Member Spotlight – McPherson Museum
Looking for some McPherson history or Kansas artifacts? Look no further than the McPherson Museum & Arts Foundation, located at 1111 East Kansas.
At the McPherson Museum you will find a wide range of collections. In their Natural History collection, you’ll see Ice Age fossils, crystals, prehistoric fossils, meteorites, and more. Also on display are lithographs and paintings of artist Birger Sandzén and historical paintings from various artists.
If you‘re into sports history and memorabilia then there’s a display at the Museum that will DEFINITELY be of interest to you. It’s the Globe Refiners Basketball Team exhibit. The McPherson Globe Refiners, which started as a town team in 1933, were a part of the history made in 1936 at the Berlin, Germany Olympics. This was the first year that basketball was an official medal sport. The Globe Refiners, who contributed six members to the Olympic team, were the first ever to win the Olympic gold medal in the sport. (And those guys were TALL!!) In addition to that exhibit, the Museum also has a display of McPherson Sports History. It’s no wonder that basketball has had a long-lasting tradition in McPherson, one to be very proud of!
A real popular display at the Museum is the Model Train Exhibit. It includes detailed model trains curated by Mid Kansas Model Railroaders. Seeing it in action is something else, as it weaves through the streets and goes by buildings in the scene which comprises this very unique exhibit. If you are a car buff and have not had a chance to visit the McPherson Museum, you’re missing out! On display until March is the Cars of Germany exhibit. It features German manufacturers in association with the McPherson College Automotive Restoration Program. And another recent addition to the McPherson Museum exhibits features the band – King Midas and The Muflers. A display that celebrates a great band of area talent that have a great sound.
Tyler Glidden, Executive Director of the McPherson Museum, also announced that the Museum would be getting a new exhibit soon. He said, “The other thing coming up this summer will be the biggest project we’ve had here since I’ve been here to date and it should open, I don’t have a date yet, but in June or July. It’s going to be an exhibit featuring Quivira and the people who lived here during the early days. Dr. Blakesley, who just retired from Wichita State, is curating that exhibit for us.” Tyler added, “It’s going to be a real nice project by the time we’re done. It’ll be a great attraction of the City of McPherson, and I hope you all will come back and check that out.”
The McPherson Museum houses an eclectic collection of artifacts, fossils, art, a really fun model train exhibit (the train even whistles!), and much more. The hours at the McPherson Museum are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. And guess what! Admission is free! It’s a neat outing for the family and great opportunity to learn while you’re taking in all the history that surrounds you at the McPherson Museum! For more information about the McPherson Museum visit their website at mcphersonmuseum.com or check out their Facebook page for updates on exhibits and what all they have happening. Check out these photos from Chamber Connections hosted by the McPherson Museum and get a preview of some of the exhibits you’ll see when you visit!
