Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum celebrates 75 years

Almost from the start, Wichita’s settlers thought they were onto something special, something worth preserving.

“They had a real sense they were making history,” said Eric Cale, executive director of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum.

That led to the formation of organizations such as the Settlers Society and Sedgwick County Pioneer Society. In 1939, the Wichita Public Museum, precursor of the current institution, was established. That makes the museum 75 years old this year. A party to mark the occasion will be Sept. 28 at the museum, which is in the old City Hall building on South Main.

“We weren’t about to let the 75th go by” without recognition, Cale said. “Many communities don’t have a resource like this, and Wichita has one of the best.”

Cale notes that the museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums, “which places it in the top 5 percent of the nation’s almost 18,000 different museums.”

There are still some tickets available for the party, which will feature food, drink, entertainment and, of course, exhibits.

The museum’s history

As Cale mentioned, the museum “goes way back.”

The Pioneer Society, started in 1919, collected and housed artifacts in the county courthouse. It moved the collection to a space in the old Forum theater in 1939. In 1955, Mrs. Cyrus Beachy left her home and a collection of antiques and dolls to the museum, which then moved to 3751 E. Douglas in College Hill.

By the 1960s, the future of the old City Hall was in doubt. Even though it had been hailed as the “Palace of the Plains” when completed in 1892, the city had clearly outgrown it.

Ray Porter, the last mayor to serve there, remembers his old office as a place where out-of-town visitors would wander into to complain about $5 tickets.

“It got to where I’d just pay them myself,” he said.

Porter was glad to see it become the museum after City Hall moved to its current location.

“It’s really a neat old building,” he said. “If you ever want to have a scary moment, go up in the tower.”

Robert Puckett, Cale’s predecessor as director of the museum, agreed, saying “the building itself is the highlight” of the museum. “It’s definitely one of the most remarkable buildings ever built in Wichita.”

Puckett recalled that museum supporters raised about $1 million for interior renovations before the museum moved there.

The museum today

Today, the museum houses more than 70,000 artifacts. The fourth floor showcases local history during the 20th century, including the aviation and oil industry, Dust Bowl and Great Depression years. One of the museum’s most popular exhibits – a Jones VI automobile made here in 1916 – sits there.

The third floor looks at the city’s first 50 years, including the early hunters and traders and American Indians from whom the city took its name. The interior of a typical Wichita middle-class home of the late 19th century is re-created there.

On the second floor is a re-creation of a neighborhood drug store, along with exhibits of toys and silver-plated service items from the past. The first floor features a collection of cut and engraved glass, along with frequently changing exhibits form the museum’s collection. Currently there’s an exhibit of show posters from the city’s past, which were an essential form of advertising in the days before television. Another exhibit that’s gotten quite a bit of attention is a musical instrument, currently on loan to the museum, considered to be the first modern electric guitar.

The party

Cale called the anniversary party “really just a celebration of all the people who have been interested in and supportive of the museum all these years.” An open house, free to the public, is planned for later this year.

One highlight of the party should be the answers to a guessing game that the museum has been holding for visitors.

Out of its thousands of artifacts, Cale said, “We’ve culled out quite a number of them and have them exhibited around the entire museum. We’ve chosen artifacts that are very unusual and have challenged visitors to guess what they are.

“We’ve actually had some very intersecting responses, you know.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2014 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum celebrates 75 years."