Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center
Formed in 1988, the Strawberry Hill Ethnic Cultural Society was established to preserve the heritage and cultural integrity of Kansas City citizens and those who originally settled the area. The house, a Victorian beauty, dates back to 1887 and was later used as a Catholic orphanage following the devastating 1918 influenza epidemic. When the orphanage closed in 1988 the house was purchased by the Strawberry Hill Ethnic Cultural Society and converted into a museum of cultural conservation.
Permanent exhibits include over 30 rooms of displays with cultural galleries featuring the Eastern European countries of Croatia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and more. Exhibits are housed in the sisters quarters as well as the original Victorian home and include artifacts such as costumes, linens, jewelry, toys, books, photos, furnishings from the original owners, and more. Displays also feature articles and linens used by Pope John Paul II during his last three trips to the United States as part of his “Traveling with Angels” tour. The newest exhibit, the Hall of Immigrants, proudly displays the photos of ancestors of those who settled the area back in the 19th-20th centuries.
The Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center gift shop is open during museum hours and sells original works of art and craftsmanship from the Baltic-Slavic countries and the greater Kansas City community. The cultural center hosts High Tea July 25-26 and August 22-23 at 11 am and is open to the public every second Saturday and Sunday except in the months of July and August.
The museum is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 pm.
