, Blood acquired a 160 acre section of land to farm in Waco Township at 63rd and Broadway. In the beginning, he raised pigs and freighted trade goods in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to survive. To establish their orchard they planted raspberry, blackberry, and boysenberry vines to help protect the saplings by helping to hold in moisture and shading the ground while providing an additional cash crop. Over the years the Blood family planted apple, peach, Kiefer pear, cherry, and plum trees. When selling his apples, Blood became known for his “honest baskets” because the bottom layer was always a little better than the top. His activity diversified the local food options as well as established his reputation in the state.
1880 DeVore Farm - No hard surface
The DeVore Farm in the Agricultural District at Old Cowtown Museum represents an upper middle class progressive farmer who took advantage of science, inventions and economy to rise to that level.The average farm in 1875 was 160 acres,35 acres in corn,30 acres in wheat,10 acres in oats. 1-4 acres orchards for personal use or a cash crop remainder for pasture or fields for hay.Livestock included4 meat cattle two milk cows, - For milk, cream, butter or meat.three horses, and maybe one mule – for transportation. two sheep – for meat and wool20 pigs – for lard for soap making or cooking, as well as the meat. Flock of chickens for meat and eggs.Beginning to farm cost a lot of money.The immigrant farmers needed to: travel to the area,buy the land,provide for a family until the first crop was in and sold. Build dwellings, barns and outbuildings,Buy livestock and machinery. The price of Kansas farmland was cheaper than the Eastern states. Built on Osage Trust land and not eligible for the Homestead Act, it was not free, but it was still a bargain. Many paid for their land in cash, got title to the land, then mortgaged the land for farm improvements, leading to high indebtedness that causes of the agrarian unrest in the 1890s.As mechanized farming had increased since before the civil war the cost rose as well. Machinery values jumped to become $120 of the average $2000 a farm. The DeVore farm reflects the growing mechanization of farm work through grain reapers, harvesters, binders, grain drills, mowing machines, and sulky (riding) plows. All of these increased productivity and lowered the need for physical labor. Women were needed less in the farm operation wihich brought gender roles more in line with that of the Victorian Culture. Farms in 1880 were hotbeds of experimentation as farmers were anxious to find out what this untested former “Great American Desert” could produce. Lured by the scientific promise that “the rain follows the plow,” they initially planted crops from the East in anticipation that a similar climate would develop. After many failures they found varieties that adapted to the climate. They grew corn, the primary crop and oats which could be sold or fed to their animals while winter wheat (instead of spring wheat), was sold for cash. Lesser crops such as rye, castor beans, flax, cotton, hemp, sorghum and honey rounded out Sedgwick County agricultural production.To succeed they battled the new climate and unpredictable weather, and the grasshopper infestation of 1874 and spring and 1875. By far their biggest challenge was the cowboys. The City and County spent lot money to recruit the cattle trade by building a railroad to the area. For the farmers, the cowboys did not keep the cattle from the farm fields and their cattle infected the eastern cattle with Texas Tick Fever. Farmers in Sedgwick County joined with local citizens, upset by the prostitution, drunkenness and gambling brought by the cattle trade. In 1875 the two groups joined to persuade the state legislature to move the quarantine line for Texas cattle west of Wichita. After the cowboys and the cattle trade departed in 1876, agriculture played a larger role in the economics of the area. Town businessmen were reluctant to give up the large profits, but farming did hold the promise of constant market for goods rather than the unstable feast and famine cycle of the cattle trade, Farms in 1880's were not subsistence farms but businesses which affected and were affected by local, state, national and international events. For example, demand for American wheat fell sharply when wheat from Russia flowed once again after the Crimean war, causing American prices to fall dramatically. Farms were powerful economic and political engines. Through the Grange, a rural based social and political organization, attempted to use their clout and gain a louder and more important political voice for farm related issues like railroad freight charges and low grain prices. They were active through the 1890 in local, state and national politics.
DeVore Farm - Smith House interior
This farm family would be of similar wealth to the Murdock family (House in Residential Area) but with neighbors far away, farm living was less formal than those in town. Kitchen - Guests enter from the porch. Guests would enter the working part of the house, which most Victorians would find socially unacceptable. - Note the advanced coal burning stove, the mirrored reflective oil lamps, and the many hand powered conveniences.Dining Room - Family would gather for meals and occasionally a formal meal. Note the marble top buffet. - Stairs in the east lead to the 3 bedrooms on the second floor. One for the Parents and babies, one for the girls and one for boys. Amount of space indicates the relative wealth of the family. - All bed rooms unheated in winter. Sitting Room - Used as a place of family relaxation and visiting with neighbors and family. Parlor organ, stereoscopes, cast iron toys and farm journals in a room with a mansard style stove. A small fire heats the room nicely.
Blacksmith Shop - uneven threshhold
The Blacksmith Shop located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum represents a general repair shop, with emphasis on agricultural equipment repair, in Wichita during the 1870s. The blacksmith’s trade was an important business to the early settlement of Wichita. Before Wichita received railroad service in 1872, the blacksmith shop provided a necessary means of production and repair. In the absence of a sufficient, affordable and a continuous quantity of tools, farm equipment, and other hardware, the blacksmith shop was a business which was central to the economic base. After Wichita received railroad service, the role of blacksmiths and their trade changed. The railroad provided more mass produced and factory manufactured goods. The railroad expanded Wichita’s industrial base to include foundries, wagon and farm equipment manufactures, and other industries which provided goods and services previously tied almost entirely on the blacksmiths’ trade. However, the railroad also increased settlement and expanded Wichita’s agricultural base to such a degree that the blacksmiths and their trade continued to provide an essential business need throughout Wichita during the 1870s. As evidence, the 1875 census listed only 11 blacksmiths. The Wichita City Directory of 1878 listed twenty‑four individuals as blacksmiths and twelve businesses, specifically, as blacksmith operationsG.A Millar Blacksmith Shop is named after a blacksmith who came to Wichita in the middle 1880s from Michigan. His shop boasted the sign “Shoe anything that wears hair.and don’t fly” His Jockey Shop at 923 East Douglas provided services for all animals from work horse to trotting horses. During this period, the wheelwright and farrier trades (the farrier was engaged specifically in the fitting and shoeing of animals) were businesses which were closely aligned with to the blacksmith. A "general blacksmith shop" usually included those skilled in the wheelwright and farrier trades in order to meet the growing agricultural industry needs. . The general shop represented the changing role of technology in Wichita.
Marshal Office - 1 step
The Marshal’s Office located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum interprets the growing formal law enforcement in Wichita. In 1870 Wichita was a 2nd class city with 2000 inhabitants The newly created city council drafted ordinances and appointed Ike Walker the first marshal on July 25. William Smith succeeded Walker within less than a year but resigned after only 2 days ostensibly to pursue other prospects. Mike Meagher accepted the position and served ably for three years.Experiences with cattle herds passing by on their way north to Abilene shaped the city ordinances passed in 1870. The opening of the 1872 season saw Wichita, already a trading center and now a rail terminus, poised for ascendancy among Kansas cattle towns. Wichita shaved ninety miles off the trip to Abilene or to Ellsworth, the previous destinations for herds to be shipped to eastern markets.Becoming a cattle town changed law enforcement. Wichita maintained a five person police force through most of the 1870s. During cattle season Wichita’s police force would temporarily increase through the hiring of “special police”, or citizens authorized to maintain order. The city needed laws to keep the peace, and yet had to be somewhat selective in enforcement so not to make the cowboys feel unwelcome. Alcohol and firearms were a deadly mix. To assist them, in 1871, the City Council spent $13.50 to purchase 50 brass tags for the sole purpose of checking guns. The Marshal would give the individual a number and lock up his gun; the man would then return the number to the Marshal on his way out of town and retrieve his weapon.The signs at the river crossing on Douglas Avenue and at Douglas and Emporia posted June 7, 1871 on a 3’ x 4’ board read: Notice – All persons are hereby forbidden the carrying of firearms, or other dangerous weapons within the city limits of Wichita under penalty of fine and imprisonment. By order of Mayor. Signed J. Meagher, “Marshal”. Prostitution was regulated through a series of regular “fines” that amounted to a licensing function. Brothel owners and individual girls were expected to pay for the privilege of operating in the town and the police could say they were enforcing the laws.There was not a lot of violent crime and the jail was often used as a drunk tank. The Wichita City Eagle publisher Marshall Murdock complained in the Eagle about the cost of the jail and the lack of occupants.Without the cattle trade, officers were left to their usual duties: peacekeeping, warrant service, night watches, arrests, fine collection though additional duties could include street repair, dog catching. The top reported complaints in 1876 were pot holes in the street, kids drag racing on Douglas Avenue on Friday night, postal rates going up and service going down. A divorce case drawing a lot of attention in court. By the end of the 1880s, policemen were wearing uniforms, rather than just a badge and there was a move to disarm them as there was so little need for that level of enforcement.Wyatt Earp is Wichita’s best known law enforcement officer even though his service can be considered less than glamorous. He served as an “Assistant Marshal” and “Special Policeman”. He worked to keep the peace and collect debts, although he also repaired sidewalks and streets and shot stray dogs.In January of 1876, He assaulted his boss political rival and was promptly fired. By May of 1876, Earp had left Wichita and was on to Dodge City, Kansas. In 1879, he left Dodge City for Tombstone, Arizona Territory.INTERIORMarshal Office LobbyBrass Tokens exchanged for firearmsHandcuffs
Meat Market - 2 steps
The Meat Market located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum represents the diversification of local markets in Wichita, Kansas during the 1870s. Nineteenth century Americans consumed great amounts of meat. Nearly every meal included beef, pork, poultry, or fish. Imported specialty items such as oysters and other seafood were commonly found on local bills of fare. Professional hunting was a vital business in early Wichita. Hunters supplied local meat markets with wild game, and sent great quantities of meat to eastern markets and restaurants. Game animals included buffalo, elk, deer, antelope, and game birds such as ducks and geese. Fish caught by nets in the Arkansas River were also a staple of meat markets in Wichita. Wild and domestic meats were shipped from Wichita to eastern markets in special insulated railroad cars cooled with blocks of ice. Oysters were shipped from the East to Wichita on express trains that traveled 4-5 days. Oysters were packed in barrels bewteen layers of ice and straw. The top layer might be a bit suspicious but the rest arrived alive and edible. The vast herds of buffalo, wild game, and flocks eventually became depleted and their habitat became occupied by farms and towns. People relied more and more on the domesticated animals that came from the growing agrarian economy of Sedgwick County. INTERIORItems in the photographsCheese and Sausage on counter with cheese wheel on a cheese knifeIce plow for scoring ice in consistent patterns before the ice was cut into blocks, moved to ice houses until needed for refrigerationOyster Barrel - Victorians were oyster crazy. In the months with "R" they could be shipped by express train from the east coast in 4 days. Packed in barrels in layers of ice, straw, oyster (Repeat) they arrived quite aliive and edible.
Scale House - 3 steps
The Grain Elevator and Scale House located in the Industrial Area of Old Cowtown Museum represents the role of agriculture in Sedgwick County and agribusiness in Wichita. As farming moved from subsistence to industrial production farmers needed an offsite place to store large quantities of grain until they could be sold. The wagons full of grain were weighed on the wooden platform at the scale house before unloading at the elevator. The wagon would be weighed on the platform scale and the clerk would note the weight. After emptying the grain in the elevator the wagon was weighed again. Grains are sold by weight/ bushel and the difference between the first and second weights was the crop weight for which the farmer would be paid. A farmer could also store his grain to sell at a later time, though he did have to pay a storage fee.
Arkansas Valley Grain Elevator - long steep ramp
The Grain Elevator and Scale House located in the Industrial Area of Old Cowtown Museum represents the role of agriculture in Sedgwick County and agribusiness in Wichita. As farming moved from subsistence to industrial production farmers needed an offsite place to store large quantities of grain until they could be sold. During harvest time in the late 1870's, Wichita's streets were jammed with horse-drawn wagons filled with grain waiting their turn to unload at one of eight grain elevators.After weighing, the wagons full of grain were driven up the west ramp into the elevator. The grain was unloaded and lifted to the top of the building where it was distributed into bins. Railroad cars at the side of the elevator were loaded by gravity from the bins above. Farmers who came to purchase grain drove their wagons inside to be loaded from the overhead bins by way of a canvas chute.Elevators were some of the first industrial applications of steam power, though with the fear of grain dust explosions, the plants were often in buildings removed from the elevator.Prices for storage and captive high prices for freight by the railroads brought the Grange into existence and political activity by farmers.The 50-foot tall grain elevator at Old Cowtown Museum typifies rural elevators of this era.
Wichita and Southwestern Rail Road Depot - step up to telegraph room
The Santa Fe Depot located in the Industrial Area of Old Cowtown Museum, represents the dynamic and transforming role the railroad had on Wichita is and Sedgwick County’s economic, transportation, and communication developments during the 1870s. In persuading the Texas cattle trade to come to Wichita, it needed to become a railhead, a place where the cowboys could bring their herds to market and transport them east. Many towns competed for this honor and the papers were full of speculation of when and where the rail roads would go. While waiting for the settlement of Osage Land, the Santa Fe Rail Road bypassed the town. Citizens pooled their resources and passed county bonds to create their own railroad to meet with the Santa Fe, 20 miles north at Newton.With this lifeline to the outside world the railroad to brought goods, services and settlers as well as shipped farm products, cattle finished goods and provided quick transportation for its citizens.One can now take the rail road cars at Wichita one morning and be in St. Louis the next morning and in Chicago the evening following. We are now within the bounds of civilization.Wichita City Eagle, May 17, 1882Telegraph -- Along with the rail road came the telegraph. Originally designed to assist the railroad in monitoring and coordinating its trains, it quickly became useful for distributing national news, sending information without waiting for the mail on the stagecoach and conducting business across the countryWith these two tools of transportation and communication the city prospered until it became the largest city in Kansas.
Eagle Cornice Works in Depot storage
The Eagle Cornice Works located in the Industrial Area of Old Cowtown Museum, represents the industrial development in the growing town. It was founded in 1883 by W. N. Caswell and F. Buckley. The company specialized in the production of galvanized window cornices, window caps, dormer windows, tin, iron, and slate roofing and the wholesale of sheet metal.The sheet metal façades were popular between 1880 – 1910 and replaced earlier more expensive and labor intensive decoration made of stone, wood, or cast iron. This made it possible for businesses of lesser means to project an image of wealth and prosperity heretofore only available to those of means. This business represents the rapid diversification of industries in the Wichita area. It prospered despite having no locally available raw materials, relying instead on the railroad to bring raw materials and carry out finished goods. This same practice was observed over and over throughout Wichita’s history. Without raw materials Wichita relied on the daring intuition and pluck of the entrepreneurial spirit of those who inhabited the place.
Herb Area
The Herb Area in the Industrial District of Old Cowtown Museum represents the natural bounty on the prairie for healing and culinary uses. Healing by herbs is a time-honored tradition. This activity is the root of modern pharmacology. Immigrants such as the Wolf family from Germany brought their herbal lore and craft to America. They combined this knowledge by learning about local herbs from Native Americans, though they believed that the spirit of the plant heals rather than the plant itself. The Shakers were one of the first groups to organize the mass cultivation and sale of herbs and seeds. Their example of profit through harvesting and selling herbs and seeds, rather than using herbs to care for their individual health, lead others to consider wildcrafting the harvesting of herbs. Settlers such as the Wolf family, part of the westward expansion, looked for cash crops to supplement their income. The towns drugstore nearby would be the logical choice to sell the raw material for medicinal products, herbs. If you visit the drug store you will see many of the same herbs preserved. The native plants grown in this area are maintained by Kansas State Research and Extension Master Gardeners of Sedgwick County.
Wolf House - 2 steps, narrow doorway
The Wolf House located in the Industrial Area of Old Cowtown Museum, represents a dwelling on the outskirts of town and a type of home where a new immigrant would live as they began their lives on the frontier. Many immigrants found this area to be a promising for establishing a homestead and came with little to start their new life. The house portrays a German family which was the largest foreign nationality to settle in Wichita. They formed a diverse social and economic network as well as a dedication to the town.INTERIORLooking in the front door into the kitchen one can see on the left side of facing wall a framed copy of the Lords Prayer,Looking in the front door into the kitchen, immediately to the left one can see german newspaper and printing that was used as wall paper to cover deformities in the wall.Looking straight into the bedroom one can see a sewing machine and shoe lasts that were used to support the shoe while nailing or sewing a new sole on a shoe.Looking into the bedroom to the right one can see a work bench and the tools of the trade. Looking into the bedroom to the left one can see a modest bed and washstand. The family started with only the very basics and prospered with hard work and diversityNotice the German writing on the trunk the shoe lasts are setting on. Outside you may also notice the collection of chickens appropriate to the time. A cobbler by day and a farmer by night.The house was built in 1883 by German immigrant, Henry Wolf who arrived in the Galesburg Township in Kingman County just after the Civil War ended in 1865. Wolf was a farmer who eventually had one of the finest farms in the area. He also worked as a cobbler during the winter to supplement his farming livelihood. It was moved to Old Cowtown Museum from Kingman County in 1978.
Livery Stable - uneven ground
The Livery Stable, located in the Industrial Area of Old Cowtown Museum, represents transportation, communication and economic development in Wichita and Sedgwick County during the 1870s. The Livery Stable was one of the businesses crucial to transportation and communication in early Wichita. The livery was a commercially operated horse stable that rented and boarded horses, mules and vehicles. People arriving in town on horseback or in a horse drawn rig could board their horse or horse and rig at the stable as long as needed. Animal owners could also buy feed for their animals. Livery stables rented saddle horses, teams and wagon rigs to people arriving by stage or train and to Wichita’s urban populace. Many people believe that most people in the 1870s owned their own horse and or buggy. The care of a horse requires a building, regular feeding and daily care that few people in town could afford. It was also not inexpensive to board a horse at the livery stable. Most people walked in town. Should they need to travel they could use the stage or rent a mount or carriage. Livery stables also served as auction houses where the buying and selling of horses and mules, wagons and carriages or any other horse drawn vehicles occurred. Proprietors of livery stables also often served as veterinarians or had a partner who performed medical treatment for the stable’s horses and mules.** Our livery stable houses a reproduced stage coach of the era. Guests are welcome to get inside and see what mass transit was like. Stages were pulled by 2 or 3 teams that went at a steady gallop over unpaved rough roads with potholes and washouts. Stage stations were place at regular intervals so that horses could be traded out and travelers could stretch their legs. In Wichita it cost .05 a mile for 1st class (sat on the upholstered seats) .04 for 2nd class (a bench placed in the center of the stage with no back support or .03 a mile for 3rd class up on the luggage rack.
Texas Long Horn Cattle
Spannish animal brought to the contient by Columbus.Hardy Animal with colors and mixes are so various that no two appear exactly alike. Noted for their Long horns.Lean Meat.High fertility.Calving ease.Disease and parasite resistance.Hardiness.Longevity.Most efficient to utilizes coarse forage material on marginal rangeThe only cattle breed which is truly adapted to America.Well suited for the Prairie.At the end of the civil war, with beef stocks in the east exhausted because of need to feed soldiers on both sides during the civil war, America looked for a ready supply. The Texas Longhorn with its roots in Spain had gone largely unattended during civil war and reproduced at a great rate. While their meat was considered lean and very stringy, it was beef and that is what the public demanded. With no rail system into Texas the only means of getting them east and west was by trailing them overland. As they encountered farms with their Shorthorn cattle a problem arose. The Longhorn had a tick that would move to the Shorthorn, infecting them with “Texas tick fever” that was almost always fatal. To protect their livestock, farmers and others asked the Topeka legislature to move the north/south quarantine line west from Sedgwick County. No Longhorns could be found on the east of that line without fear of a hefty fine.The farmers shorthorn cattle were saved, until they were shortly replaced by the white faced Hereford cattle.
Masonic Hall - One step
The Masonic Lodge Hall is located in the Industrial Area of Old Cowtown Museum. It represents the Freemasons, a civic and social group consisting of men of all occupations from the surrounding area. They came together to talk about local news and ideas for improving the town and region. The first Wichita lodge was chartered in the 1870s. Many of the leading men in the early days of were masons. They met in a building called a Masonic Lodge Hall.The sign on the building symbolizes the Masons. The Square and Compass signify integrity and virtue and were tools of operative masons. The “G” letter sometimes found inside the symbol stands for both God and Geometry. The exhibit inside represents the two major orders of masonry, the Scottish Rite and the York Rite.
Turnverein Hall
The Turnverein Hall in the business district at Old Cowtown Museum represents the attempt of the expanding metropolitan community in early Wichita to organize social and cultural organizations. The Germans were the largest ethnic group in Wichita and they were active in business, politics and society. The Turner Society, a German Fraternal organization was a distinctive group that included in its membership "the principal German element in the city."The term "turnverein" is a German term referring to a club of "turners" or gymnasts. Their “exercise union,” stressed physical fitness, conducted exercise classes, and sponsored dances. The motto above the northwest door proclaims, "Alert, happy and free, are the courageous sons of the gymnastics movement." The motto by the stage states, "Friends are more important than fire, water, and bread." Members introduced the Society to Wichita by announcing a grand ball and their objective of “developing strength, encouraging truth, protecting justice, and guarding liberty.” To support their promise of providing uplifting culture for the community, the Turnverein Society sponsored a number of public concerts, dances and balls, and athletic displays.The Turners remained strong until the anti-German sentiment during WWI led many to downplay their German roots.
Southern Hotel
The Southern Hotel, located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents the importance that hotels had in the promotion and growth of Wichita during the 1870s. The Southern Hotel, built on the first block of North Main Street, was the fourth hotel built in Wichita and the second of wood frame construction. During its short existence it was an important fixture in the growing town. With the constant influx of immigrants, a growing business community, and the cattle trade, hotels provided an important service in the rapidly growing town, serving eighteen to thirty guests a day in it orginal 15 rooms. Hotels catered to a variety of guests as many had dormitory style rooms and private rooms available for short term guests, as well as rooms for long term guests or boarders.Hotels were typically the testing grounds for new inventions and domestic conveniences. The rooms of the Occidental hotel featured fine ingrain carpet, spring beds, bedsteads of fashionable design, wash stands, a mirror, a lounge and full chamber sets. Attractive chandeliers lighted carpeted halls.The hotels also provided the best food and atmosphere available. The menu at the opening of the Occidental Hotel featured oysters, stuffed pig, tame duck with olives, boiled ham, pickled tongue, lobster salad and over twenty deserts. The elaborate decoration of hotels and the abundant food they offered helped to dispel a common belief that Wichita was a barren frontier outpost void of social amenities.By 1874, Wichita had ten hotels which did over $368,000 in business. Balls, banquets, and community event of "social significance" were often hosted by a hotel.As Wichita grew, hotels served an ever increasing role as the headquarters for business and social events. During 1872 the three Wichita hotels registered 19,410 people. During the cattle trade era of 1872 to 1876, the hotels became the headquarters for the buying and selling of cattle. The hotel also functioned as the seat of city and county government, in lieu of public buildings.By the time a suspected arson fire razed it and six other buildings on Main Street in 1875, it had lost its elegant reputation in favor of the stone and brick “high rise” (three floors) hotels like the Occidental, which still stands at Second and Main Street. SECOND FLOOR Hotels catered to a variety of guests as many had dormitory style rooms and private rooms available for short term guests, as well as rooms for long term guests or boarders. In the absence of appartment buildings some rented rooms for lenghty periods of time.Hotels were also used some on the marginal side of society. Soiled Dove’s RoomProstitution was often seen as a necessary evil during the early development of many cattle towns, including Wichita. It served an economic purpose in many of these communities, while also providing a way for many cowboys to spend their time. Prostitutes in the 1870s went by many names in Wichita including demi mondes, girl of the period, nymph du pave, and sporting woman. The most popular name was soiled doves. While illegal in the state of Kansas, fines for prostitution were imposed more as a licensing fee than as a deterrent. Wichita depended on fines from prostitution and other vice (gambling and saloons) since the city had no taxes.Perhaps one of the most well-known soiled doves (prostitutes) in Wichita was the infamous Inez Oppenheimer, aka Dixie Lee. Dixie Lee operated three brothels in the area of 1st and Wichita. She put the same amount of attention into her brothels as her personal appearance, and her brothels were considered quite elegant during the time. Another famous name littered Wichita with unwelcomed publicity when in 1874 two Earp women were charged with soliciting. Court records showed that James Earp’s wife Bessie was charged with soliciting while a similar charge was made against Sallie Earp, “wife” of Wyatt Earp. Both women were fined $8 plus an additional $2 in court costs.The Professional GamblerGambling was an integral part of Old West and Wichita as well. Nearly everyone gambled at one time or another. The appeal mimicked the frontier spirit that relied on risk taking, high expectations, and opportunism. Most western citizens considered gambling to be a respectable profession. Professional gamblers ran their own games and banked it with their own money. Many settled in one place and relied on a reputation for fairness and running a straight game. "Gambling was not only the principal and best paying industry of the town . . . it was also reckoned ... most respectable," reflected Bat Masterson. However, Sharps, Fly by night gamblers and confidence men were rarely tolerated. Popular gambling games included Blackjack, Chuck-A-Luck, Keno, Roulette, and Wheel of Fortune, with Faro the most popular of all. Ironically poker was not initially popular because of its slow pace. Gamblers made little quick money playing it.One of the most popular gambling houses in early Wichita was Keno Corner on the NW corner of Douglas and Main. The upstairs room housed many of the popular gambling . Keno Corner and other gambling houses even attracted famous gamblers such as Wyatt Earp and his brothers.Like the saloons gambling establishments were fined $25 per month. Gambling houses in Wichita declined in 1881 with the beginning of prohibition in Kansas.
Fritz Snitzler's Saloon
The Fritz Snitzler Saloon, located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents an important economic and social establishment of the cattle trade industry in the1870s Wichita.In 1872 Wichita had fourteen saloons. In this era a saloon could be everything from a family restaurant to drinking and gambling establishment. Many of the town residents disapproved drinking and gambling saloons. A growing temperance movement in the late 1870s supported by the 1st Presbyterian Church continued to put pressure on the city government to regulate such businesses.The city government recognized the saloon contribution to the city economy and saw to it that the "evils" were properly licensed and taxed– thereby profiting from the cattle trade as well.By 1876 Fritz Snitzler, who simplified the spelling of his name from Schnitzler to "Snitzler," had established a large complex that included a hotel with restaurant, a meat market and a saloon. He also fostered Fechheimers clothing and a cigar store. He lodged his customers' livestock in a large stable out back. The Wichita Weekly Beacon referred to the area as "Snitzville" and often acclaimed the jovial host as a man who spared no expense to provide the best food, drink and cigars at any hour of the day or night. (see photo) Wichita City Directory, 1877FRITZ SNITZLER is the proprietor of a Restaurant at Wichita.... Everybody knows Fritz, and who ever visited Wichita know him. Mr. Snitzler will pull down over two hundred pounds avoirdupois, and is fully as liberal and jolly as he is heavy.... Fritz knows how to run a Restaurant, and never allows his guests to go away dissatisfied. When you go to Wichita take your dinner there.The building was built in 1885 and is representative of false-front, wood-frame structures of the mid-19th century. It originally functioned as the Rockford Township Hall and was moved to the Museum in 1966.
J.P. Allen Drugstore - 2nd floor access stair way only
The J.P. Allen Drug Store, located in the Business District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the the formal health practice of the 1870s. There was a close relationship between the increasingly scientific medical and pharmaceutical practices as indicated by the shared ownership of the building by the Allen Brothers. The downstairs drug store was operated by J.P. Allen. The front retail area contained the patent medicines, liquors, paint, window glass and related medical and items. It also contains the soda fountain that dispensed “health” drinks that were carbonated. The back area contains the prescription lab with the red glass screen that prevented customers from learning the druggist compounds and copying them. The second floor contains the office of Dr. Fabrique and a dental office. Medical conditions and practices of the late nineteenth century were inconsistent, inexact, and unregulated. Nineteenth century physicians such as Dr. Allen and Dr. Fabrique faced many challenges in their practices as they struggled against home remedies and Patent Medicines while championing the more scientific medical field. INTERIOR https://soundcloud.com/j-anthony-horsch/drug-store-narrative-2When coming up the south stairs, the first room one comes to the dentist office. Dentistry was becoming more than just tooth pullers and was moving toward the scientific approach we know today.In the middle of the room, by the patient chair is a device with a long slender tube. That is the dentist drill. As there is no electricity for the drill, it is foot powered so one can hope for a dentist with a steady rhythm. There are also no electric lights so mirrored reflections from the sun are best but the light of kerosene lamps can work. Go on a sunny day for best results.The middle waiting room has no receptionist. Just wait your turn.The doctor office is modeled after Dr. Andrew Fabrique, sometimes called the Father of Medicine in Wichita. He was a well trained surgeon, having been to school and worked side by side with others during the Civil War. Medicine was becoming more regulated but still open to lots of poorly or non trained physicians. The doctor saw some patients in the office but made many house calls. The Drug Store was built on site in 1996. It replaced the single story drugstore that was moved from that location and is now interpreted as the Music store.
Land Office - narrow doorway
The Land Office, located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents the transfer and dispersal of land in early Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas. There were two types of land in the Wichita area and two types of land offices existed in Wichita during time of 1865-1880. There were several private real estate firms and a U. S. Land Office which sold government land. The land in the Wichita area was part of the Osage Reserve, and owned by the native nation. They negotiated variously with several railroads and the United States Government over the sale of the land. By final treaty with the U.S. government, the land was held in trust and sold by the government for the benefit of the Osage Nation. Once sold, it could then be resold for any price by the private individual(s) who purchased it from the government. One wrinkle in this process is that many followed the time long practice, of placing pre-emption claims on the land before it was legally available with the expectation that it would be sold to the government. Some of the first land claims in the area that became Wichita were made by D. S. Munger, a partner of the Wichita Land and Town Company in 1868. The claims were made at a time when the land legally belonged to the Osage Indian Nation as trust lands.The first white settlers filed quit‑claims with the hope that Congress through treaty negotiation would make the Osage trust lands available for legal settlement. In 1870, negotiations were completed and the land became available from the Osage Nation at $1.25 an acre.A land boom followed the location of industries such as rail road development, the cattle trade, and agricultural expansion in the area. During the 1870s there were real estate agents who worked out of land offices and served as sales representatives to prospective sellers and buyers of the surrounding land.In addition, the land agents acted as legal representatives to Eastern land buyers, collecting their rents and tending their business interests in the West.The land agents also acted as a welcoming committee to newly arrived immigrants in their promotion to acquire buyers. The land agents also indirectly acted as county extension agents in their zeal to prove the value of the new land to their prospective buyers. Displays of corn and wheat, the produce of gardens and orchards, together with evidence of the superiority of the tall prairie grass hay and game animals one might expect to find, were exhibited in the land office of the period.
Law Office Exterior and Barber Shop
The Law Office and Barber shophttps://soundcloud.com/j-anthony-horsch/lawyer-narrativeThe Law Office located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents legal practices in Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas during the 1870s. As early as 1872, there were at least seventeen lawyers in the Wichita area, although many practiced part time and needed a second job in orer to sustain an income. This was not an unusual practice throughout the nation during the time period.Many lawyers were also budding politicians who used their knowledge of the law to secure positions of influence in local affairs. As with other professionals of the period, such as doctors and editors, lawyers received great benefit from belonging to the "night" political party. Similarly, they frequently acquired influence and gained the trust of residents by functioning as local land agents.Whereas criminal trials occasionally brightened the legal life of a town, few lawyers could have survived without the paperwork and litigation provided by land purchases, title transfers, mortgages, sales, and claim jumping.Debt collection may have been one of a lawyer’s most important sources of income, as evidenced by the many advertisements for negotiation of land loans in the early Wichita newspapers.The Barbershop located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents a business and social institution of the expanding metropolitan community during the 1870s. Barbershops were sometimes referred to as "shaving saloons." Due to the barbershop’s gender‑specific orientation and its bathing facilities, the barbershop often reflected the atmosphere of a men’s club. .Ladies would not set foot in a place like this. Aside from the intimate bathing and grooming of th opposite gender the men would be talking politics or business of which women had no say. ladies would not want to hear the swearing, jokes and tall tales that were thrown around by most of the men..Barbers were at their shops six days a week, and early on Sunday mormings for shaves before church.. Locals would come in once or twice a week for a shave, and have their boots blacked by a young man. Many barbers began working in shops as apprentices; sweeping up, shining boots and shoes, and cleaning spittoons.The average price of a shave was 10 cents, and a haircut was 15 cents. For a few cents extra the barber would splash on a little lilac water. Fashionable men also used cherry laurel water as after shave. So, for a little less than a days pay the cowboy would get himself cleaned up from weeks on the trail. Business was very good when any special event took place, such as a circus or the county fair, since many visitors would be in town. A bath was 50 cents, which was a half‑day's pay for a cowboy. He could have it hot or cold. It was the customer's choice. Some wanted cold baths, because many, including some doctors, advocated cold bathing. Debates raged for years over cold verses hot.Amazingly the use of soap was considered by some less important than the therapeutic effect of washing. Some medical experts deplored taking full baths in a tub like we have here. One doctor said, "A bathtub is a zinc coffin". One of the most popular brands of soap was Ivory.After the bath the customer would come and wait his turn in the setting chairs. Once in the barber chair, the barber, using a brush, would whip up lather from shaving soap placed in a mug.Barbers were careful with the local customers. They knew the fellows with tender faces, and only a mild Castile soap was applied. Repeat business, as always, was important. Many of the locals had their own mug that they left at the shop. It was somewhat of a status symbol to have your personalized mug placed into the mug cabinet. We have several examples of personalize mugs, such as, lawyer, doctor, and dentist.Once the man's face was lathered, the barber honed his razor on a strop, a long thick piece of leather. The barber would run the razor blade along the length to put a fine edge on the blade.Facial Hair -The 1870s was a time when men, more than likely, had a growth of hair somewhere on the face. There were mustaches; lamb chop sideburns, and some sported full beards. They had become popular during the Civil War. Many of the etiquette books of this time period regarded facial hair as natural, expressive, healthful, dignified, handsome and virile. One writer declared, "shaving renders the face effeminate".
Fechheimer's Dry Goods & Clothing
The Fechheimer Clothing Store, located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents the growth of mercantile business, change in technology, and Jewish immigration to Wichita during the 1870s. Fechheimer’s clothing store represents a specialty mercantile clothing business. Fechheimer’s clothing store departed from the traditional general store, which sold some clothing in addition to various other necessary supplies for a frontier city. Exclusive mercantile services were aided by the advantages that the railroad brought to Wichita in 1872. Businesses like Fechheimer’s clothing store could meet the demands of a growing metropolitan community with a continuous supply of specialty clothing, tailored goods, and top‑of‑the‑line fabrics available for use in the latest fashions.With the style of mens clothing and the clothing practices during the civil in manufacturing sized uniforms.Manufactured clothing was available to men, while women’s clothing was still being tailored to the individual. Clothing stores carried ready-made clothing for men and boys in standard sizes. Max M. Fechheimer, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Bavaria, came to Wichita in 1869. Following in the family business footsteps, Max opened a clothing store on Douglas Avenue in the late 1870s on a lot that he purchased from Wichita founder William Greiffenstein.In addition to the clothing business, Fechheimer opened a saloon and a beer garden ‘in 1873. Fechheimer was active in the Jewish community in Wichita. He helped to establish the first Jewish congregation in the city, the Holy Emanu‑El.He became a prominent local entrepreneur and left his imprint in the form of the Fechheimer Block, a commercial building in which he rented office space.The Fechheimer family, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, prospered over the years and is now a leading manufacturer of police, fire, postal, and band uniforms.The building that houses the M.M. Fechheimer's Dry Goods & Clothing is an 1895 false-front structure that was originally located in Wichita in the 900 block of South Lawrence (now Broadway). It was brought to Old Cowtown Museum in the early 1960s.
The Wichita City Eagle and Print Shop
The Wichita City Eagle in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum represents the office and printing business of Marshall M. Murdock, founder and editor of the Wichita City Eagle. The Eagle was one of the first newspapers published in Wichita and has remained in continuous operation since that time.Murdock sold a newspaper business in Burlingame, Kansas in 1872 and relocated to Wichita. He had been recruited by city leaders and the expected arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad to the new town convinced him it was a place of opportunity. He opened up his print shop in a small wood building at Third and Main Streets.Murdock was an ardent promoter of the city of Wichita throughout his life. He used his newspaper as a means to proclaim the advantages of life on this western frontier. He attracted new settlers and speculators by portraying Wichita as an oasis of civility. He led community boosters in his vision to turn a frontier town into an enterprising city.On his death in 1908, his wife Victoria Mayberry Murdock, took over the ownership of the Eagle and became one of the few women publishers of a big daily newspaper. At the time, it enjoyed the largest circulation in the state of Kansas. Victoria Murdock died in 1914. It was then that family legend revealed that Col. Murdock had created his well-known descriptor of Wichita, "Peerless Princess of the Plains", in honor of his wife.The interior exhibit represents a newspaper office and printing establishment of the early 1870's. The Editor's Office and reading room are replicated near the front door. The reading room is where citizens could read newspapers from across the nation. The back shop contains working presses, type cases, and associated equipment.With its false front and full glass display windows, the Eagle building is one of the Museum's outstanding examples of vernacular wood-frame cattle town architecture. The structure, built in the late 19th century, originally housed a grocery store near 9th and Main Streets. It was moved to the Museum grounds in 1958.
Gill Mortuary
The Gill Mortuary located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, is representative of a business which conveyed a cultural aspect of life and death in 1870s Wichita. In the 1870s the practices around death were changing. Until the civil war Funeral activities were carried out by the familyThe funeral ceremony was central to the rituals of death. Neighbors and relatives generally helped a family "lay out" a corpse by washing and clothing it. Death often proved to be a shared community experience, a time to come to the aid of bereaved families by sending them food, offering sympathy, helping with household chores and doing anything that might help families in their time of grief.The corpse was usually placed on view in the parlor of a family’s home. While on view in the parlor, the corpse generally rested on a wooden board placed between two chairs, or on a specially constructed "cooling board." In order to preserve the corpse for at least a day of viewing, blocks of ice were placed under the board with smaller pieces around the body. The "cooling board" was often covered with a tapestry or linen which was special to the family. Most people decked their parlors with flowers, partly to mask any unpleasant odors emanating from the deceased. Once all the mourners had been given a chance to view the corpse in the parlor everyone gathered for the minister’s requiem. This generally consisted of a scripture reading, prayers, and a brief, glorious account of the loved one’s life. Some religious denominations, most notably Catholics and Episcopalians, held a second graveside service. Although the decorum of mourning was important and quite rigid in some aspects, a black wreath or ribbon hanging on the front door of the home, letters written to relatives on black bordered stationary, or pallbearers weaning black sashes. Some family members chose not to dress in black. Rather than deepening the gloom of an already somber occasion, mourners preferred to dress "quietly" in Sunday clothes. Their attire, they believed, stressed the Victorian belief "that death is simply the passage from one life to another."Parlor services in the home and graveside services varied according to religious affiliation and the section of the country, but some common elements emerged. By the 1870s, undertaking was becoming common in Wichita. As people moved west, or away from their extended family, the social structure that helped carry out funeral practices were greatly weakened to the point that Undertaking became a business. Most of these businesses grew out of the cabinet making trades. The Wichita City Eagle, in 1877, carried an advertisement for “Furniture. H. Bolte. Manufacturer and dealer in all kinds of Parlor, Chamber, Dwelling & Kitchen Furniture. A full line of Undertaker’s goods. Undertaking done on short notice and in the most approved style.”Local undertakers coordinated funeral services, provided caskets, clothing, and a hearse. Undertakers began to play a more prominent role in preparing the body for the funeral and making arrangements for burial, even though the use of funeral "homes" and funeral "parlors" were not popular until the 1880s.The elegant hearse in the back room of the exhibit dates from the 1870s. Laden with flowers, it often led the procession of mourners. Very few families, even in cities where undertakers took charge of the corpse, embalmed bodies before the 1880s, unless they intended to transport the body a long distance. Americans before that period considered embalming to be an "unnatural" and "revolting’’ practice. Embalming, used some during the Civil War, did not become common practice in Wichita until the turn of the century, although the technology was being utilized in other parts of the nation much earlier. Cremation was also not a popular practice.In Victorian society, mourning customs softened and veiled the harsh realities of death. The word "casket," implied a container for something precious and expressed the value of its contents. Coffins, used to transport the corpse to the cemetery, were usually simple. On the frontier, some bodies were buried in nothing more than a blanket or sack. Most everyone else settled for a pine box lined with cloth. Wooden coffins could be purchased from local cabinetmakers or made by the family. Professional coffin and casket makers catered to more pretentious customers.New, mass produced rectangular caskets replaced traditional body-shaped coffins. During the 1870s, prosperous city dwellers were purchasing metal or fancy (rosewood or mahogany) caskets. Likewise, the term "cemetery,” replaced” graveyard" as the preferred term for a loved one's final resting place. Religious symbolism and imagery dominated cemetery markers and eulogies. Terms such as "At Rest" and "Only Sleeping" were a common site on markers, and represented an increasingly romanticized view of death.Love-en-Tangle, Marshall Murdock’s ten year old daughter, died of spinal meningitis in 1883. Her obituaries epitomized the flowery Victorian writing style used to make the death of a child seem more bearable."Tangle," daughter of M.M. and Victoria Murdock, died at the residence of her parents...after an illness of one week, in her tenth year. The little sufferer, who was found a sweet and enduring relief from all sickness and pain, hovered for days between life and death, and then she was borne away by angel messengers to that fair land where there is no night, and where little children shall be pillowed upon the breast of Him who loved and blessed them in the days of His mortal pilgrimage. The sympathies of the friends and relatives of the bereaved family...are extended to them in this time of bereavement and sorrow. Correspondence from the Emporia, News, published in the Wichita Eagle on March 1, 1883.Contrary to popular belief, few deaths in Wichita during the 1870s were attributed to homicide. Disease, infection, accidents, the hazards of harsh winters, and natural causes were the most common causes of death.**The interior of the Undertaker exhibit post‑dates the generally practiced funerals of 1870s Wichita. The Undertaker exhibit is used to interpret the cultural aspect of death, which the residential community of Wichita shared with the rest of United States.
Carpenter Shop
The Carpenter Shop, located in the Business District of Old Cowtown Museum, represents a finish carpenter or cabinet maker shop in post‑railroad Wichita. A finish carpenter required both skill and experience. Some of the work done in the Carpenter Shop would have included custom made furniture, doors, window frames, decorative trim, and exterior and interior molding for buildings.In addition, the finish carpenter and cabinet maker shops often supplied undertakers with coffins and other wooden necessities of that business. In addition to finish carpenters, the carpentry trade in general was in demand during the 1870s. Those employed in the trade included day‑labor carpenters, contract builders, lumberyard operators, and planing mill workers. Wages were usually relatively high by 19th century standards.When early settlers came to the Wichita area, the only indigenous wood of any construction merit were cottonwood trees. The earliest settlers had to have milled lumber brought by wagon from Emporia or Leavenworth, Kansas. When the Osage Trust Lands, on which the settlement of Wichita was located, became available for sale in 1870, Wichita was incorporated as a town.As a result Wichita experienced a small land and building boom. After the railroad came to Wichita in 1872, the expansion of commercial and residential building increased. The railroad also facilitated an increase in the number of local lumber mills, carpenter shops, skilled woodworkers, and a regular supply of lumber and other building materials.ToolsMost of the tools in this shop are powered by hand. Many larger shops had tools powered by line shafts, linked to steam engines. Line shafts were shafts that ran below the ceiling with large pulley wheels attached to them. Belts could be connected to the flywheel on tools such as the rip saw so that it would not need to be powered by hand. Of the hand tools displayed, here are a few of the most important ones used. The top shelves on the west side hold molding planes. Each plane was designed to cut a different type of molding. The shape at the bottom of each plane is the shape the molding it would cut.The lumber used in this type of shop was usually rough and would first have to be smoothed with a heavy smoothing plane, like the ones leaning against the wall on the work benches.Drill presses were used to drill holes for wooden pegs in order to fasten the corners of large pieces of furniture. The foot operated jigsaw was used to make curved cuts on pieces of furniture and decorative trim. The mortise machine was used for making the mortise half of a mortise and tendon joint. Such a joint would be used to fasten a table skirt to a table leg. With this tool the carpenter could chisel a square slot in the table leg into which the tendon half of the joint would be fitted. The shave horse was used to hold wood while worked with a draw knife. The wood could be held in place with the foot, allowing both hands to be free. At the same time, since the wood being worked on was held in place with "foot pressure" it could quickly be readjusted to another angle for shaving. The hand powered rip saw cuts boards to the desired width. It cuts boards straight and square. The saw was guoted to do the work of 3 men replaces hand sawing.
School House
The One Room School, located in the Residential Area of Old Cowtown Museum represents the residential community’s educational institutions of Wichita during the 1870s. While this one-room schoolhouse is not typical of Wichita schools and represents of the many one-room schools throughout rural America during the period, it provides the opportunity to address education in the growing town.The first classes in Wichita were held by William Finn in an abandoned sod dugout. Finn charged a subscription rate of one dollar per pupil. That school was in session only for the 1869-1870 winter term.In 1871, Wichita passed a school bond issue allocating $5,000 for a wood-frame building. James R. Mead donated land for the new permanent school.Throughout the 1870s, Wichita’s school system was inadequate to meet the demands of an expanding urban population. Rather than build new, several additions were built on exisiting buildings. At times they used the second floor of some of the business, but parents complained there were inadequate outhouses and the street noise and dust made learning impossible. Schools in the 1870s had underpaid teachers, limited supplies, and inadequate and poorly equipped space. City leaders believed that taxation for better schools would have negative effect on the development of business in Wichita. The orginal school built in 1871 burned in 1879 and a new brick school was finally built. By then Wichita had its first high school graduation of 4 students. The Old Cowtown Museum schoolhouse was built in Wichita circa 1910 and used as a temporary school room for several years. When it was no longer used for classes, local donors furnished the building with period desks, books, and maps to create a country school museum in time for the Kansas Centennial of 1961.Following the celebration, the school board donated it to Old Cowtown Museum in1962 so that it would be accessable to the public.
McKenzie House - 2 steps and high threshold
The McKenzie House located in the Residential Area of Old Cowtown Museum is representative of a rental property within the city. The House interprets a rented house occupied by a single middle-class schoolteacher. The woman possibly was someone who had "gone West" and left her extended family in search of adventure and a good man. This was not an uncommon story in the 1870s. In 1878, the population of Wichita on the East side of the river was estimated at 4,200. Of those, the City Directory listed the residence and occupations of 99 single women. Many of these ladies were widows residing in their own homes. The rest rented or “boarded” their residences. The occupations listed most were laundresses, followed by domestics such as cooks, chambermaids, and waitresses, but a number of single women owned their own successful businesses such as dressmakers and milliners. INTERIORhttps://soundcloud.com/j-anthony-horsch/mckenzie-house-narrative-interiorThe ParlorThe parlor in the McKenzie House was considered a special room. The nicest furnishings occupied the room, and great care was taken to maintain the newness and "specialness" of the room. However, because this type of home had only one parlor, the woman would have used it more frequently than a formal parlor in a larger home. Although company would have been entertained in the parlor, she may have gathered here in the evenings as well. The BedroomThe bedroom area reflects the lifestyle of a single woman. The furnishings such as the bed, dresser, and artwork were typical and necessary for a singles woman to functhion in Victorian society.KitchenA sparse kitchen is not featured in the building. The Kitchen would contain a cookstore that provides warmth to the whole house.The McKenzie House was owned by Leo McKenzie whose family owned the Wichita Carriage Works. It is believed to have been built in the 1880s. Research shows that it may have been located at 3rd and Water Streets. The McKenzie family owned several rental houses. The home - along with the Story-and-a-Half House - were donated by the McKenzies and moved to Old Cowtown Museum in 1961.
Story and a Half House - 1 step in front
The Story and A Half House located in the Residential Area of Old Cowtown Museum is representative of a typical lower to middle class home of the late 19th century.The Story-and-a-Half House is an exhibit represents family life in the 1870's. The house is representative of a lower-middle income family in early Wichita after the arrival of the railroad in 1872. It was a “starter house” for a small family that had aspirations of moving up. It was an ‘everymans house” that had a succession of many residents, and therefore represents a generic family home, one of many that provided the backbone of the growing Wichita economy. Visiting school groups may participate in domestic activities such as laundry and butter churning, as well as children's games in the small side yard.The house is built on a rectangular I-Plan with two rooms arranged one behind the other and a shed kitchen directly behind them. The upper floor is called a half-story because its ceiling follows the slope of the roof line. For this reason, the residence is known at the Museum as the Story-and-a-Half House. The reference is apparent when compared with the full two-story Murdock House next door. This unassuming vernacular house was common throughout the 19th century. The simple style was typical for moderate-income people of the late Victorian era.The Story-and-a-Half House was moved to the Museum in 1961. The house was donated by Leo McKenzie, whose family founded the Wichita Carriage Works in 1885. The original location of the structure was at the 900 block of Fairview.INSIDE https://soundcloud.com/j-anthony-horsch/story-and-a-half-house-int-narrativeThe ParlorThe first room through the front door is the parlor. It represents the public image of the family to all guests. The nicest furnishings occupied the room, and it was kept clean and tidy and able to recieve guests at any time. However, because this type of home had only one parlor, the family would have used it more frequently than a formal parlor in a larger home. Although company would have been entertained in the parlor, the family may have gathered here in the evenings as well. Despite more frequent use, the room was regarded as the best room in the house, and its contents were treated with special care.The Middle RoomThe Middle Room would have been used for a number of family activities. Although meals would have been served here, the table could be folded down to make room for sewing and other home activities. The children’s toys and schoolbooks in the lower shelves of the china cabinet indicate that the children may have spent much of their free time here. While some of the work of the household may have been based from the room; it would be the place where more casual visiting and activities. In the southeast comer of the room are two doors one leading to the stairway to the two small bedrooms, One for the children and one for the parents. In keeping with the name of the house, story and half, there is only full head room in the center of the room which are not accessible to the public, but are currently used, for storage. The family probably used the back door most frequently.The KitchenThe small kitchen demonstrates the difficult working conditions of a nineteenth century home. Space was limited, and extreme weather conditions could make the kitchen a very difficult place to work. The wood-burning stove was used for cooking. On particularly hot days, cooking would have been done early in the morning, or cold meals would be served as much as possible. In cold weather, the stove was a source of heat. There is no icebox in the home. Food, which needed to be kept cool, would be kept in a cellar, down a well, or on the back porch during the winter months. Although the kitchen is small, it is well stocked with equipment and utensils. A pitcher and basin by the back door served as a "kitchen sink" for those entering the house with dirty hands and faces.
Murdock House - 2 step front - ramp on side to backdoor
The Murdock House, located in the Residential Area of Old Cowtown Museum, represents a comfortable middle class Victorian household in 1870s Wichita. It was the home of Marshall M. Murdock, his wife Victoria, and their three children. Their home was built in 1874. In 1874, Marshall M. Murdock, founder and editor of the Wichita City Eagle, built his fine home at Fourth and Oak Streets (St. Francis and Murdock). Wichita business leaders wanted to establish a Republican newspaper in Wichita recruited Murdock. Murdock was the premier publicist for the city and was known nationally almost as much for his unswerving loyalty and promotion of Wichita as for his extravagant writing style. "Eaglehurst", as the house was known, hosted many men of state and national reputation due to Col. Murdock's business and political associations. Mrs. Victoria Murdock carried out the role of a proper Victorian wife who was a gracious homemaker. She was opinionated and supported her husband as a sounding board for his many ideas. She was also very active in many civic projects in town.100 years later, the house was moved to the grounds of Old Cowtown Museum under sponsorship by the Midtown Association. Members of the group raised funds and donated many hours toward the exterior restoration of the house. The additions that had been added to the house in later years were removed, and the original core was retained in order to accurately represent the house in its initial time period.The Murdock House features basic characteristics of Gothic Revival style of architecture that was popular in the mid to late 19th century. The steeply-pitched gabled roof, cresting at the ridgeline, hoodmolds over the windows, and curvilinear elements on bargeboards and porch brackets offered a model of finery in newly-founded Wichita.This elegant dwelling was among the most stylish residences of the day in Wichita. In its time the structure symbolized Wichita's rapid advancement from frontier trading outpost to successful urban center.The building is the most stylish upper middle class home on the museum grounds, but in the city of Wichita there were many larger and more ornate homes in the city.
Hodge House - ramp and narrow doorway
The Hodge House in the residential district of Old Cowtown Museum represents life of the an African-American family in early Wichita.The Hodge House was built by Wesley Hodge, an African-American blacksmith from 1878-1885. In 1880, Wesley was 40 years old and his wife Millie, a homemaker, was 38. They and their children Fannie, 15, and James, 13, who worked as a bootblack, lived in the house. When they arrived in Wichita in 1876, they joined a growing population. In 1875, the census listed Wichita as having a population of 62 African Americans. By 1880, it had grown to 246 people.Wesley passed away in 1885 at 45 leaving his wife Millie to support their two teenage children. At same time, the family acquired the former Presbyterian/Catholic Church building. It was moved to 605 N. Main next to their home and converted into a rooming house. The rooming house continued to support Millie Hodges throughout her long life. She lived to be 97 years old and never remarried. She was active in the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church where her daughter Fannie played its first organ in 1878.Before this home was relocated to Old Cowtown Museum, people within the community assumed it was a parsonage because of its location next to a church. It wasn't until one of Old Cowtown Museum's curators dug deeper into its history that it was discovered the home belonged to the Hodges, one of Wichita's first African-American families. In 2011, Old Cowtown Museum renamed the "Parsonage" the "Hodge House" and redecorated the interior to accurately tell the story of this family
First Presbyterian Church
The First Presbyterian Church in the residential district at Old Cowtown Museum represents one of the social and religious organizations of the permanent residential community in Wichita during the 1870s. Churches played an important role in the development of the social, cultural, and political climate in 1870s Wichita. They took an active role in defining the standards they believed would lend to developing a family‑orientated climate. The Presbyterian church was active in the local Temperance movement, supported blue laws and other anti vice activities that flourished in the town.In 1870, the Presbyterian congregation built the first permanent church structure in the town at the intersection of Wichita and Second Streets for $1500. There was much resistance from church leaders in the East that were not comfortable spending such a sum in a town with such a lawless reputation. The church was sold to Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Church in late 1872 for $550 including furnishings and moved to 2nd and St. Francis Ave. Later, the building was used as a boarding house owned by Mrs. Millie Hodge who moved the structure to the 600 block of N. Main. A second story was added to the structure as a boarding house, and windows were added on the front of the first floor. After a fire in 1949 destroyed the second floor, the building was condemned.However, this structure that once served as a religious center for the first settlers of Wichita was about to serve the City once again. Eighty years after its construction, the building sparked a project that was to become Old Cowtown Museum.In the early 1940s the dilapidated structure caught the attention of Victor Murdock, Editor of the Wichita Eagle. Murdock and Managing Editor Dick Long determined that this building was important to Wichita's history. Murdock tried to purchase the building but died before he could accomplish his goal. In a tale of last-minute rescue in 1949, Dick Long bought it from a salvage company for $400, a price which included what was believed to be the adjacent parsonage.Long and other civic-minded Wichitans founded Historic Wichita Cowtown, Inc. to raise money for restoration. They also planned to acquire other buildings in honor of Murdock's dream. In 1952 the Church and Parsonage (later discovered to actually be the Hodge House), the Munger House, and the Jail were moved to a site on the Arkansas River which has become the grounds of Old Cowtown Museum.Wichita architect Harry Overend directed the restoration of the frame structure to insure historic authenticity. The hand-hewn trusses were retained and native walnut was harvested to replace the floors.
