Not long ago, my husband and I decided we needed a break in our routine, so we took a day to go to the Johnson County Museum in Overland Park, Kansas. My husband had wanted to see the 1950s all-electric house that is part of the museum for a long time, and we finally made it.
The museum’s historical exhibits begin with a history of the area, from the indigenous peoples through settlement of early Johnson County through the Civil War and beyond. I knew something of the early history because of my research into the Oregon Trail, which passed through what is now Johnson County, Kansas. And I knew a little bit about the viciousness of the Civil War era between pro- and anti-slavery factions, in part because of a writer friend’s book, The Jayhawker (by Norm Ledgin).
But I didn’t know about the post-Civil War development of the area, nor its contributions to the war effort during World War II. The Sunflower Army Munitions Plant displaced residents of Kansas, just like the Manhattan Project displaced people in the Hanford area of Washington State where I grew up.
Of course, the principal attraction of the museum was the 1950s house. We went to the museum on a weekday, and our fellow museum patrons were a lot of other retired people (and one poor woman with three cranky kids). All of us older folks oohed and aahed and said “Remember when . . . ?” as we walked through every room.
I was a young child in the late 1950s, but my parents built a new all-electric house in 1962, not long after when the museum’s house was built. So many of the items in the home looked familiar to me. The wood paneling. The tile counter in the bathroom. The Formica counter in the kitchen.
My family had a playpen just like the one set up in the living room. And the little tricycle in the yard was just like my brother’s, except his was red. (I had a bigger trike.)
My husband had a similar reaction to other items on display.
After this trip down memory lane, we went to Mr. Gyro’s for lunch. Chicken pita sandwiches and baklava are not historical Kansas fare, but they tasted pretty good.
So much for our day away from routine. Now we are looking for another local attraction. I have a few in mind.
What attractions have you visited recently in your area?
