Anyone interested in stepping back in time 140 years can visit the William and Lettie Fulton House this summer in Garden City.
The Folk Victorian home, located southwest of the Finney County Historical Museum inside Lee Richardson Zoo, will be open 2-4:30 p.m. most Saturdays and Sundays, June 1 through Labor Day weekend. Admission is free.
Built by one of Garden City’s founding couples when the community was just five years old, the house hosted numerous visitors when new in 1884 and has continued that tradition since restoration in 2005.
The historic wooden structure is outfitted with period-correct interior furnishings and exterior paint. It is also surrounded by plantings dedicated to Mrs. Fulton, whose flower garden inspired Garden City’s name.
“This will be the 20th summer that the Fulton House has welcomed guests,” said Deb Pilgrim, Holcomb. She and her husband, Bill Pilgrim, serve as volunteer hosts whenever the structure is open.
While only the ground floor is accessible by the public, due to safety considerations, visitors will find a few welcome touches both inside and out. One includes new Trex decking to make footing surer on the front porch. The other is modern air conditioning.
The house is operated by the museum and summer tours are supported by the Finney County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Upgrades such as the decking, dual gray and maroon paint scheme and new parlor exhibit lighting were made possible the last two years by Spanier Construction, Heller Electric and the Finnup Foundation Trust. The home also benefits from the Henry and Nellie Hall Fund at the Western Kansas Community Foundation.
A total of 1,677 people visited the house during the summer of 2023, a 60 percent increase over 2022, coming from 110 communities in various states. Some left comments in the guest book, such as “Great,” “Fascinating,” “Great experience,” “Amazing,” “Lovely,” “Love this place,” and “Learned a lot.”
