Local and area residents can learn about problems and progress at the historic Windsor Hotel in one of the next two free history programs coming up at noon April 12, and 7 p.m. April 18 at the Finney County Historical Museum in Garden City.
The noon program April 12 will be offered by Johnetta Hebrlee, museum education coordinator, focusing on other historic lodging establishments in the community. The evening session April 18 will be presented by Brian Nelson, president of the Finney County Preservation Alliance, focusing on the Windsor.
The two sessions are part of eight programs scheduled in the Finney County Historical Society’s History at High Noon and Evenings at the Museum series, taking place at noon the second Wednesday and 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of January through April. Lectures also take place twice monthly in September, October and November.
Nelson will update listeners on the recent weather damage to the back side of the 19th Century Main Street structure, where softened bricks and exterior plaster fell into the alley, leaving a large hole that required patching. He will also talk about ongoing preservation efforts and fund-raising endeavors to support the 1889 structure.
The first session by Hebrlee will share information about various other lodging establishments in Garden City, from the Kankakee to the Warren Hotel, going back to the community’s earliest days; and explaining how lodging played an important role in the city’s development.
Those who attend either or both programs should use the museum’s north entrance. Beverages and cookies will be provided, and listeners are welcome to bring their own lunch or dinner, if desired.
The overall series is sponsored for the FCHS by the Western Kansas Community Foundation.
