Museums offer a glance into the past
Ellis County is home to several museums that cater to different tastes. Natural science, the history of the railroad, and local, American and world history all can be found in Ellis County.
Sternberg Museum of Natural History
Sternberg Museum, on Sternberg Drive in Hays, offers exhibits about a variety of genres.
Permanent exhibits at the museum include the world famous "Fish Within a Fish" and a three-dimensional fossil preparation of a plesiosaur, a marine reptile.
Animatronic growling dinosaurs are featured along the late Cretaceous period walk. There are plenty of fossils and other natural history items to gaze at.
Ongoing exhibits include "Museum Memories: A Centennial Exhibition", produced by the museum to celebrate the centennial of Fort Hays State University. The exhibition shows many of the materials that were on exhibit in the old Sternberg Museum.
"Journey to South Africa: An Exhibit Experience" is also ongoing. The exhibit features photos of wildlife, natives and the cultures of South Africa. The photographs were taken during a two-week safari by museum director Jerry Choate and his group from the museum.
There is also the Discovery Room, a place for kids to experience live animals and take part in hands-on projects, and an education floor with classrooms for learning activities.
Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday. The gift store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Admission prices are $6 for adults 13 through 59 and $4 for seniors 60 and older and youth 4 through 12. FHSU students with university identification cards are admitted for $3.
Memberships -- single, family and other groups -- are available, and groups can make tour reservations by calling (785) 628-5298.
More information about the museum can be obtained by calling (785) 628-4286 or toll free at (877) 332-1165. The museum's Web site is www.fhsu.edu/sternberg.
Ellis County Historical Society
History from Wild West through World War II can be viewed at Ellis County Historical Society¬Museum, 100 W. Seventh in Hays. The saloon is a great place to learn to play cowboy card games. The learning center for children is open for learning fun, with a photo gallery, try-on clothes, old-time toys, farm animals and diorama, and more. The Stone Chapel, built in 1879, is the site of several temporary exhibits, including an annual Wedding exhibit in June.¬The Harness Shop, an original store from the early 1900s located on the grounds, displays saddles and other related items, telling the story of Ellis County ranchers.¬The replica Volga German Haus, also located on the museum grounds, tells the story of Ellis County's largest immigrant group, the Volga Germans, who settled in Ellis County after¬temporarily relocating to Russia for over a hundred years.
Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children ages 3 to 12. Historical society members and children under 3 are free.
Summer hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday from June to August. Winter hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. For information, call (785) 628-2624.
Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum
Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum, 102 W. 10th in Ellis, was placed on National Registry of Historical Buildings in 1952. A 1924 Chrysler owned by Chrysler's grandson Frank Rhodes is on exhibit, along with the shotgun he used duck hunting, jewelry, books, photographs and a video of Chrysler's life.
Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday from October to April; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday from May to September.
Bukovina Society of the Americas
Bukovina Society, 718 Washington in Ellis, is located in the former First Congregational Church with a small library of books and a collection of artifacts from Bukovina immigrants. Some of the collection includes coins, tools, stamp and hand-painted or beaded eggs.
In 1886, Bukovina German families began to settle in Ellis. Their descendants continue to make up a large percentage of the town's population. Over the decades, younger generations have somewhat lost their understanding of where this homeland was and what their ancestors experienced.
The Bukovina Society of the Americas was formed in December 1988 to promote the recognition of the immigrants from Bukovina and encourage historical research of their heritage.
Tour information can be sought at (785) 726-3388 or owindholz@ruraltel.net. The Web site is www.bukovinasociety.org.
Ellis Railroad Museum
At the Ellis Railroad Museum, 911 Washington in Ellis, train lovers will enjoy the BK&E miniature train ride on a one-third scale General Motors Aero Streamliner around a 2.5-mile track outside the building.
One can view railroad artifacts and more than 5,000 square feet of working model train layout. There is an Ellis History Room, yellow Union Pacific caboose, model train display, depot room and depot building. A doll museum is in the upper level, featuring a display of more than 1,600 baby, clown, bride, Barbie and international dolls.
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday from April to October, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday from November to March. Year-round, it is open on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
More information can be found by contacting the museum at (785) 726-4493 or at ellisrrm@envisioncs.net.
The Web site is www.ellis.ks.us/rrmuseum.html.