Hillsboro Museum

I drive by this museum pretty regularly but I had never visited it.  I decided it was time!

Did you know that this house, called the Peter Paul Loewen House, is a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture because it is the last remaining immigrant Russian Mennonite clay brick structure left in North America?  

I called ahead to make sure the museum was open.  I made arrangements to meet the curator at 1:00. The cost of admission was $5 which is pretty reasonable.

 This museum shows the history of the Russian and Polish Mennonites that settled in Marion and McPherson Counties back in 1874.  My ancestors on my father's side are also Russian/Polish but they settled in Reno county.

Book of martyrs.  Our ancestors faced persecution for their beliefs.  This book which told stories of the martyrs was read along with the Bible at worship services.  Many of the services were conducted in secret.  My Swiss ancestors worshiped in a cave far from home so the towns' people wouldn't hear them singing.

We used to think that Hillsboro was named that because it was a town with a hill. Except there was no hill (at least in the town).  So it makes sense that it is named after a guy named Hill.

 
They enjoyed their coffee too!

The kettle was heated by wood stove beneath it.  The other wood burner (by the basket) would heat the bedroom wall.  Picture to follow later.

A window that is there does not look outside, but brings in light from the entrance room.

Who doesn't want a heart-shaped waffle maker?!

This orange wall behind the sofa (that pulls out to a bed for the parents) is the wall that is heated from the kitchen.  On the other side is another bedroom for the babies.

They were clock-makers.  This one still works!

The 3rd dial is not a second hand, but shows what day of the month it is!

Built in 1858.  Brought across the ocean.

 

Medicine cabinet

From the outside, you can see that the house is L shaped.  The section on the left is the barn and shed.  This house is called a house-barn since they are connected.  There is a double-door to the house to keep the barn smells out of the house.  My ancestor's home in Switzerland has the same configuration.  Ingenious since it gets so very cold!  No need to walk outside to the barn!

 Thresher stone.

Threshing wheat in those olden days was quite the chore!

In the shed was this buggy.  The curator told me it was a mail buggy.

After touring the house-barn, he took me to the windmill.

Mr. Friesen built the original mill in Gnadenau in 1876 and was located several miles south of Hillsboro. It was reproduced in 1994. 

The one-room school house.

On the way home, I took Happy Hills road.  I love the up and down and up and down.  Just so people coming from the other direction don't take the middle of the road, huh?  I parked the car off to the side and took a picture since there was no traffic.  I met 1 car the entire way.  I like to take this fun, happy road! 

Now I have seen the museum in Hillsboro.  Now I really need to visit the one in our town.  We've lived there since 1981 and I have yet to go there.