Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum - 2008 . . .
on our route from the Pacific Northwest

Updated: 11/30/08

The Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum is located in Ellis, Kansas.

Walter was three years old when his  locomotive-engineer father and  Missouri-born mother moved the family to Ellis in 1878. 

Walter's love of mechanical things came from his father. At 17, he made up his mind to be a mechanic. He hired out as a sweeper in the union Pacific roundhouse in Ellis, but soon became a machinist's apprentice.

The museum gives details of how he went from his career in the railroad field to chairman of the board of the Chrysler Corporation. 

You are directed to the museum located behind the house. 

It is filled with many personal items that belonged to Walter P. Chrysler. Walking through the door to the museum this 1924 Chrysler was the first thing you saw.

His desk from his office in the Chrysler Building is on display in the museum along with many family photographs.

These chairs were in each corner of the office exhibit.

Portraits of Walter P. and Della Chrysler . . . 

Displays documented the career and business activities of Walter P. Chrysler. It also exhibited artifacts from the auto ndustry. 

Click on these cartoons to enlarged them. 

He was a member of the Masonic fraternal.

This is the rear of the his boyhood home. After our tour of the museum the house was opened for us. The house is furnished with furniture reflective of that period. The tour guide told us many stories of life in this house.

Life for Walter and his siblings in this home was typical of the hard working railroad families in the area.

Steep narrow stairs led to the upstairs rooms. The upstairs included the bedrooms of Walter, his brothers and sister.

        
            He was a member of the
                high school band.

The upstairs hallway had interesting architecture.

                 < decorative hardware            

The Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum is open year around. The hours vary so, confirm their hours of operation before you visit. Their Web site is chrysler@eaglecom.net. We spent just over an hour here. 

Admission fee varies by age -  Over 62 was $2.50. 

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