The Prairie Museum of Art and History is home to 6 historic buildings.
The Lone Star Church is a former Presbyterian church. It was originally located 13 miles north of Gem, KS. The church was founded by Danish settlers who built the church in 1915. The church was named by Lincoln Allen, a church leader, who saw the church as a “bright and shining light all alone on the prairie”.
The Sod House was built by museum volunteers in 1984. It is designed in the style of sod houses found across the High Plains in the late 19th century. A scarcity of trees and the expense of hauling lumber made sod houses a popular choice for homesteaders on the High Plains. A well-built sod house could last 20-50 years.
The Nicol School was originally located in Wendall Township, Thomas County, KS. It was one of 94 one-room schoolhouses that once stood in the county. Nicol School operated between 1887 and 1931. It was donated to the Prairie Museum in the 1980’s.
The Eller House was built in 1903 in Colby, KS by Leonard Keeler, a Presbyterian minister. John and Ida Eller bought the home in 1906. It was moved to a farm south of town in 1919. The Eller House was donated to the museum by two of the Eller Children, Doris and Eunice. The house was moved to the Prairie Museum in 1981. Today, it helps tell the story of life on a homestead in the 1930’s.
The Cooper Barn is the largest barn in Kansas. It measures 66 feet wide, 114 feet long, and 48 feet tall. It was originally located in Breton, KS on Foster Farms. Prize winning Hereford cattle once called the barn home. In 1992, the barn was moved in one piece, 16 miles to the Prairie Museum.
The Vacin- Tubbs Barn was built in Levant, KS in 1916. For a short time, it served as a home for the Tubbs family while their house was being built. Frank Vacin bought the barn in 1963. It was donated to the Prairie Museum in 1985.
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