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The Big Well Museum & Visitors Center

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8 WONDERS OF KANSAS OVERALL

The Big Well Museum & Visitors Center

Greensburg, KS | Kiowa County

Completed in 1888, this 109-foot-deep by 32-foot-wide water well was excavated without machines, but with simple tools operated by hand'shovels, picks, half barrels, pulleys, ropes, and mules. It served as the city's water supply until 1932. Recognized as the world's largest hand-dug well, it was covered and opened as a tourist attraction in 1939 and operated until the 2007 tornado. The bigger and grander museum opened in 2012. Photos and graphics of the tornado's devastation, along with items gathered after the storm, are displayed on the well's perimeter walls. You'll also find information about the history of Greensburg and, of course, the big well. A grand white circular metal staircase leads visitors into the well where you can toss a coin and make a wish. Another set of stairs leads to the top level of the museum, high above the well, for a bird's-eye panoramic view of the community. The famous 1,000-pound pallasite meteorite discovered in Kiowa County, the largest pallasite found to date, is on display inside the museum. Admission charge. (NRHP) (8 Wonders of Kansas)

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