* Museum *

* History *

* Photo Gallery *

* Ongoing Projects *

The Museum

The Fort Wallace Museum is maintained solely through the efforts of the Fort Wallace Memorial Association and countless people who have selflessly volunteered their time and talents to help us continually add to and improve our museum.  You can read the history of the Fort Wallace Memorial Association here.

The Fort Wallace Memorial Association currently owns five  separate buildings on the grounds of the main museum.  The main museum is housed in a recently renovated limestone building with large glass windows in the front.  Here is where the majority of our smaller displays are housed.  Museum Page

 

The Pond Creek Stage Station is located just to the west of the Main Museum.  The Pond Creek Station was originally located approximately one mile southwest of where it stands today.  Once a "home" or eating station for the Butterfield Overland Despatch (BOD), the Pond Creek Station was later moved to where it now sits.  Fort Wallace had its first beginnings as Camp Pond Creek, and was created for the purpose of guarding and protecting the people and packages that traveled the BOD.  Pond Creek Page

 

This  addition to the museum complex was completed in 2003. Named the Sunderland-Poe building, this red metal outbuilding houses the largest of the museum exhibits, including two restored Conestoga Wagons, several sleighs and buggies, and countless farm implements and machinery.  This building also houses our most unique exhibits--entire animals and scenes made entirely out of barbwire.  Sutherland Poe Page

 

This building was once the most important building in the county and now is only used for storage.  This  limestone house was once the Section House for this part of the Railroad.  However, when the division point and roundhouse were moved to Sharon Springs, the Section House fell into disuse.  In the Summer of 2002 when the main museum building was undergoing renovation, all our artifacts were relocated to the Section House which was then used as a temporary museum.

Wallace got its first start as a town largely due to the railroad. Although the depot original to Wallace burned down years ago, the Fort Wallace Museum has been lucky enough to acquire the Weskan Depot. Sitting on the museum grounds, this building holds the majority of our exhibits concerning the railroad.

Bethany Lutheran Church was originally located in the Stockholm Community.  Eventually the Church was moved to Weskan, Kansas. In 2014, the Church was moved to the Museum Grounds. On Sunday, April 19, 2015, 100 people gathered from as far away as Oregon to celebrate the new service of this 1888 structure originally located in the Swedish colony of Stockholm south of Weskan The facility is open to public and private events. Bethany Church Page

The Association is pleased to announce the donation of another major collection - Richard “Dick” Rhea of Sharon Springs has donated the Rhea Antique Pump Organ Collection to our Museum! We are excited to bring another dimension to the Fort Wallace Museum and are so grateful to the entire Rhea family for the product of nearly 30 years of Dick’s treasured hobby. The Pump Organ Collection was housed in the Sharon Springs Main Street building since 2003. Rhrea antique pump organs