Stepping into the Kirkman House Museum feels like a glimpse into Walla Walla in the late 1800s and early 1900s. With an ornately decorated interior, the building gives visitors an opportunity  to see and read about the history of the building and its link with Whitman. The exhibit titled, “Whitman Ties: The Kirkmans and Whitman College” opened on Aug. 23rd and will be showing until Nov. 17th. Exploring different family portraits, books, furniture and even vintage dresses, the viewers of this exhibition can learn about the Kirkman family. 

Roger Miles, a retired professor from Whitman who was one of the people working on the exhibition explained the family’s financial ties to Whitman.

“It was reported that William Kirkman was the richest man in Walla Walla county,” Miles said. “[The Kirkmans] Put up the money for it and it meant that William Kirkman worked closely with the first two presidents and helped Whitman go.”

William Kirkman was a founding member of the board of trustees and acted as a treasurer for the college. His donations and charities are also what helped Whitman establish itself as a liberal arts college despite initial financial difficulties. In fact Kirkman house was actually given to Whitman college and acted as residence hall for about four years, and in those four years it housed Whitman’s only Nobel prize winner, Walter Brattain. 

Carolyn Priest, who takes care of the Kirkman house, also agreed that  William Kirkman was influential person in town. For the exhibit she wanted to show the stories of the people that helped build Whitman and Walla Walla.

“We like to intertwine the stories of people who came here and made the town succeed, one of those being Whitman college,” Priest said. 

Priest explained that the idea for the exhibit came from the house’s reorganization.

“This started because we had some items from Whitman and some had never been out, so I said we either do something about this or put them in a garage sale,” Priest said.

Miles agreed, saying that he enjoyed learning the history of Whitman college. His favorite piece of the exhibition is a degree from that era belonging to one of the Kirkman family members who attended Whitman.

“I hope that it ignites an interest in the history of the college, the college today is very different from what the college was and I think it’s good to know these things,” Miles said.

Each of the house’s rooms offers a different perspective and highlights a different Kirkman family member. As you walk through the house itself, you can read about the shared history between the family and Whitman college. The highlight for me had to be the rooms on the second floor as they were a time capsul into the rooms of Isabel Kirkman and her daughters containing various ornate dresses and their graduation gowns—four generations of the Kirkman family were Whitman alumi.

Priest encouraged community members to visit the exhibit before it closes.

“I hope that people enjoy it and I hope they learn something about Whitman,” Priest said.

Kerri Grechishkin, who has visited the Kirkman house multiple times, emphasized her gratitude to the museum’s volunteers and the unique experience it provides.

“The beautiful architecture is what first caught our eye and drew us in for a visit,” Grechishkin said. “It was fascinating to look through the photos and exhibits throughout the different rooms, and to learn more about the family’s philanthropic connection to Whitman and the use of their home as a male dormitory for the college in the early 1920s,” said Grechishkin.

The exhibit provides many opportunities to learn and enjoy local history. From the vintage dresses to the elaborate recreated wallpaper,  that Kirkman house exists in a little pocket of time different from ours and being able to escape our reality to appreciate what has been is a great opportunity to explore Whitman and Walla Walla. So if you can’t make it next weekend, be on the lookout for Kirkman houses future exhibitions and events that provide exciting opportunities for engagement.