Old Cowtown Museum wants to recreate one of Wichita’s early business buildings to store and display its “rolling stock” of wagons, buggies and buckboards.
The museum currently uses a dilapidated brick building for storing those vehicles. Plans call for building a structure modeled on the Wichita Carriage Works, which was founded in 1885. That business was located on North Water Street and owned by M.A. McKenzie. Old Cowtown already includes two homes owned by the McKenzie family.
Brad Rice, president of the museum’s board of trustees, said the board is launching a campaign to raise the rest of the $200,000 needed for the project. A single donation of $50,000 and several other sizeable contributions have been given.
Rice called Old Cowtown “a huge part of our history and our future” and “the only 1870’s authentic living history museum that lets you immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and activities common to an old west cattle town” in a letter to potential donors. He can bre reached at 316-218-7730 or at bradr@coonrod.com.
