 In downtown Howard, Kansas there are 6 buildings devoted to the Benson Historical Museum. The Benson Museum began as the Elk County Historical Society in 1979 and but was renamed after receiving a major gift from the late Edith Benson. The collection fills over 8,000 square feet. The Benson Museum open only a few hours on Thrsday and Friday, but if you find yourself in Howard without an appointment, stop by the museum where several different phone numbers are listed for Howard residents willing to come down and open the museum for you. Some of my favorite exhibits included a folding, self heating bathtub, a beautiful old school stage advertising curtain and a 1916 Tumley oil pull tractor. I believe the typical tour of the Benson Historical Museum will be about an hour to an hour and a half. Before you leave Howard, be sure to view the fun folk art sculptures of Hubble Rubble on State Highway K-99.
copyright 2009-2021 by Keith Stokes |
