The Victorian house offers a glimpse into the way the Warkentins lived, with 80 percent of the original furnishings remaining.

[2][3][4] Bernhard Warkentin was born in the village of Altonau of the Molotschna Mennonite settlement in Ukraine on June 18, 1847.

Bernhard Warkentin encouraged the immigrants to bring with them Turkey Red hard winter wheat.

In 1873, Warkentin settled in Halstead, Kansas, building Harvey County's first grist mill and his farmstead on the Little Arkansas River.

At this time, ownership was transferred to a group dedicated to restoring and maintaining the house, which was also added to the National Register of Historic Places.