By the early 1870’s, settlers were flooding into the growing community, creating a varied residential area. Local businessmen, such as Marshall M. Murdock, editor of The Wichita City Eagle, built comfortable homes, while newly arrived settlers used quick and easy construction techniques common during the housing boom.

Murdock House & Garden

Built in 1874, the style of the Murdock home is representative of the era’s comfortable, middle-class homes, with a cast iron fence and flower beds reflecting the Victorian taste for elegance.

Story & a Half House

Often considered a “starter” home for families new to the area, this style of dwelling represents a typical home for a low- to- middle-class family in the later part of the 19th century.

First Presbyterian Church

The First Presbyterian congregation was organized in 1870 and it built the city’s first church that same year. They quickly outgrew the building and sold it to the Catholic church in 1872. This structure served as St. Aloysius Catholic Church and School from 1872-1881.

One Room School

Parsonage

The minister’s family had an active social life and the parsonage’s parlor welcomed guests for both formal visits and informal evenings of music.