The Munger House - 2 steps, narrow doorway

The Munger House in the Wichita's Beginnings District at Old Cowtown Museum represents the intentional piviot point to move toward creating a city and moving away from an unicorporated group of dwellings. Darius S. Munger of Topeka was sent by the Wichita Town Company in 1868 to create the town of Wichita. Though others lived in the area, his was the first formal attempt to build a town. In 1869 he completed this story and a half residence on a plot of land near 9th and Waco. It served as the core of the original platted town site. The structure is considered to be the first substantial structure in Wichita.

All of the building materials come from the river bank vicinity with the exception​of the hardware and windows, which had to be freighted from Emporia. The logs are hand-hewn cottonwood, the floors are walnut and samples of the original plaster still exist on the second floor. A log barn stood between the house and the river.

Due to Munger's role in the development of the fledgling town, his family residence served many functions, including that of Post Office, boarding house, meeting place and office of the Justice of the Peace.

In 1874 W.C. Woodman, an early entrepreneur and Wichita's first banker, purchased the Munger House. Woodman enlarged and improved the structure until it was completely integrated inside a Victorian house that he named "Lakeside Mansion". The Munger House was rediscovered when Lakeside was demolished in the 1940s.

The Wichita Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution purchased the cabin to preserve the city's heritage and donated it to Historic Wichita Cowtown, Inc. in 1949. The Munger House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.​​

INTERIOR

1st Room - Public Room - Hotel Lobby, Land Office, Justice of the Peace / Courtroom,

Kitchen - Cooking for 18 people 3 times a day when hotel was full.

Family Bedroom - Darius, Julia, Daughters Amelia (arrived at 26 yr.) and Mary Ellen (AKA Molly) (arrived at 14 yr.)

Original plaster hand made by Munger - on second floor - Sand, buffalo hair and ground burnt fresh water mussel shells.