Riverview in Kansas City in Wyandotte County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Cruise-Scroggs Mansion
On this site in the old town of Wyandotte, James A. Cruise (1839-1873) and his wife, Margaret Kerstetter Cruise (1843-1915), built a small home about 10 years after Kansas became a state, in 1861. Mr. Cruise became the first Register of Deeds of Wyandotte County in 1863. Two years after her husband's death at 34, Mrs. Cruise married a prominent lawyer, John B. Scroggs (1838-1899). They replaced the earlier house with this Queen Anne-style mansion in 1887 and lived there until their deaths.
It then passed to John E. McFadden, who had apprenticed in Mr. Scroggs' law firm and later married Miss Emma Cruise, one of the Cruises' five children. In 1919 the home was sold to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church next door. The church operated it as St. John's Orphanage for nearly 70 years in this Croatian district known as Strawberry Hill.
You see this stately edifice today with the dormitory structure that was added to the north in 1926. The facility was acquired in 1988 by a non-profit neighborhood group and became the Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center. It seeks to perpetuate and promote the Slavic heritage of this unique area.
Welcome to a well-preserved era of Kansas City, Kansas, history.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Churches & Religion • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.
Location. 39° 6.8′ N, 94° 37.133′ W. Marker is in Kansas City, Kansas, in Wyandotte County. It is in Riverview. Marker is at the intersection of North 4th Street and Ann Street, on the right when traveling south on North 4th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 720 N 4th St, Kansas City KS 66101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Commissioner Thomas F. Lally (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Mary's Church (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); This Gateway to Kansas (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Baptist Church and First African Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Eliza Burton Conley (approx. 0.4 miles away); Helena Conley (approx. 0.4 miles away); Silas Armstrong (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kansas City.
Also see . . .
1. Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center. Museum website homepage (Submitted on October 18, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Kansas City KS. Kansas Travel website entry (Submitted on October 18, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. St. John's Orphanage. Kansas Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Submitted on October 18, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 779 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on October 18, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.