• 919 Broadway Street Marysville, KS 66508

  • 785-562-2417

    • Koester House Museum & Gardens

    Stories from the Koester House 


    COUNTDOWN TO 150 -- Kansas on the World Stage by Earl Sh... Kansas on the world stage at Centennial Kansas proudly claimed its place on the national and world stage at the 1876 Centennial Expositi...
    May 19, 2026 -- Nation Celebrates Centennial by Earl Shr... COUNTDOWN TO 150---Nation Celebrates Centennial with a World’s Fair In 1876, national and international attention focused on West Philad...
    May 12, 2026 Blog by Earl Shreckengast - Koester at Cent... COUNTDOWN TO 150---Charles Koester at Centennial Exposition Marysville, Marshall County, and Kansas were represented at our country’s 10...
    FLOWERS AT SYLVIA KOESTER'S FUNERAL by Earl ShreckengastThe funeral of Sylvia Broughten Koester was abundant with flowers and rich in Victorian symbolism. Sylvia, the wife of Charles F. Koeste...
    April 14, 2026 Blog Victorian Funeral Practices at Koest... VICTORIAN FUNERAL PRACTICES AT SYLVIA KOESTER’S FUNERAL When Sylvia Koester died in 1883, American funerals were largely home centered a...
    COUNTDOWN TO 150 -- Sylvia's Death & Funeral At 7 minutes to one o’clock Tuesday morning, April 3, 1883, Sylvia Constance Broughten Koester died of consumption. She was surrounded b...
    COUNTDOWN TO 150 - Sylvia's Illness and Death by Earl Sh... A shadow descended over the Koester family several years into Charles’ and Sylvia’s life together. “Tuberculosis—then called consumption...
    COUNTDOWN TO 150 -- Family Life by Earl ShreckengastAfter their wedding and honeymoon, Sylvia and Charles returned to Marysville in September 1876 to start their married life together. The...
    COUNTDOWN TO 150 -- Courtship by Earl ShreckegastCOUNTDOWN TO 150—Courtship Charles Koester and Sylvia Broughten were married on July 25, 1876. How did they meet? Was it love at first s...
    countdown to 150 -- Sylvia's Roots by Earl ShreckengastWe all have family history. We know that Charles Koester and his family emigrated from Hesse-Cassel, Germany in 1851. Charles was 11 whe...
    COOUNTDDOWN TO 150 -- Sylvia's Treasured Belongings he Koester House Museum & Gardens is fortunate to have many of the Koester family’s treasured belongings. Some of them are from Sylvia B...
    COUNTDOWN TO 150 -- Sylvia, the teacherSylvia Broughten and her sister Lucy came to Marysville in 1871. They came to live with their brother, John Broughten, who was a Marysvi...