Friday Smiles 275: a return to the Butler County Historical Society and Oil Museum

Goodness.  I had completely forgotten about sharing more photos from the Butler County Historical Society and Oil Museum, after the hiatus I took in April.  There will be no funnies today, because if some of these images don't make you smile, then you are 1) not interested in history, 2) don't appreciate antiques, 3) are too young to care, or 4) lived through that era and hate it prefer something a bit more modern.  I'm sure you are aware, however, that I'm here for Annie's Friday Smiles.

Let's return to the Kansas Oil Musuem,

and join Sally as she steps into a "typical" shotgun style house which was built on oil company property and rented to people who worked on the oil rigs.  The company town was important because these oil boom towns operated as divisions of the oil companies, and were under the authority of company officials. Developed in response to oil strikes, these oil communities had their own stores, company offices, schools, and entertainment. 

Sadly, everything was blocked off except this first small area that was part of the living room.

Even this part of the living room was roped off and it was hard to get a good shot without someone getting in the photo.  As an aside, I like my grandmother's sewing machine better.

Here I was looking into the bedroom.

You can see when I leaned in to get a better photo, how the area was blocked off.

There was no access to the kitchen, so what you saw was it!

No wonder the living room "couch" doubled as a bed.  There was absolutely NO privacy in these homes.

I was so fascinated by this screen door

I took two photos.

This should really, really make you smile.  I found it odd the museum would place a bench behind the "outhouse."

This is how people got their water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.  I was taken by the cup that hung above the well so people could stop yard work and get a drink.

I admit, my clothes line poles are rustier, but the lines are more stable than this one.  I'd hate to hang sheets on these clothes lines.

The back screen was not decorative, and that lawn mower looked like it wouldn't cut anything.

While I took photos of the exterior, Sally sat and read the brochure.

Then it was off to our next adventure at this museum.  However, I'm saving these photos until next week.

Thanks for joining me today and thanks for your continued visits.  Now let's visit Annie's Friday Smiles, where it never hurts to begin the weekend with a big smile, just like Annie's.