Hays KS Museums

Ellis County Historical Society Museum
See the history of Ellis County

Category: Hays Museum in Kansas

Description of this Hays Attraction: 100 W. 7th Hays, KS 67601 785-628-2624 Hours: Summer hours – June-August 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday Winter hours – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday – Friday Admission: $4.00 Adults, $1.00 children (3 –12 years) www.elliscountyhistoricalmuseum.org Located at the corner of 7th and Main in downtown Hays, the Ellis County Historical Society Museum exists to preserve and relate the county's colorful history. Beginning with its infamous Wild West days, the permanent exhibit gallery highlights not only the well-known characters who walked the streets, such as "Wild Bill" Hickok, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and General George Armstrong Custer, but also lesser known but equally interesting scouts,and buffalo hunters. Learn about the clash of the railroad with the buffalo, and with the Native Americans who called this their hunting grounds. Find out about our Boot Hill, its disreputable host of residents, and its distinction as the first Boot Hill west of the Missouri River. A visit to the museum's display on Boot Hill greatly adds to one's appreciation of the site itself, which is located at 18th & Fort. Visitors round out their time spent in the Wild West with a trip to our saloon, where they may learn how to play the Old West's favorite card game, Faro. Continuing on through time, the gallery leads visitors into our settlement era, when English and Scottish gentry hunted and played polo in an area they named for their queen, Victoria, and their leader, George Grant who brought the first black Aberdeen Angus cattle to America. Many are surprised to learn of a Socialist commune begun by a Danish expatriate who lasted until the food ran out. Better organized were the Bukovina Germans who settled in the Ellis area and the Volga Germans who settled in and around Hays. A special exhibit on water in Ellis County gives one a better understanding of the difficulties of settling the area, and the resourcefulness of the people who prospered in the undertaking. Other elements of the gallery include photographs and artifacts from the turn of the 20th century and beyond. Included is a glimpse of Walker Air Base, a bustling beehive of activity during World Ward II, housing 6,000 people and many B29 bombers at its pinnacle, but today a ghost town. The permanent exhibit gallery leads visitors to a better understanding of how Ellis County has grown and changed through the years. Children of all ages enjoy the Learning Center, located in the balcony overlooking the permanent exhibit gallery. A one-room school exhibit sets the stage for learning about life before electricity and piped water. This popular area augments displays with hands-on items for all to try out or try on. Incorporated within the museum itself is an 1879 native stone chapel, the oldest building originally erected as a church in Ellis County. It is thought to be the oldest existing church building in western Kansas and contains some of the original furnishings. There are three sites on the grounds of the museum. The Harness Shop is an original structure

Hays KS Museums

Hays KS Museums

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