Mathes Named New Director For Historic Adobe Museum

Ulysses born and raised, Beth Mathes, is not new to Grant County. And, she is not new to the Historic Adobe Museum.

Mathes was named to take the reins of the local museum following the retirement of Ginger Anthony last month, after 39 years of dedication.

Mathes, herself, already has 13 years with the museum to her credit.

"I started volunteering my senior year of high school in 2000," Mathes said. "For our high school class, that was one of the requirements - that we do community service. There was a group of us that decided to go to the museum. Our first thing there was decorating for Christmas."

The Christmas holidays is one of the busy times of year for the museum.

"We have open houses and Christmas events," Mathes said. "We start decorating right after Halloween or right before Halloween. We decorate all of the builidings at the museum. It takes us that long until right after Thanksgiving to have them completed and ready for visitors."

After her graduation in 2000, Mathes moved from volunteer to employee at the museum. Since that time, she has left the museum and come back, so her 13 years have not been concurrent.

She has worked with Anthony throughout her time there.

"I have some big shoes to fill now that she has retired," Mathes said. "Ginger has been a very good mentor to me all of these years."

At this time, Mathes does not have any plans to change anything.

"I'm very happy with the way our museum is," she said. "It is laid out perfectly telling the story of our community and our history. We will be working to get visitors to come and see us. It is a treasure  - a really good place to be and check out."

Mathes noted she has talked to some local residents who have never been to the museum.

"They say they haven't made it a stop yet, and they need to come," Mathes said. "We've got a lot to show. It is a great place and is full of culture and history."

Something that sets Historic Adobe Museum apart from other museums is how it is set up.

"You're not looking at things behind glass," Mathes explained. "You can get up there and see the artifacts and the items we have.  There are not a lot of museums where you can do that.We have it set up like a timeline. You come in and the first stop there is an Indian encampment.  There is a giant buffalo head coming out of the wall. Then, it's the SantaFe trail exhibit with a partial covered wagon sitting there that looks like it is rolling down the prairie. Then you can walk in to the farm and ranch exhibit and see tools the pioneers would have used back then. There is the barbed wire, and you can walk through the little house. The rooms are set up exactly how they might have been. It's a little town and when you look up there's a sky - you feel like you're in it."

Right now, the museum has around 14 exhibits, Mathes said.

"We also have the Hotel Edwards, that was built in 1887, which visitors can go through and a one-room school house," Mathes added.

The museum welcomes those who would like to take a tour.

"My favorite part about being at the museum is giving the tours," Mathes said. "I love seeing people and being able to share the history and culture  of our county with them. Old and young from all over - not just Kansas. They come in and it's interesting for me to hear them talk about their travels or when the little kids in the community come in that has been a real treat. I hope everyone gets something out of their visit with us."

Local and area schools have visited the museum.

"This year schools from Liberal, Garden City, Meade, and Walsh, Colo., came for a tour," Mathes  said.

"The kids from Walsh, spent the day in Ulysses," she said. "They came to the museum, had their lunch at the museum, and then I believe they went bowling. They do different activities in town before they head back home."

According to Mathes classes from Sullivan and Hickok elementarys have also taken tours.

"The Jag-K students from the high school came and helped with the fourth grade students," Mathes said. "They did little activities for them that went along with the history we were trying to teach them."

There are other activies that keep the museum busy. They recently brought back "Pickin' on the Porch". According to Mathes this event will be on the first Thursday of the month and go through August.

"We had our first one June 4," she said. "The next one will be July 2 and then August 6 will be our last one for the season."

Around the Christmas holidays is one of their busiest times.

"Last year was our first year to bring back the Christmas Parade of Homes," Mathes said. "It gets people in the spirit of Christmas seeing the decorations."

There is also a veterans edition.

"It is up all the time," Mathes said. "It honors all the local guys and gals who served in the armed forces. Their pictures tell a story by themselves."

If anyone has a veteran they would like included in the exhibit, they are encouraged to bring a photo. They can scan the photo and return it right away.

Right now, Mathes and Jessica Morphis are the two at the museum, but they aren't totally alone.

"We have a board of 10 that supports and backs us up," Mathes said. "They help out with activities and will pitch in and not afraid to get their hands dirty to help."

Jan Howell is at the museum on Saturdays from 1-5 p.m., if there are those who wish to visit the museum.

Recently, the museum added another "event".

"Bike Across Kansas coming from Johnson stopped in Ulysses," Mathes said. "They go at their own pace and time across the state of Kansas. Their next stop from here was going to be Montezuma. They came into the museum at eight  that morning. They had some water and a snack, took a break, and then went on down the road."

Mathes said she has had some adjustments since taking over as director, but all in all - she's enjoyed it.

She is proud of the museum and all it offers to the community.

"I feel it is a destination," she said. "It has something not every place has to offer. Visiting the museum is a great way to understand a town and a community by seeing their history and culture. The museum is a great way to do that."

Mathes is grateful for Anthony, who will not be far away - she will serve as a consultant to the museum going forward.

"I would like to thank Ginger for mentoring me all these years and sharing with me only a part of her knowledge and history of our community and museum," Mathes said. "And, I would like to thank the museum board and county commissioners for allowing me this amazing opportunity to continue serving this community that will always be my home."

When asked why she would encourage visitors to come visit, Mathes said, "You can actually get into  the exhibits, see firsthand what pioneers used and what they went through - it tells a story."

Mathes and her husband, Adam, have two grown daughters, Leah Pauda and Addison Mathes; and two grandchildren.