Old Cowtown Museum

Old Cowtown Museum
Name	Old Cowtown Museum
Established	1952
Location	Wichita, Kansas, United States
Type	Living history museum

Old Cowtown Museum is a 23-acre open-air living history museum located along the Arkansas River in Wichita, Kansas. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of Wichita and the Great Plains during the period from 1865 to 1880, a time of rapid transformation from a frontier cattle town to a more settled agricultural and commercial center. The museum features over 50 historic and recreated buildings arranged to resemble a typical Kansas town of the era, offering visitors an immersive experience into the daily life, commerce, and culture of the post-Civil War frontier.

History

The museum's origins trace back to 1950 when the City of Wichita and the Wichita Chamber of Commerce's Historical Committee began planning a historical attraction to celebrate the city's heritage. It officially opened in 1952, initially centered around the 1874 Munger House, the former residence of Darius Munger, an early Wichita settler and businessman. Over subsequent decades, the site expanded significantly through the relocation of numerous endangered historic structures from around the region, including a blacksmith shop, a one-room schoolhouse, and the 1887 Wichita Eagle Newspaper building. This preservation effort was championed by local historians and organizations like the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum Association, ensuring the survival of architectural landmarks that might otherwise have been lost to urban development.

Exhibits and buildings

The museum's landscape is divided into distinct areas representing different facets of 19th-century life, including a residential district, a farmstead, and a bustling business district. Key structures include the authentically furnished Munger House, the C. H. M. Brandley and Co. Drugstore, and the Wichita Savings Bank, which illustrate period commerce. The working Fischer Farm demonstrates subsistence agriculture and animal husbandry with heritage breeds, while the DeVore Farmhouse represents a more established rural homestead. Other significant buildings are the First Presbyterian Church, the J. H. M. Jameson Law Office, and the Bechtel House, each offering a glimpse into the social, legal, and domestic spheres of the time.

Collections and artifacts

The museum maintains an extensive collection of over 30,000 artifacts that document material culture from the 1865–1880 period on the Great Plains. The collection includes significant holdings in Victorian furniture, period-appropriate clothing and textiles, agricultural implements, and trade tools from professions like blacksmithing and printing. A notable artifact is the original press from the Wichita Eagle newspaper. The collections are managed with a focus on provenance and are used to furnish buildings authentically, support research, and create rotating exhibits that delve into specific themes such as frontier medicine, domestic life, and the impact of the railroads.

Educational programs

Old Cowtown Museum offers a wide array of formal and informal educational programs aligned with Kansas State Department of Education standards. These include structured school field trips where students engage in hands-on activities like churning butter, writing with quill pens, and participating in historic school lessons. The museum also conducts workshops for teachers, summer history camps for youth, and specialized tours focusing on topics such as Native American interactions, the cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail, and the experiences of African American settlers in Kansas during the Reconstruction era.

Events and reenactments

Throughout the year, the museum hosts numerous special events and living history demonstrations that animate the past. Major annual events include a Fourth of July celebration with period games and orations, a Harvest Festival in the autumn, and Victorian Christmas festivities. The museum is a frequent site for historical reenactments by groups portraying Union cavalry, frontier lawmen, and plainsmen. These events often feature black powder shooting demonstrations, stagecoach rides, and theatrical performances that illustrate historical narratives and conflicts from the era of the American frontier.

Governance and funding

Old Cowtown Museum is operated by the Wichita Historical Museum, Inc., a private non-profit organization, under a cooperative agreement with the City of Wichita, which owns the land and buildings. This public-private partnership model is common for many cultural institutions in the region. Funding is derived from a combination of sources including municipal support from the city's general fund, earned revenue from admissions and facility rentals, private donations from individuals and foundations like the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, and grants from entities such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Category:Open-air museums in Kansas Category:Museums in Wichita, Kansas Category:History museums in Kansas Category:1952 establishments in Kansas