The Kansas City Kansas museum displays artifacts and holiday decorations from the local immigrant cultures.By Sylvia Maria Gross
Kansas City, MO – The front porch at the Strawberry Hill Ethnic Museum and Cultural Center overlooks I-70, the Kansas River, and further off, Kansas City Missouri's downtown. It's a Victorian house in Kansas City Kansas, built in the 19th century for Wyandotte County lawyer John Scroggs. The building became St. John's orphanage in 1919, and until 1958, it was in the middle of a thriving immigrant neighborhood - mostly of Eastern European families. In 1958, half of the neighborhood was demolished to make way for the construction of the I-70 highway. Some families scattered, but a few maintained the ethnic traditions in Strawberry Hill. Francie Sachen is a descendent of Croatian immigrants to Kansas City Kansas. She's now tour director at the museum and took KCUR's Sylvia Maria Gross through the holiday displays.
The Christmas exhibits at the Strawberry Hill Ethnic Museum and Cultural Center are open every weekend until January 21. The Tea Room is open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 pm.