Because neither the Coutts Museum nor the Oil Museum is open on Sundays we will be going Saturday, July 19, instead of the 3rd Sunday of the month, which is the usual date for meetings.

The plan is to meet as a group in the parking lot south of President Greg Kite’s law office, 230 North Market, at 9 a.m. We will depart at 9:15 a.m. and drive to El Dorado, arriving at the Butler County Courthouse, 205 West Central, around 10 a.m. You are welcome to simply meet us there if you prefer.

Although the courthouse is usually closed on Saturdays, special arrangements have been made through the County Administrator, William Johnson, for it to be open and for a guided tour to be given. We will have about one hour to spend there, from 10 - 11 a.m.

This Richardsonian Romanesque-style courthouse was built in 1909 at a cost of $100,000 and will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2009.

George P. Washburn, one of the best known 19th century Kansas architects, designed this structure to be the most dominant building in the community. It is known for its solid rusticated stonework, massive proportions, pointed dormers, round arches, towers and turrets, terrazzo floors and statue of the Goddess of Justice on top.

The first woman jury in Kansas met there in 1912. This building has continually operated as a county government facility and courthouse. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Located on the lawn directly in front of this historic courthouse is the Celebration of Freedom Memorial. It features a brick path memorial honoring over 900 veterans, current members of the U.S. armed forces and those who served on the home front. The centerpiece of the memorial, a 6½ foot tall bronze eagle, "Sovereign Wings," rests majestically on top of a large limestone and brick base. A second memorial walk features the Statue of Liberty and our flag.

Leaving at 11 a.m., we will walk/drive to the Missouri-Pacific Railroad Depot, 340 North Main, (approximately 3½ blocks). Like the courthouse, special arrangements have been made for the depot to be open. We will have nearly one half hour to spend there, from 11 - 11:30 a.m.

The Missouri-Pacific Depot began as a wooden structure in 1883 in a town of less than 2,000 people. It served as a center of activity and development for the community. News arrived by train or was received by telegraph located in the depot. Both freight and passengers passed through the station. With the discovery of oil in 1915, the population soared, and there became a need for a larger depot. On Jan. 29, 1918, workmen moved the old wooden depot about 150 feet to the east to allow for excavation of the new brick structure. This Mission/Spanish Revival-style depot was designed by E.M. Tucker, chief engineer for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad Company. President Theodore Roosevelt stopped at this depot during his visit to El Dorado.

With the cessation of its use in the 1950s, the depot fell into disrepair, and there was talk of tearing it down. In January 1992, however, the Friends of the Depot group was formed to restore the building, then owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. The renovation was completed, and the depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The grounds are now adorned by beautiful sculptures, Statue of Liberty monument and American Legion monument. The El Dorado Main Street Office and public meeting facilities are now housed inside the depot.

Departing at 11:30 a.m., we will walk/drive to Jacob’s Well Coffee House & Cafe, 139 North Main, (approximately 2½ blocks) for lunch. This cafe offers several varieties of coffee, home made sandwiches, salads and desserts. It received rave reviews from the locals at the courthouse, depot and both museums. Lunch should be quite a treat.

Leaving at 1 p.m., we will walk to the Coutts Memorial Museum of Art, 110 North Main, (approximately one half block). We will be met there by Betty Kirkpatrick, a volunteer, who will give us some introductory information and directions before turning us loose for a self-guided tour. Admission is free, but donations are very much appreciated. While there are three floors, there are stairs only and no elevators. Although photography is allowed outside the building and in the lobby, no photography is allowed in any of the galleries. We will have 1½ hours to spend there, from 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Located in the 1919 Bluestem Building, the Coutts Memorial Museum of Art is a fine art gallery with over a thousand art objects, including original paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings by such artists as Renoir, Thomas Hart Benton, Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell.

Art works for the museum were purchased mainly by Warren Hall Coutts, Jr. He traveled extensively and purchased works from art auctions all over the world. The museum houses works from Russia, China, France, Holland, England and South America.

The museum was established in 1970 by Warren Hall Coutts, Jr., an El Dorado attorney, in honor of his son and law partner, Warren Hall "Bud" Coutts III, who died tragically in a plane crash in 1965. In the words of its founder, the museum is to serve as "a memorial for all time to come commemorating the memory of all of the beloved sons and daughters of this community."

Departing at 2:30 p.m., we will drive to the Butler County History Center/Kansas Oil Museum, 383 East Central, (approximately 4½ blocks). We will be greeted there by Lisa Cooley, Curator of Education, who will give us a 45 minute guided tour of the inside exhibits. Thereafter, we will be left on our own for a self-guided tour of the outside exhibits. Admission is charged: $4/adults, $3/seniors (ages 65 and older), $2/students (ages 6-18) and free/children (ages 5 and younger). Photography is allowed everywhere. We will have 2½ hours to spend there, from 2:30 - 5 p.m.

The Butler County History Center/Kansas Oil Museum consists of an indoor exhibit building and 10 acres of outdoor exhibits. The main museum building includes indoor exhibits dedicated to Butler County’s development. The new permanent exhibit, Glory of the Hills, depicts the Flint Hills as a land full of possibilities. Historic photographs and artifacts explore the lives of Native Americans, both the Wichita and Osage tribes; settlers; and farmers and ranchers who established the county’s agricultural identity and grazed their huge cattle herds on the rich bluestem grasses. Farming and ranching were essential to the economy, but it was oil that brought national attention to El Dorado. In addition, there is a gift shop and a 4,000 volume research and genealogy library.

The outdoor exhibits are divided into two areas: Oil field equipment and the K.T. Wiedemann Living History Park. More than 20 pieces of equipment are displayed on four acres. Five of the pieces are in working condition and are operated during special events. A 1930s oil field lease house is nestled among the rigs to reveal life on an oil lease.

In the Park, we will have the opportunity to walk down the street of an historic oil boom town of the 1920s and 30s. There is the Redburn Grocery/Post Office, the company doctor’s office, the Evening Caller Print Shop, Grandma Anderson’s house and the Foster One-Room School. We will leave at 5 p.m., returning to Wichita before 6 p.m.

Greg Kite, HPA president