 |
| Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Missouri Photography by Phyllis Shess, July 2015 |
One
sister is a retired deputy district attorney trial prosecutor, while the other
is a retired IRS agent. Both siblings are Army brats with dad being a decorated
WWII officer (Silver Star). So where do two sisters go for fun in the Kansas
City, Missouri area?
Easy
answer. They visit a money museum, drive
by a federal prison and stop in at two military museums.
First
stop.
Follow the money.
As
museums go the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is not
that old. The free admission museum
opened in April 2014.
The KC
Federal Bank is one of 12 regional reserve banks that, along with the Board of
Governors in Washington, DC, that make up our nation’s central bank.
The KC Money
Museum offers a free, up-close look of the nation's financial system in action.
Learn about the Fed through fun and interactive exhibits that explore banking,
the economy and how monetary policy decisions impact your family's bottom line.
Fun for
all ages; test your strength and lift a solid gold bar; place your photo in the
center of custom designed currency that can be emailed home for sharing with
family and friends; take a peek into a four-story cash vault; view the
automated robots that move the money; and try to detect counterfeit currency.
Walk-in
guests and groups are always welcome. Free guided tours can be arranged for
educational, civic, professional, and social groups of 12 or more with advance
registration.
And best
of all, visitors take home a free bag of shredded currency. Museum staff says the bag holds about $165 in
diced, sliced and chopped cash.
Like all
museums, there’s the gift store, called the Vault Store for official Federal
Reserve Bank of Kansas City merchandise and financial education materials.
Free
admission and free parking. A valid, government-issued photo ID or passport is
required for all visitors 18 and older. Passports are required for all
international guests 18 and older.
The Money Museum at the Federal
Reserve Bank of Kansas City
1 Memorial Drive,
Kansas City, MO 64198
816-881-2683
Open weekdays only
Free Admission
Second stop.
The Big House.
We’ve all
heard the term “being sent up the river” as another way of saying going to
prison. In the Kansas City area about an
hour’s drive up the Missouri River on the Kansas side is Ft. Leavenworth, KS,
which is home to the oldest (built in 1903) United States Penitentiary in the
nation.
 |
| The Big House a.k.a. United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas |
Like most
prisons there are no public tours—who would want to visit? Nevermind.
The Big House as Leavenworth prison is called can’t be toured but if you
head west out of downtown Ft. Leavenworth on U.S. Highway 73 you’ll find the
walled city on Metropolitan Avenue. As
you drive by you can readily see the big dome of the 1,800 medium security
federal prison.
The
prison has held notable criminals such as Robert Stroud, who after being
transferred west was known as the birdman of Alcatraz; James Earl Ray, the
assassin of Martin Luther King served a term in Leavenworth for forgery. Also, Michael Vick served 23 months for
operating an illegal dog ring. Former
Army shrink Nidal Hassan is awaiting execution for mass murder and
terrorism. Other prisoners included
Machine Gun Kelly and Bugs Moran.
Third
stop.
Ft. Leavenworth Frontier Army
Museum
After
driving from Kansas City only to drive by the Leavenworth prison, a sidetrip to
the Ft. Leavenworth Frontier Army Museum more than made up for the long trip.
 |
| Frontier Army Museum, Ft. Leavenworth, KS. |
As
museums go this one is huge. It’s filled
with historic military memorabilia such as weapons of all kinds, military
uniforms, supplies/wagons, and so forth. There also is a great description of
chronological events that took place from the fort that protected and escorted
settlers heading west, and were involved with the various wars (like Mexican
and Civil Wars) and also were part of numerous Indian battles and pursuing them
to the reservations.
U.S. Army
Colonel Henry Leavenworth founded the fort in 1827. It was especially active during the years
when the Wild West was being explored.
Frontier Army Museum
100 Reynolds Ave.
Ft. Leavenworth, KS 66027
913-684-3191
Fourth Stop
National World War I Museum and
Memorial
Back on
the Missouri side of the river, the next stop is the 48-acre site of the WWI
Museum, which was built in 1926 to honor service men and women who served in
World War I.
 |
| Panorama of National World War I Museum and Liberty Memorial Tower at Kansas City, MO. Photography by Phyllis Shess, July 2015 |
In 2004,
the Liberty Memorial Museum was designated by the United States Congress as the
National World War I Museum of the United States. The expanded facility opened
to the public in December 2006 showcasing the artifact collection that began in
1920. The new subterranean facility was designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates
and greatly expanded the original facilities of Exhibit Hall and Memory Hall,
located on the main courtyard. On December 19, 2014, President Barack Obama
signed legislation recognizing the Liberty Memorial as a national memorial,
which affectively redesignated the Museum as the National World War I Museum
and Memorial.
National World War I Museum and
Memorial
100 West 26th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-888-8100
No comments:
Post a Comment