Period Interiors

Old Cowtown Museum’s historic buildings are furnished with artifacts that reflect life on the Great Plains from the latter part of the 19th century. It was the time of great buffalo hunts, cattle drives and cowboys, and settlers who made their way from the East to begin new lives on the frontier.

Some of the exhibits portray the lifestyles of families of varying means. Compare the plain and slightly mismatched furnishings of the dining room in the Munger cabin to the elegant table set with Flow Blue china and the sideboard bearing a silver tea service in the Murdock residence. Other exhibits hold products for sale such the mysterious herbs and minerals of the apothecary’s trade, or coffins to carry loved ones into the heavenly hereafter. Many exhibits showcase businesses that provided services ranging from a relaxing shave in the barber’s chair at Bath House to a refreshing drink before the walnut back bar in Schnitzler’s Saloon. Vintage presses and paraphernalia in the newspaper office enabled Colonel Marsh Murdock to get out the weekly edition of the Wichita City Eagle.