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Museums at Whitewater

Name: Museums at Whitewater
Address: 119 South Main Street, Whitewater, KS, 67154, US
Telephone: +13165582896

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Museums at Whitewater

This page will provide information about three museums in Whitewater, Kansas:
Whitewater Photo Museum, 1911 City Jail, and the Museum of Walk-Behind Tractors

The Whitewater Photo Museum is a collection of photos and artifacts from the City of Whitewater. Early street scenes, places of business, schools, churches, and houses are all represented from the early 1900s to the present. The 1911 City Jail is a poured concrete structure of three rooms. All of the iron work is original. The jail was restored in 2012 with period furnishings. The Museum of Walk-B

ehind Tractors shows a generous cross section of commercial tractors that were available from the 1920s through the early 1980s. These are the tractors which, literally, replaced the horse. Hear stories of the men who designed them, histories of the companies which built them, and reasons or causes which eventually terminated them. Listen to the sound of the engines, see how the tractor functions, and, perhaps, feel how the tractor operates. There is no fee for viewing these Museums. Hours are flexible. Appointments must be made in advance.

05/21/2026

Kansas Highway 196

Kansas Highway 196 was recognized as a Kansas State Highway on March 29, 1937, and was established June 7, 1937, by resolution of the Highway Commission. The twenty-eight-and-a-half-mile road connected US 81, six miles south of Newton, with US 54/US 77 in El Dorado. In 1976, the west end of the road terminated one-half mile east of US 81 at Interstate 35W, later I135. In 1994, the east terminus was changed from downtown El Dorado to the junction of K196 and K254 west of El Dorado.

The early road was not hard-surfaced. It was generally considered to be an all-weather road with gravel or crushed limestone rock. The rock bed was covered with heavy oil to reduce water pe*******on and limit dust. This type of road surface could be maintained or graded as necessary and re-oiled as required.

Although there has been some speculation as to the original route, it actually varied little from the current roadway. The road across eastern Harvey County was exactly as we know it currently. One mile east of Whitewater, the old 196 continued straight east on what is now Butler County’s NW 90, past Re*****on High School, and to the large curve at Re*****on Road. Around the curve, it proceeded south one mile. Immediately north of the Missouri Pacific RR, the road turned east with another exaggerated curve, continuing past the Potwin Cemetery on the north edge of Potwin. Traffic could have turned south through Potwin or continued east to River Valley and then south. From the south edge of Potwin, the original road followed the curve of the Missouri Pacific tracks east and south to El Dorado, much as it does today.

An April 10, 1946, resolution re-routed the highway to stay south of the Missouri Pacific tracks beginning at a point one mile east of Whitewater (Butler Road) whereby the road angled southeast to eventually circumvent Potwin on the south side, meeting the original road at that point and continuing toward El Dorado.

The early K196 passed through Oil Hill and entered El Dorado from the north. A resolution on May 19, 1953, relocated the highway to the southwest so that it flowed into El Dorado from the west.

Bridges were built along the improved K196 route by the end of the 1940s decade and asphalt pavement was completed in 1950.

04/19/2026

The Page House
John Engle Page was born June 27, 1880, in Morgan County, Missouri. He moved to Whitewater, Kansas between 1900 and 1904. John married Letitia Smith in May of 1904. (Information of the local Smith family can be found in a Museums of Whitewater post from November 2025.) John and Letitia had six children, half of which lived to adulthood. The Page family lived in a large house on the southwest corner of C Street and Third, now Elm and Topeka. John operated a grocery store from 1906-1908. Letitia managed a rooming house in their residence. They moved to Missouri in 1910 but returned to Whitewater and their previous residence in January 1917. Letitia died one month later. John married Frances Root in January 1920 and continued operating the rooming house in Whitewater. John and Francis both died in 1960, he in April and she in June.

The only surviving daughter of John and Letitia, Mildred Page Walling, inherited 160 acres of Smith land, with farmstead, in 1932. This was a mile west of Whitewater along Highway 196, immediately northwest of the Whitewater Cemetery. In January 1963, the large house in Whitewater was moved to Mildred’s farm. The house was used primarily as storage for Mildred’s antiques and collections. Mildred was widowed in 1976. She died in 1999.

Forty acres, including the original farmstead, were sold in 1999. The large house was moved from the K196 address to a location 1/8 mile north of K196 on Harvest Hill Road, to the northeast corner of the forty acres. Remodeling was undertaken and a new homestead was established. The property was sold again a few years later. Continued improvements made it the comfortable and attractive homestead it is today.

03/21/2026

City Park Proposal

In 1912, a committee of Whitewater businessmen proposed a City Park to the City Council. The committee had been previously designated at a meeting of thirty-five citizens and tasked with six responsibilities: 1) Select a location; 2) Determine a price and terms of payment; 3) Outline the legal proceedings of purchase by the City; 4) Specify that half of the park would be baseball field and half to be shade, walks, lawns, and ornamental purposes; 5) Select a location that would be visible to those coming in and going from the city; 6) “To make a full report with recommendations to the mayor and council within a reasonable length of time.”

The committee consisted of Peter Hershey, Chairman; Fred Breising, Arthur Penner, M.M. Bishop, and L.M. Pace. The minutes of the above meeting were reported in the April 4, 1912 edition of The Independent.

On April 18, 1912, The Independent reported that the “City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday evening submitting to the voters a proposition to purchase a city park.” The park was to be on the north edge of Whitewater consisting of two and one-half Blocks, more or less. By legal description, it was Blocks 1, 4, & 5 of the S.R. Neiman Addition. By current identification, the property was bounded by 5th Street on the north and 4th Street on the south; Walnut Lane on the east and the gravel section of Main Street, parallel to the railroad, on the west. The size of this plot of land was six acres, or 51 city lots, and was negotiated to a total of $1200.

For years, already, Fred Breising had planted hundreds of trees in Whitewater including the School block. Landscaping the park would be a rather small expense. And in 1912, there was no need to purchase a Kubota tractor to maintain the ball field. The State Forrester was summoned and he declared the park location to be well adapted for the growth of trees.

The ballot was prepared and the polling site was set at the H.M. Nolder building, Lot 28, Block 4 of Whitewater (the SE corner of Main & Central). The date and time for voting was April 30, 1912; eight o’clock A.M. to six o’clock P.M.

A tremendous amount of work had been accomplished in a very short amount of time.

The City Park proposal failed by a count of 109 to 142.

02/21/2026

Whitewater High School Senior Trips

One of the most unique legacies to occur in Whitewater is that of the High School Senior trips. They were specific events with long-lasting impact. Far more than singular memories, these trips, even unconsciously, provided direction for a lifetime.

Beginning in 1934, trips were initiated to provide validation to the years of classroom work already completed. The graduating Seniors were able to see sites, structures, and scenes of historical and natural significance, providing substance to the words and pictures on a page.

By studying these trips, one can recognize a delicate, intentional balance of educational value and entertaining reward woven into each excursion. But more importantly, without being choreographed, these young adults were confronted with an opportunity to learn the benefits of responsible choices, the consequences of actions or conditions, the advantage of positive relationships, and the profit from guarding one’s character.

These annual trips were enthusiastically anticipated over a period of twenty-nine years. Most of the trips required three weeks to complete. The transportation was by common school bus, of which there is little appeal. The logistics of such a trip were astounding and required months of dedicated preparation from the students. Fund raising was a four-year accomplishment. The trips demonstrated cooperation of Administration, faculty, parents, and community.

Following several years of acquiring information and photos of these trips, a presentation was initially given in 2023 to the Frederic Re*****on Area Historical Society. Additional presentations were well received including one to the Whitewater High School Reunion in August of 2025.

As a result of the interest in these trips, The Whitewater High School Senior Trips, 1934-1962 has been published. The book contains 327 pages of school history, trip reports, itineraries, instructions, newspaper clippings, formal photos, and scrapbook pictures. The book, in paperback or hard cover, is available locally at the Whitewater Memorial Library or the Whitewater Photo Museum. It can also be purchased on Amazon by searching Amazon Darryl Claassen books.

01/20/2026

With Assistance

Frederick Breising came to Whitewater in 1888 when nobody knew for sure that Whitewater would even be a town. He was 38 years of age when he arrived. He started the City Meat Market that same year. Frederick married Mary Bushkovski in 1889. Fred (Butch), their only son of four children, was born in 1895. Butch married Hazel Thompson in 1924 and had two children. He took over the Meat Market in 1935 and eventually added a full grocery line. The groceries required more space than the meat market building could offer so Butch’s business was moved to the Penner building – the same building more recently remembered as “Klassen Grocery”, “Kevin’s Grocery”, or Brian Johnson’s “Whitewater Grocery”. Butch’s daughter, Vivian, married and had a daughter, Kim.

One day in 2012, a lady walked into the Whitewater Photo Museum, introduced herself as Kim Fields and added that her ancestors were the Breising family. Over the next couple years, her family connection to Whitewater helped build an acquaintance through the common interest in Whitewater area history. Our paths crossed a few times at various events. One of those was an author presentation at the Newton Library about some historic Harvey County happenings. People were milling around the room after the presentation when Kim approached to greet me. Without the benefit of small talk, I asked, “So, when are we going to write a book?”

The subject was broached again at another meeting soon after when she responded to my question with, “Are you serious?”

“I think so!”

“Well, I can help find material.”

A plan developed for a history of Whitewater using a telling of the beginning of the Town written in 1935 by Ed Neal. With that as the backbone, Whitewater’s history was brought current with the aid of 350 images from the Whitewater Photo Museum. The book became 'A Picture of a Small Town' published in 2015 to help mark 125 years of Whitewater. The extended result is a cooperation which has produced several books, presentations, and dozens of articles of history proximal to Whitewater. Hence, the presence of her name on the major works.

Kim’s ability to locate and identify pertinent detail has been invaluable to the endeavor. That skill is surpassed only by her constant encouragement and friendship.

12/19/2025

It is a privilege to introduce Mr. Walter Woods. He came to Whitewater as a school Superintendent in 1933 with new thoughts toward education and educating. He introduced a significant trip into the curriculum to give the graduating class an opportunity to validate and visualize the facts and theories put to them in the classroom.

Walter Glen Woods was born March 17, 1903 near Walton, Kansas. He graduated from Newton, Kansas, High School in the Spring of 1921. Walter then went on to four years at Fairmount College, later known as Wichita State University, where he excelled in basketball. Upon graduation in 1925, he was hired by Leon, Kansas, High School as a teacher and coach. Walter married Cuma Tabing in August of 1927. She was from Leon and had also attended Fairmount College. Walter became the Superintendent of Leon Schools in the Fall of 1927, a position he held until 1933.

For the next six years, Walter served as Superintendent of Whitewater Schools. He immediately began formulating a concept that would give substance to classroom work and a framework for transitioning to post-school livelihood. The result was a bus trip designed for the attention of a high school senior with an ideal balance of educational and entertainment value. It created an experience each participant would carry for a lifetime.

This concept is known locally as the Whitewater High School Senior Trip. The trips, commencing in 1934, were recognized as one of the earliest models in the Nation. The annual trips from Whitewater, covering a span of 29 years, took the Seniors to the four corners of the continental United States; Atlantic to Pacific; Canada to Mexico. Most trips were three weeks in length with directional destinations as determined by the class and Administration. High schools across the Country attempted to mimic the trips but without the comprehensive success experienced in Whitewater. (A book will be released early 2026 on The Whitewater High School Senior Trips.)

Walter left Whitewater in 1940 to become Superintendent of the Kansas State Boys Industrial School in Topeka. It is unclear how long he held that position, possibly until his retirement.

Meanwhile, his ideas of an expanded high school education continued in Whitewater for another twenty-two years.

“Of course, we realize that we would never have made this trip but for the untiring work of Mr. Woods. Words are indeed a poor way to show appreciation for such a long and worthwhile trip. We were really in school all the time we were gone. We were disciplined just as we were in school, only we spent every hour of the day enthusiastically studying to learn more about each place we visited. So, the senior class does owe a huge vote of thanks to “Woody” for taking us on this trip.” Quote from Roberta Barker, Class of 1939

11/22/2025

A Pair of Boots

William Bryant Smith was born in Pennsylvania during the year of 1839. He moved to Harvey County in 1880 at the age of 41. William met Hattie Mae Parks and they were married February 22, 1881, in Harvey County and homesteaded in Richland Township. They had two children, Benjamin and Letitia, prior to their divorce in 1885. (Hattie’s parents had homesteaded in Richland Township in 1870.)

Benjamin married Pearl Fox in 1905. Four of six children lived to adulthood. Two lived in the Whitewater area - Leo Milton Smith and wife, Ruth, had two sons, Glen and Leo Neal; Lillian Smith married Ray Cave and had three daughters, Carolyn, Marilyn, and Sue Ellen.

Letitia married John Page in Whitewater in 1904. Their daughter, Mildred, married Von Walling in 1932, on her 18th birthday.

This information gives some structure to whom we are talking about but nothing, yet, about the boots.

In 2014, Sue Ellen brought a beautiful pair of men’s boots to the Whitewater Photo Museum. (The Museum started in 2010 as a museum of Whitewater photos but soon included artifacts of local history.) She explained that these were custom, hand-made boots for William Bryant Smith for the occasion of his wedding in 1881.
Family lore suggested that the boots were made by B.P. Parks, father of the bride elect of William, as Mr. Parks was a shoemaker. (It may be of interest that William Bryant was also noted as a shoemaker in 1863 while still living in Pennsylvania.)

The impeccable condition of the boots attracts the initial attention of the viewer. They are obviously quality built by a skilled craftsman with the highest grade of leather. The next distinctive feature is the size of the boots. They appear to be much too small for an adult as the size is possibly equivalent to the modern size 6 of a boy’s shoe. The length of the sole is 9 ½” with a one-inch heel. The tops are 14” high. The leather is amazingly soft and pliable. Left and right boots are nearly indistinguishable yet noticeable on closer inspection. The soles are barely marked from wear. The cut of the boots is described as a “glove fit”. Because boot inner-structure had not yet evolved to what we are now familiar with, the snug fit would maintain the shape of the boots. Applying glove-fit boots can be a serious battle in the best of conditions but the struggle is multiplied should the leather get wet. Vulcanized rubber overshoes were not widely used until Charles Goodyear made them more practical about 1890.

The boots were placed on display in the Museum without any cleaning and were labeled as being made by Mr. Parks.

During this year, 2025, an article from the Newton Journal newspaper of July 21, 1916 was brought to our attention. The clipping states that one, Phil Marti, and family paid a visit to Bryant Smith near Whitewater for the day. At some point, Bryant [William Bryant] brought out a pair of boots which Mr. Marti recognized as ones he had made. The elapsed time since making the boots was 36 years.

Phil Marti? He shows up in Newton in 1874 turning out boots for the cowboys. He purchased a shoe repair business in 1915 which was located in the back of the Kansas State Bank building at 106 East 6th. He apparently soon relocated to 219 Main Street in Newton. The business was sold to P.G. Matthias at the end of 1919. Mr. Marti announced that he intended to leave Newton quite soon in the interest of Mrs. Marti’s health.

The 1916 newspaper article presents a significant argument in favor of Phil Marti being the craftsman of this marvelous pair of boots. This story might make one wonder which bootmaker today will find his boots in such good shape in 145 years!?

10/20/2025

Robert Farr, an early encourager of Whitewater

Robert H. Farr was a major contributor to the Town of Whitewater. He came to Whitewater in February of 1899 to discuss the possibility of a flour mill with local grain dealers. E.T. Burns, perhaps the grain dealer with the largest volume, joined with Mr. Farr to open a mill before the end of 1899. The mill produced more than 200 barrels of flour per day in 1902. That product volume was doubled by 1915. (A dry measure barrel contains 3 1/3 bushels. By comparison, a barrel of oil was established as a unit of measure in 1872 as 42 gallons or 300 pounds of crude oil.) Mr. Farr sold the business in 1918.

Mr. Farr was elected Treasurer for the Whitewater Local Telephone Company in August, 1903. This was the organizational company that brought the first telephone service to Whitewater that same year.

In 1907, Mr. Farr was instrumental in organizing the People’s State Bank in Whitewater. It opened for business in July of 1908 and continued until a merger with the Bank of Whitewater in September of 1928.

Very early in the flour mill’s operation, the business installed their own electricity generator. The capacity of this private generator was increased over time so that electricity was offered to the town in 1913 from the mill’s generator. The Whitewater light plant was sold to Kansas Gas & Electric Company of Wichita in February 1917.

Mr. Farr built a house on “C” Street [Elm] in the early 1900s. The materials for the house were delivered to Whitewater by rail and hauled by horse-dray to the building site. The Farr house was purchased by Arthur and Marion Nigg in the 1940s - thus is still remembered by some as “Mrs. Nigg’s house”. Mr. & Mrs. Nigg were both involved in the business of the Bank of Whitewater.

08/24/2025

Whitewater or White Water?

07/20/2025

Hitching Posts and Sidewalks

Segments of the early infrastructure, so important in the commencement of our towns, are now often forgotten or taken for granted. Hitching posts or rails and sidewalks fall into those categories. Photos and newspaper clippings can best tell the stories so follow along as we observe the evolutions in the early town of Whitewater.

06/20/2025

The Swiss church building model

A group of Swiss people arrived in 1881 to settle in the area later to be known as Whitewater. A second group came in 1883. Family names which are still recognized locally include Zuercher, Wuthrich, Mosiman, Thierstein, Roth. The Swiss people met with the German/Prussian folk who had already established the Emmaus church. Being of similar teaching and tradition was sufficient for the two groups to establish a foundation of fellowship. However, the differences in native language was not conducive to total comfort. In 1885, the Swiss families chose to separate and organize their own church group – thence, the Swiss church.

For a time, they met in houses and then the Ayers one-room school building (later named Pleasant Hill). In 1888, the Swiss group obtained a plot of land from one of the members for the location of a building and cemetery. The building was completed in 1893. The building site was on the north side of the current Swiss cemetery, one mile north of Whitewater. This building was used by the church group until 1953.

In 1944, Jake and Mary Hiebert moved from the Lehigh/Goessel area to a farm a couple miles south of Whitewater. Jake supplemented the farm income with carpentry, construction, and house moving. Jake and Mary lived on the farm until 1961 when he built a house on north Locust and moved to Whitewater. Jake and Mary were a part of Swiss. Jake died in 2004 at the age of 91.

1985 was the centennial of the Swiss church existence. For the occasion, Jake Hiebert built a model of that first Swiss church building. The actual scale of the model is possibly one inch to the foot as the dimensions are 52 inches long, 25 inches wide, and 28 inches tall. The interior is complete with miniature, hand made furniture of chairs, piano, pulpit, wood-burning stove, and ceiling lights. The cloak rooms are complete with benches and coat hooks. All the passage doors are hung on hinges. The windows, siding, and shingles are all vintage replica. It is an amazing work of art!

The model is currently on display in the Whitewater Photo Museum. Anyone interested in small-town history, fine carpentry, model making, early church and school buildings, or three-dimensional art would appreciate seeing this work.

The Museum is open by appointment. Contact information can be found on this Facebook site.

Address

119 South Main Street
Whitewater, KS
67154

Telephone

+13165582896

Website

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