Mennonite Heritage Museum
Mennonite Heritage Museum
Location: East edge of Goessel
Contact: 620.367.8200
Fee: Yes
Photos Copyright Harland J. Schuster. Please do not use without permission.
Imagine
Kansas without the golden waves of ripe wheat. Prior to the
coming of the Mennonite immigrants only spring wheat, a less hardy variety of
the crop, was grown in Kansas. It was the Mennonites, a persecuted
religious minority from Europe, who brought the now familiar winter wheat to
Kansas. Winter wheat is planted in the fall and goes dormant during the
winter months. When the soil warms again in the spring, this wheat begins
to grow again, ripening in June and July. In contrast, spring wheat is
planted in the spring of the year, and is less well suited to the climate of
Kansas.
The
story of the Mennonites is the story of a people who managed not
only to survive religious persecution, but thrive in spite of it.
Originating in Germany, the group was persecuted mainly due to their pacifist
beliefs. None the less, a large group of Mennonites was persuaded to
immigrate to Russia by then ruler Catherine The Great. Russia, though
blessed with a favorable climate and good soils, needed good farmers. And
the Mennonites were good farmers. Winter wheat was native to the
region around the Black Sea in Russia where many of the Mennonites settled.
Soon, they grew abundant grain from the crop. When Catherine The Great
died, another ruler came to power in Russia, and once again, the persecution of
the Mennonites began. It was at about this time that half-way around the
world, the settlement of the new state of Kansas was underway. Invited by
the Santa Fe Railroad to come to Kansas, the Mennonites accepted the opportunity
to live in freedom in the New World....in Kansas. The first years would be
hard. They were allowed to bring only the most basic possessions with them
to Kansas. The first winter was spent in quickly erected structures
provided by the railroad--really no more than tar paper shacks. Perhaps
most importantly for the future of the Mennonites--and for the future of
Kansas--the new immigrants brought with them a supply of Turkey Red seed wheat.
It was carried across the ocean, and across half a continent, from the Old World
to the New World, in simple wooden wooden boxes, like the one pictured, called "Foda
Boxes".
A
wheat threshing stone is one of many items on display at the
"Wheat Palace" building of the museum complex. The Mennonites used the
stone to thresh their wheat before the coming of the mechanical threshing
machine, and much later, the modern combine.
Other
vintage farm equipment is on display here, as well as various
items related to the pioneer life in central Kansas.
A
full scale replica of the Liberty Bell was constructed entirely
from Turkey Red Wheat for the United States Bicentennial in 1976 to
represent the Mennonite contribution to US agriculture. It was displayed
for a time in the Smithsonian Institution before returning to Goessel for
permanent exhibition. The attention to detail is fantastic--right down to
the lettering around the top of the bell--and represents many hours of careful
labor by the whole community.
Also
displayed on the museum grounds are various historical
structures. One building of note is the simple barn in the foreground.
For many of the Mennonites, after spending the winter in Kansas in one of the
shelters provided by the Santa Fe Railroad, a barn--not a house--would be the
first building constructed on the farmstead. The family would live in the
barn until time and money permitted building a house. Although this may
sound primitive, it was ultimately practical, and the living quarters in the
barn on display are comparable to farm houses of the day.