Ensor Park and Museum

66062-9278 Olathe, KS, United States of America (USA) (Kansas)

Martin Peters, Co-Directors of the museum:
The Ensor Park and Museum in Olathe, Kansas, is a seasonal museum devoted to telling the story of the Ensor Family in Olathe.
Parents Jacob and Ida Ensor had two children, Marshall, born in 1899, and Loretta, born in 1904.
Marshall was a teacher, craftsman and amateur radio operator. He taught Manual Arts, later called Industrial Arts, at Olathe HS from 1918 to 1965, except for two sabbaticals for bachelor's and master's degree work and three years of service as Lt Commander in the US Navy during World War II.
Loretta grew up on the farm and learned farm management from her parents. She continued managing the farm after Jacob and Ida had passed on; she lived there until shortly before her death in 1991. Loretta, like Marshall, was a radio pioneer and licensed amateur radio operator.

The 1891 farm home is filled with Ensor family furnishings (including many pieces of furniture built by Marshall Ensor) and the radio equipment which Marshall and Loretta operated under license 9BSP/W9BSP/WØBSP. Loretta, licensed as 9UA/W9UA/WØUA, was trustee for the first high-school radio station in Kansas, where Olathe students could learn to become amateur radio operators.

When Loretta died in 1991, she left a tract of 40 acres to the Loretta Ensor Trust so that the Ensor farm could continue to be run as a museum and park. In 2006 the property, buildings, and museum exhibits and artifacts were deeded to the City of Olathe.

Tours of the main house and other buildings at the museum take from one to two hours, depending on the specific interests of the visitors.

Each year, several special events take place on museum grounds:
The Santa Fe Trail Amateur Radio Club (SFTARC) of Olathe, Kansas, participates in the annual ARRL Field Day in June to gain practical experience in radio communications during emergencies.
There are other special operating events to commemorate the lives of Marshall and Loretta.
The Johnson County Radio Amateur's Club holds its annual auction and fund-raiser in October.

The Ensor Park and museum is both a National Historic Site and on the Register of Historic Kansas Places.

10 Reasons to Visit the Museum:

    Tour the authentic 1890s farm house with its amazing collection of handcrafted furnishings.
    Learn about the early days of amateur radio. See and hear a radio station in operation.
    See Marshall Ensor’s wood shop.
    There is something of interest for everyone!  Youngsters can even pump well water.
    Hear about the exciting 1940 William S. Paley Amateur Radio Award.
    Observe a working spark-gap transmitter in action.
    View a variety of horse-drawn farm implements, barns, and chicken houses.
    Check out a collection of vintage radio equipment.
    See what life was like on a turn-of-the-century dairy farm.
    Learn about the life and times of Marshall H. Ensor, Loretta Ensor, and their parents.

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