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| Classen (Althaus-Vaneless) Windmill at Kauffman Museum in Newton, KS |
Final exploration in Wichita for 2015, that is.
11-13-15: Visited the Kauffman Museum in Newton today with Greg and Linda Sue. It is all about the history of the Mennonites when they fled persecution in Europe and settled on the Kansas Plains. The museum is on the campus of Bethel College, a private Christian college affiliated with the Mennonite Church.
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| we'd never heard of "forbs" |
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| a bit about Mr. Kauffman |
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| there is a Tallgrass Prairie reconstruction onsite that included over 15 species of grasses and over 100 wildflower species |
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| this beautifully restored organ was built in Germany in 1750 and brought here by the Mennonites |
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| Bethel College football exhibit with photo and equipment from early 1900's |
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| "Root for the Home Team" exhibit about building community through sports |
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| basketball exhibit |
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| we were surprised that Bethel College has fielded a soccer team for 90 years! |
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| Bethel baseball |
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| typical log cabin for the early Mennonite immigrants |
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| Whooping Cranes are so tall! |
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| single row seed drill and a Harrow patented in 1875 |
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| Sod Buster Plow designed to break up the hard prairie soil |
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| Millstone |
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| Lathe |
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| hand tools on display |
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| one piece of the rare collection of Mennonite immigrant furniture |
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| lots of hope |
The museum contains 29 handcrafted pieces of furniture brought by the Mennonites from Prussia
( Poland and south Russia) to the US in the 1870's and 1880's, or built by first generation descendants.
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| beautiful, durable furniture |
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| lots of pretty detail |
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| "Mirror of Martyrs" exhibit is about the publication of the 2nd edition of the Martyrs Mirror of 1685 |
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| in 1975 30 of the original copper plates resurfaced in Germany. Above is one of the original copper plates. |
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| this exhibit is a testament to the unwavering faith of those who remained steadfast in their faith in the face of persecution and death. |
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| great thought |
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| The Cheyenne called themselves Dzitsiistas, "Our People" |
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| the immigrants worked nicely with the Native Americans |
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| interior shot of the one room log cabin |
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| the rv life when traveling between homes |
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| belongings of a typical family traveling by steamship |
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| as we moved through the exhibit, we were given an idea of how the families prospered over the years |
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| more upscale home |
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| jamming time |
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| looks a lot like my Mamaw Gentry's treadle sewing machine |
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| I found this "hair wreath" fascinating -- read about it below |
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| hey, I think I found my great-grandmother's pump organ |
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| typical early homestead log cabin |
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| heading for the outdoor exhibits |
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| Ratzlaff Barn 1886 |
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| old Farmall tractor |
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| there were several old wagons |
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| wood fired scalding pot |
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| Classen (Althaus-Vaneless) Windmill |
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| historic home |
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| main living area |
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| kitchen |
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| super steep! |
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| kitchen |
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| sod insulation |
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| trundle bed |
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| hope chest |
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| this oak tree growing in front of the house was brought over from Poland when it was just an acorn |
The Kauffman Museum was well worth it. Thx for the idea, Linda Sue and Greg! Fun day!
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| Andrew had a night out with his mom and grandma while we had Asher |
We picked up Asher after our day at the museum. We owed him an overnighter and day of entertainment by himself.
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| Grandpa got Asher hooked on X-Box |
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| first stop, Jimmie's for breakfast |
11-14-15: So we set off for Exploration Place. Asher is our little scientist, so this place was on his wish list, (even though he'd been once in a previous year)
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| the complex includes a theater and both permanent and traveling exhibits |
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| watching the birds from this enclosed hallway |
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| Grandpa and Asher in a flight simulator - he really liked the Exploring Flight and Design exhibit |
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| it's hard being a pilot |
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| Asher checking out the Cessna Skycatcher |
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| I think he needs one of these for his backyard |
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| at the controls |
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| we were turning the propellers at the top of the tower |
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| plane made from license plates |
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| the wind wall demonstrated what our prop-turning could do |
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| reading about the wind wall |
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| Asher on the horizontal simulater, learning how the Wright Brothers flew their plane |
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| more fun |
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| Wright Brothers exhibit |
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| Grandpa and Asher checking out how a plane flies |
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| looking across the water at the Dome Theater |
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| I finally got to "drive" a combine in the "Exploring Our Home" exhibit |
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| mammoth tusk |
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| I had to check out the tornado simulator |
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| waiting on a tornado to form |
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| fossil dig |
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| looking across the Arkansas River at downtown Wichita |
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| view of the Keeper of the Plains -- Little AR River to the left, AR River to the right |
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| everything was hands on and kid friendly |
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| aerial view of Exploration Place (we didn't take this one) |
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| Kansas miniature |
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| great detail |
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| the bldg in the middle was a model of the Frank Lloyd Wright house we toured several weeks ago |
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| even had the Starlite Drive-In theater.........playing a movie |
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| Asher and Grammy making music in the Nano exhibit |
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| Asher getting his disco on! Hilarious -- he has the McClintock rhythm. |
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| in the Design Zone |
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| Where Kids Rule -- this castle area was a maze of interesting activities |
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| it was worth the trip by itself |
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| getting ready to try the catapult |
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| nailed it |
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| the castle had over 60 hands on activities for kids -- or you could sit on the throne with your new friend and just rule |
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| it can be lonely on the throne |
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| checking out the suit of armor |
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| lifting the bridge over the mote |
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| 30 lbs! |
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| time out |
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| trying to keep the wind from carrying our gingerbread kits away |
Wonderful day with our little scientist! After a quick lunch at Freddy's and a magic trick lesson from Grammy, we delivered him back to his mom and big brother.
Really had fun learning some new stuff about Kansas this week!
Spater from,
Charles Kauffman, Amelia Earhart, and Gingerbread Dog
