I had a tremendous evening last Friday (July 12) and enjoyed the hospitality of the Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center (Facebook) as part of the month-long celebration in honor of the museum's 25th year of operation.
Located at 720 N. 4th St., this spectacular facility has a rich legacy of its own, but also celebrates the history and culture of the many Eastern European immigrants who have made Strawberry Hill and Kansas City, Kansas their home over the years.
The museum's web site says that, "The Strawberry Hill Museum is one of a kind because it tells the history of a victorian family, an orphanage and the various nationalities who settled in Kansas City, Kansas."
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| The museum and cultural center is perched high on a hill on the west side of 4th between Barnett and Ann Avenues. The original victorian house is at left and the orphanage addition at right. |
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| An historical monument at the bottom of the stairs to the house gives a brief history of structures. (Click the photo to enlarge so you can read the inscription.) |
Here's a brief history as taken from a museum brochure. (Full disclosure...a great deal of the text that follows comes from museum literature). :-)
1887 - The Victorian home was built by John G. Braecklein for John and Margaret Scroggs. This was Mr. Braecklein's first commission. He was 21 years old. It was one of the most outstanding examples of the Queen Anne Style to have been erected in Kansas City, Kansas. The family lived there for 32 years.
The eastern slope of what was then called "Splitlog's Hill" was selected for the new home. The house sat elevated on a terrace 10 to 15 feet above 4th Street and looked out over the whole broad confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. A stone wall contained the terrace with an ornamental iron gate bearing the letter "S" which is still there today.
The interior of the house was as fine as the exterior with stain and leaded glass windows, built ins, beautifully crafted woodwork, tile faced fireplaces and the use of lincrusta wall coverings.
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| The painstakingly restored victorian rooms of the original house are simply stunning. |
1919 - The St. John's Orphanage was blessed and opened. The Victorian home was sold to the Sisters of St Francis of Christ the King. The orphanage was in existence for 69 years.
In 1918, the influenza epidemic raged throughout the United States. St. John the Baptist Parish recorded 51 deaths that year and 71 in 1919. Many children of the parish were left without one or both parents. Msgr. Martin D. Krmpotic, Pastor of St. John's was determined to remedy this situation. He asked the Sisters of St. Francis of Christ the King to open an orphanage.
The orphanage was open to children of all nationalities, creeds and races. Along with sheltered care for the children, the Sisters operated a day care and nursery school program. Over the course of eight years, four additions were made to the original house but always leaving the main facade and ornate interiors intact.
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| This photo shows one of the sleeping rooms from the old orphanage. Crowded, but open and airy at the same time. |
1988 - The Strawberry, Hill Museum opened. The Sisters of St. Francis of Christ the King closed the St. John's Children's Home due to changing social needs. The property was acquired by the Strawberry Hill Ethnic Cultural Society to promote and preserve the ethnic heritage prevalent in Kansas City, Kansas.
In 2002, the museum received the Mayor’s Merit Award and in 2008, the museum had over 2,000 visitors. This earned the museum the Event of the Year Award from the Kansas City, Kansas, Wyandotte Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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| A view of the chapel from the orphanage days. |
For me, one of the most interesting aspects of the museum was the cultural exhibits. Housed in what was the orphanage, this area features room after room and exhibit after exhibit celebrating the history and culture of the Eastern European immigrants who made Kansas City, Kansas their home.
The Polish-Americans were the first ethnic group to join in with a permanent display in 1990. Eight more ethnic groups followed over the next few years.
Here are just a few photos of these exhibits. You could literally spend all day here admiring the photos, reading the history and soaking up the richness of the displays.
In addition to historical displays, the museum also features exhibits from contemporary artists. Kansas City, Kansas' own Mike Savage has paintings on display and for sale at the moment.
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| Always colorful and visually stimulating, these and many other Mike Savage paintings are on display and available for purchase. |
Here's an historic photograph that is hanging on the wall in the room where the Friday reception was held. I encourage you to click the picture and enlarge it to see the detail of what we lost when "progress" came to Strawberry Hill.
You can see St. John the Baptist Church toward the top left of the photo. It's still there today (next to the museum and cultural center), but it's now at the far eastern edge of the Strawberry Hill area. In this photograph, however, you can see Barnett Avenue stretching downhill past 3rd, 2nd and 1st Streets to the Kansas River.
All the buildings east of 4th Street were demolished in 1957 to clear space for the I-70 roadway.
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| Click this picture to enlarge it so that you can read the caption on the photograph of historical Strawberry Hill. |
The museum and cultural center is a not for profit organization financed through memberships, tours, donations, memorials and activities. Volunteers staff the gift shop, the tea room, act as tour guides and help with displays and activities.
The museum is open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m. There is an admission fee that goes to support the continued operation of the facility.
There are also rooms and kitchen facilities available to rent for receptions, parties and meetings.
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| The view of the skyline from the front porch of the house is absolutely spectacular. |
Many thanks to all who helped create this wonderful facility and to all who work tirelessly to keep it alive and vibrant in eastern Kansas City, Kansas!
~ Brian
bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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