KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Back in the late 1800s, immigrants came to Kansas City to work in the meat packing industry in the West Bottoms.
But the area kept flooding, forcing people to move further and further up the hill.
This led to them discovering the hill was covered in wild strawberries, hence the name Strawberry Hill.
The Strawberry Hill Museum & Cultural Center is housed in an old Victorian-style home that served many purposes.
In 1887, a prominent lawyer had the home built for his wife, where they lived for 32 years. After an influenza epidemic swept through, they sold the home to the Sisters of St. Frances of Christ the King in 1919, and the building became an orphanage.
The orphanage was up and running for 69 years before closing and ultimately being acquired by Strawberry Hill Ethnic Cultural Society. It was then turned into a museum.
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