Atchison residents and Benedictine College students often marvel at the Victorian-era architecture that makes up many of the houses in town.
One house is set up as an icon of Victorian architecture and lifestyle. Located on 5th street, the Evah Cray Museum and Carriage House stands as a timeless icon of the passage of time and the life of Atchison.
The house was first built by the Heatherington family in 1882 and over time, additions were made to the house. These included the two three-story towers, a wish of Mrs. Heatherington after seeing the Scottish castles while abroad.
The Heatherington family lived in the house for 80 years before it was passed on to several other owners. The last of these was Cloud Cray Sr.. He bought the house for his wife, Evah Cray, who was “a preservationist and history enthusiast,” according to the museum’s website.
Now, the museum operates in the same capacity Evah Cray intended: as a beacon of Victorian history.
The museum will be hosting an open house on December 7th from noon to three showcasing this Victorian era house with Christmas decorations.
Ordinary tours cost $10 per person. The gift house within the carriage house holds seasonal gifts and, in the portion where the horse stalls used to stand, now houses a theatre with a film that informs visitors about the history of the place.
Inside, the house is fully furnished in Victorian style with some original pieces and some that were donated over time, including from the Benedictine monks.
“We just wanted to furnish it like the Victorian age,” museum director, Jerilee Kurth, said.
On the walls inside the first story of one of the towers are etched the names of poets and writers and around Christmas, a decorated tree is visible through the windows.
In the 1940s, an elevator (now no longer in use) was added to the house to allow Mrs. Heatherington, who was ill, to go up to the second floor. The house holds several musical instruments including a small piano for a child and a full sized piano nearby. The house was heated by a total of five fireplaces, each showcasing the Victorian era decorations.
An upstairs room holds an old circus set that Kurth said is “the most complete set left.”
One of the upstairs rooms holds a bedroom set that won in the World’s Fair in 1893 and other pieces within the house were built and transported from various locations. Pieces of the tower and within the tower rooms and also throughout the house were imported.
Many aspects of the Victorian lifestyle are preserved within this house.
