BY MELISSA NECH

news@gbtribune.com

Members of the Hoisington Historical Museum shared a brief history of the museum and invited Labor Day celebrants to come to visit the Museum over Labor Day weekend. The museum hosted the Hoisington Chamber of Commerce coffee Thursday morning at the chamber office.

The facility will be open Saturday, Sept. 3, and will host a watermelon feed from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4,

Kenny Eves, president of the group, welcomed everyone to the coffee and to visit the museum. While the museum is usually available via phone for an appointments, it will be open the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Labor Day weekend for walk-in visitors. The hours are: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 1-4 p.m. Sunday with a watermelon feed; and from after the parade to 3 p.m. Monday. 

The museum, located on the corner of Walnut and Second streets, will have a new sign installed by the big weekend, “We are having have B & B Metal Arts of Hoisington make it for us, “ Eves said. 

New items are donated often to the museum. Museum officer Karla Berry recently cataloged a Hoisington souvenir cup and saucers from the collection of Cynthia Schoeppel. ” I had not seen this image of Lake Barton before,” she said. Also pictured are images of the old Hoisington High School and the YMCA buildings.

An ongoing project is research on the buildings downtown. “We are doing a history of what has been in the buildings over the years. If anyone has any pictures or knows of any, please get a hold of us or drop by the museum over Labor Day weekend,” Eves said.

The museum is maintained through volunteer time and efforts and annual membership dues. The house was donated by Jim Betz in 1995. 

Also on the property is an old barn. According to member Lon Palmer, the barn is thought to be the oldest urban barn in Kansas still standing.

More research is needed to confirm that. The floor of the barn is covered with recycled street pavers from Hoisington laid by the late Harold Larson, a very active supporter of the museum.