By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
Special to Hays Post
Wilson, Kansas, has long been known as the Czech Capital of Kansas.
People from near and far take the small drive off Interstate 70 in north central Kansas to have their photo taken in front of the world’s largest hand-painted Czech egg.
About a year ago, local business owner Melinda Merrill added another tourist attraction to the small central Kansas town (population 850).
Merrill – who already had revived an apartment complex in an old local school building, as well as the town’s historic Midland Railroad Hotel – opened The Barn: Kansas Libations Club & Social Room.
It’s not just a catchy descriptive name for this community located smack-dab in the middle of rural Kansas.
The 40-by-60 square-foot building, whose name was soon shortened to The Barn, is the real deal.
The barn was built in 1907 near the city’s hotel as the home for stud race horses. It was moved to a working farm less than half a mile away in 1964.
One day while talking with Frank Princ, the owner of that farm just down the road west of the hotel, Merrill mentioned the necessity of a conference center in town.
Princ told Merrill he was no longer using the barn – music to the ears of the local entrepreneur.
“Well, I have a good idea,” Merrill told Princ.
The barn was moved back into town, just yards from its original location. And presto – Wilson now has a unique event venue for weddings, family and class reunions, retirement parties.
You name it. If there’s reason to celebrate a gathering large or small, the ambience of The Barn will help provide memories that won’t soon be forgotten.
“It was really packed during the Czech Festival time,” Merrill said of the annual after-harvest festival held on the last weekend in July.
Once moved to its new home, the inside of the building underwent an entire renovation, complete with iron beams for reinforcement.
Those beams, Merrill explained, were necessary to hold the weight of guests entertaining in the loft, which stretches the entire length and width of The Barn.
Preserving the history of old buildings is a must, Merrill says.
Rather than cover the hay-drop hole in the floor, a large glass structure around the hole lets people view the floor below.
Numerous tables cover the first floor, where customers can enjoy a drink from the fully stocked bar or a smoked BBQ sandwich.
Employees smoke The Barn’s meat (pulled pork, brisket, ribs) in a large smoker. The large meals are prepared at the hotel and transported to The Barn’s smaller preparation kitchen to be kept warm.
Visitors’ eyes light up as they absorb the nostalgia that permeates the building. Wood from the original structure is the hallmark of The Barn.
A large brace from the soffit of the town’s old train depot hangs on one wall. A photo of the depot hangs nearby, just above an old baggage carrier and a suitcase from days gone by.
Numerous pieces of artwork adorn the walls of a seating area lined with bead-board from the office of the racehorse barn.
Customers can dine in one of the stalls that was preserved from the original barn and re-created – or they can choose to sit outdoors near a fire pit.
One wall offers seating from an old buckboard, another a bench from an old railroad depot.
A massive mirrored back bar that covers a wall on the southwest corner of the building came from a hotel in Kansas City, Mo.
The Barn will add more character next month. By Christmastime, anyone driving by the south side of the barn will be treated to large murals of a train engine and the old depot.
The murals, painted by artist Ace Walker from Prague, Okla., were funded by the Department of Commerce for the Wilson Tourism Hub, in cooperation with the Kansas Czechs, Inc.
Up to 80 people can be seated on the first floor, and up to 150 people can entertain upstairs. People can rent either floor or the entire barn.
But anyone thinking of booking an office Christmas party may have to wait until the 2023 holidays.
“We’re pretty packed for Christmas parties,” Merrill said. “I love Christmas. I can hardly wait.”
To visit The Barn, just stop by from 5 to 10 p.m. any Thursday, Friday or Saturday. To book an event, call the Midland Railroad Hotel at 785-658-2284.
