Newsletter - Spring 2025
Kids Invade Museum!
There was indeed an invasion of children at the Cowley County Historical Society Museum throughout the month of March. It was an invasion of the best kind, as several programs brought a large number of younger visitors to the museum and programs associated with the museum.
The first was a program partnering Winfield Public Library, Winfield Recreation Center, Winfield Arts and Humanities, The Marquee, and the K-State Extension Office. On Monday, March 17th all the partner organizations came together to host a school’s out “Fun Hub”. For the Museum’s portion the youngsters got to experience woodworking with a variety of period tools.
The next day, Tuesday, March 18th, saw two groups from the Little Builders come by for tours of the museum which were led by board member Julie Mignone. And finally, to finish out the month of heightened youth engagement the wonderful ladies of Girl Scout Troop 40462 held an event at the museum on Thursday the 27th. The scouts not only enjoyed a tour led by board member Cindy Goertz but also had a scavenger hunt.
To hopefully continue the trend of youth engagement the museum has recently started an Instagram account. You or anyone else you know can look it up @Cowley County Historical on Instagram.
The museum would like to extend our thanks to Winfield Chamber of Commerce for providing this new bike rack for use by our patrons. It is a lovely addition and resource for our visitors. Now the whole family can bike over and see us with plenty of appropriate parking.
An additional thank you goes out to all of you; our friends, supporters, and patrons. It is because of your votes that we have been voted “Best Museum” in Cowley County for the ninth year in a row. The entire museum board, volunteers and staff wish to thank all those whose support keep allowing us to be successful.
Good Citizens Spring into Cleaning Action at Cowley County Historical Society Museum
“Doing Good Friday” came to Cowley County Historical Society Museum in April. With it came a crew from Grace United Methodist Church to tidy up the grounds.
The Thomas Morgan statue recently received a little loving care from Joe Chrisman and John N. Eckes Camp #10-Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Joe sprayed D/2 biological solution on the statue to kill the algae, mold, and lichen. This is the same solution they have used at the cemeteries to clean headstones. Within a few weeks the statue should begin to look brighter again. A big thank you to Joe and the Eckes Camp for this service. Joe is a member of the Eckes Camp and a CCHSM board of directors member.
School Days are Some of Our Best Days
March’s meeting of Museum Friends was special indeed as a panel including a student, an administrator, and several office staff members from WHS during the period from 1972 to 1974 presented. They shared memories of the trying transition period after the old high school had been demolished but before the new building was ready. Audience members including additional students and former teachers also shared.
The panel presenting the program--JoAnn McClung Parsons, Cinda Roberts Grimes, Sharon Stevenson, Sheryle Ohm, and Roger Lungren
New Additions
Several items were donated to the museum over the last quarter. One such piece of note was brought in by Julie Thompson who asked if museum staff could identify the little brush that her parents had owned.
After examining the brush a manufacturer’s mark and label led office manager Dusty Ward to finding out that the brush was a table crumb brush.
This example was marketed as a “Silent Butler” by Wallace Silversmith’s as part of their Baroque by Wallace line in the early 1940’s. The Baroque line was the most successful line from Wallace from their origination in 1800’s Connecticut until their eventual acquisition by Hamilton Watch Company in 1959.
The company still exists as a subsidiary of Lifetime Brands, and is still one of the worlds largest silver plated flatware manufacturers.
Playbills, Scripts, and Memories, Oh My!
Museum Friends enjoyed another delightful program Monday, April 21, in the community room at the Winfield Public Library. Melody Krueger and Julia Lambert shared the history, stories, and traditions of the Winfield Community Theatre when it was held in The Barn at the Winfield Fairgrounds from 1967-1998. Costumes, playbills, and scrapbooks from those years were on display for all to enjoy. At the close of the program a picture was taken of some of those who had been a part of the WCT productions at the barn.
One of our Best!
Ina Turner Gray, a longtime CCHSM volunteer, was recently recognized by Southwestern College for her exceptional contributions to community service. Ina was inducted into the prestigious Leader Service Hall of Fame and conferred with an honorary Doctorate degree, celebrating her unwavering dedication to leadership in many settings and a dedication to preserving local history.
Ina served on the board of directors for CCHSM for many years and played a vital role in organizing and maintaining the museum archives. Her meticulous work ensured the museum’s collection remained a valuable resource for researchers and visitors alike. Ina’s dedication to preserving history and serving the museum community has been truly inspiring. Her efforts have left a lasting impact, and we are grateful for all the ways she has and continues to promote and support our museum.
Congratulations to Ina on this well-deserved recognition!
New Windows for North Wall
Great works were done at the Museum during the first few weeks of May. Mid America Exteriors removed the old north facing first story windows and replaced them. The old windows had began to fail in recent times and the new construction is beautiful. The crew worked hard to match the paint of our historical building and if you have not had a chance to come in and see them in person you should.
In addition to replacing the windows a partial wall was added to expand the display space. The main display room is looking bright and welcoming. Complete restoration of the current exhibit is on hold until one window can be replaced. The exhibit is viewable to the public in a temporary configuration while we wait on the new window to be delivered and installed. After that the original exhibit will be rebuilt and the museum will be fully restored.
70 Years Later: Remembering the Udall Tornado
Two separate events were held in May remembering the anniversary of the devastating 1955 tornado that struck Udall, Kansas. The first such event was a Museum Friends event held at Winfield Public Library on Monday the 19th. Despite an apropos tornado watch for the area nearly 70 gathered to participate. JoAnn Parsons, Julie Mignone and others presented and time was given to audience members to share their own memories of the event. Notably Winfield Courier papers from the time were made available for viewing before and after the presentation, and the papers were subsequently donated to the Cowley County Historical Society Museum.
The second event was held in Udall on Saturday the 24th. The Udall Memorial Remembrance event was held at the local community room and was attended by several who carpooled from the museum. Local author , Jim Minick, shared stories and pictures featured in his book Without Warning which details the events of the tornado, then a special memorial time was observed remembering those lost in the event. Those carpooling from CCHSM also visited the Udall Museum prior to the program.
Howdy folks, my name is Dustin Ward, but most people call me Dusty. I am the new office manager at the Cowley County Historical Museum. Now this may seem a little informal but seeing as I am here mostly due to the benevolence of our members, I would like us to be friends, and friends can be a little informal.
I was not born in Kansas, I was born in Lubbock, Texas and from time to time a little of that Texas shows through. My family did move to Winfield early in my upbringing and I think of myself as a native of Winfield. I graduated from Winfield High School in 2002 and went off to Kansas State University. There I really did not know what I was looking towards and after a year returned home.
I was soon married to my high school sweetheart Charlene Porterfield, and I began working for Dillons Grocery Stores. Dillons is probably where most folks would recognize me from, as I was a public facing figure there for nearly two decades. Personal health matters led to my departure from Dillons and after a few adventures I landed happily at Cowley County Historical Society Museum.
I hope to grow engagement with the Museum through social media channels and have had my daughter teach me how to use Instagram as a first step on expanding the museum’s outreach. So, look us up at Cowley County Historical on Instagram, or just watch the Facebook page for the same content, and while you are at it invite a friend to come along.
Dusty Ward CCHSM Office Manager
Walk with Doc
Cowley County Historical Museum hosted the April Downtown Doc Walk. Originally planned as an outdoor event ending at the museum, the walk was relocated to the Winfield Recreation Center due to the inclement weather.
After a welcome by Sarah Johnson, Wm Newton Hospital, Cindy Goertz shared information about the museum and upcoming events and programs. She invited everyone to visit the museum to enjoy the new exhibit which has just recently opened.
The health and fitness talk was given by Becky Reid from Cowley K-State Extension. She then led the participants in some stretching and balance exercises prior to the mile walk around the gym.
Following the walk participants were treated to a selection of healthy snacks provided by the museum. Despite weather conditions, the afternoon was enjoyed by many and reinforced the importance of staying fit.
BOOKS FOR SALE AT THE MUSEUM OR ONLINE:
Celebrate Winfield History Books 2001-2011 $15.00
Celebrate Winfield History Books 2012-2015 $15.00
Celebrate Cowley County History 2016-2024 $15.00
Celebrate Cowley County History 2025 $20.00
Winfield’s Golden Era of Sports $15.00
History of CC KS. The Indians Vol. II $33.00
Southwestern College $21.99
Winfield – Postcard History $21.99
Penrose Hills Albright $10.00
Kansas Mural’s $15.00
Prices include Sales Tax
Shipping/handling is an additional $6.00
To purchase please stop by the museum or check out our website www.cchsm.com.
Credit Cards and PayPal are accepted.
You may also send a check or money order with a list of books to:
CCHSM
1011 Mansfield St, Winfield, KS 67156
CCHSM Board of Directors
Top Row: Jo Chrisman, Chris Jarvis, Graham Donals
Next Rows: John Baker, Jonathan Leeper, Karen Van Young
Lindsey Rice, Sharon Taylor, Juliie Mignone
Front Row: Cindy Goertz and Jody Lawrence
Commemorative Bricks
We partner with Dawson Monument to engrave bricks, which are for sale, and make great memorials and also support the museum. The bricks border the walkway from the parking lot to the front steps. To purchase, forms can be found on the table by the books for sale or call 620-221-4811.
There are three levels of donations: Flat red brick with 2 lines of 12 characters -$75 donation. Flat red brick with 3 lines of 12 characters -$100 donation.
A contrasting brick with 12 characters-$500 donation.
Fewer letters may be used if you wish.
Established in 1931 and revitalized in 1967 with a relocation to our current home on Mansfield Street in the historic Bryant School building, the Cowley County Historical Society is dedicated to safeguarding and sharing the vibrant stories of our county’s past.
We are committed to fostering and promoting endeavors that celebrate local history. We take pride in our extensive archive of historical documents and treasured photographic memories.
Come visit and see what’s new (or old) at the museum!
All donations, both monetary and historical artifacts, are greatly appreciated. Our building is over 140 years old and requires significant ongoing maintenance in addition to operating costs. We continue to be a no fee museum and we have no plans to change that.
Your continued support will allow us to best serve the community.
We are especially seeking anything from diverse ethnic groups to add to our displays.
Coming Events
June 7th— Fairy Tale Tea
June 15th — Farmyard Olympics at Island Park
July 12th — Sunflower Summer
September 7th — “Pickin” and Pie at the Pub at Ladybird Brewing