Ellis Museums
Discover our rich history
Ellis Railroad Museum & Doll Display
911 Washington | ellisrailroadmuseum.com
The Ellis Railroad Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the Union Pacific Railroad in Ellis. Four rooms inside the museum showcase numerous railroad artifacts, photographs, and local history.
The museum also features over 5000 square feet of a working model train built by the Western Kansas Model Railroad Club. If you are in awe of this model train, step outside and take a ride on the General Motors Aero Streamliner miniature passenger train, which travels on 0.75 miles of track. The ride passes by the original railroad machine shop and scenic Big Creek. A yellow caboose, donated by Union Pacific, is also near the museum. An authentic train depot originally located in Penokee, Kansas was relocated to its present location, and is often used during the Haunted Train ride in October and the Polar Express ride in December.
The museum has a gift shop. There is also a doll display on the second floor. The community room in the basement may be used at no charge by Ellis non-profit organizations.
Bukovina Society of the Americas Museum
718 Washington | bukovinasociety.org
As land became scarce in Bukovina, where Romania and Ukraine are today, Germans migrated to Canada, United States and South America in search of free homestead land. A group of families chose Ellis, Kansas as their destination and began settling here in 1886. As time passed, generations began to lose touch with the history of where their ancestors came from and what the ancestors had experienced in Bukovina.
A small group of people formed a committee, and in 1988, the Bukovina Society of the Americas was established to preserve and connect people with their ancestors and heritage of the ethnic German people from Bukovina. The museum contains a collection of artifacts along with a small library of books.
Every three years, a Bukovinafest is held. The society is international in scope and cooperates with other Bukovina organizations around the world.
Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home Museum
102 West 10th | chryslerboyhoodhome.org
In 1878, when Walter P. Chrysler was 3 years old, his family moved from Wamego, Kansas to Ellis. His childhood years included milking cows and selling the milk door to door. As he grew up, he became interested in machines. This began his journey in life as an apprentice, and then eventually on to establishing the Chrysler Corporation in 1925.
The Chrysler family moved into the current day Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home in 1889, and lived there until 1908. Numerous families owned the home up until 1952. Joe Herbert, the Dodge/Plymouth dealer in Ellis, bought the home to keep it from deteriorating. In 1954, the home was purchase by the Chrysler Corporation and officially opened as a museum. The home was deeded to the City of Ellis in 1955 by Jack Chrysler, Walter’s son, and Chrysler management.
A new building was erected behind the home in 1994 to display personal items of Walter P. Chrysler.
785.726.4812
815 Jefferson, Ellis, KS
Email: ellisclerk@eaglecom.net
Clerk's Office Hours
Monday - Friday: 8am - 5pm
Emergency: 911
Police Non Emergency: 785.726.4462 (0) | 785.625.1011 (C)
Public Works: 785.726.4741 (O) | 785.726.1741 (C)
