By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
All photos by Alin Hett/Hays Post
For Betty Davis and Mary Kay Schippers, a trip through the Ellis County Heritage Center’s open house this past Sunday in Victoria turned into a family reunion neither woman knew was coming.
As the two women traced names and connections through the Windholz family tree, they discovered something neither expected: Davis and Schippers are second cousins.
"It is heartwarming to see it all together," Davis said.
The discovery was a reminder of the purpose behind the newly renovated Heritage Center in Victoria. The museum is not only preserving the history of the Volga German families who settled Ellis County. For some visitors, the displays are helping uncover pieces of their own family history.
Schippers said she could see a resemblance after learning about their connection.
"I feel like I see a resemblance," Schippers said with a laugh. "I thought they were some pretty good-looking men up there."
The moment was one of several personal connections visitors made during the open house, as the public received a first look inside the renovated portion of the former St. John's Nursing Home.
The Ellis County Historical Society has spent years helping transform the once-vacant building into a museum and community space. The Heritage Center occupies one half of the former nursing home, while the other half has been converted into apartments through a partnership with the Victoria Community Coalition.
Inside, visitors found restored barrel-vaulted ceilings, family trees, photographs, banners and name plaques recognizing Volga German families dating back to 1873.
For Eileen Doherty, the displays offered a direct connection to her own family.
Doherty's grandfather was the youngest son of Adam and Christina Kessler and part of the Knoll family tree.
"I feel pride," Doherty said. "The fact they left a land with no opportunity, and they were able to come into this country, they were able to make a life that was much better and leave a history that I have no idea how far and wide it extends."
That history stretches across Ellis County and generations of families.
Cynthia Stone, administrative assistant for the Ellis County Historical Society, said the Heritage Center offers something that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
"There is no other museum like this in the world," Stone said.
The collection includes artifacts that give visitors a glimpse into the lives of earlier generations.
One of six Dolcette pianos in the world that still works is housed at the Heritage Center. The museum also has a pump organ that was once used to play music at funerals.
The artifacts are only part of the story.
The Heritage Center currently offers previews of five future exhibits and spaces, with more to come as renovation work progresses.
One future gallery will focus on farming, ranching and oil, highlighting the agricultural and petroleum history that helped shape Ellis County.
Another will focus on Walker Army Airfield and its role during World War II. The exhibit currently includes a bunk bed, with additional displays planned as work continues.
The future Discovery Center will feature hands-on exhibits designed to give visitors a more interactive way to experience local history.
The Heritage Center also will include a future site for the Ellis County Library and a gallery dedicated to Volga German heritage.
For now, many of those spaces remain unfinished.
Nevertheless, the open house offered visitors a chance to see where the project is headed and how much already has changed.
The transformation is especially significant considering the building sat vacant for more than a decade. The Heritage Center now gives families a place to see the names, photographs and stories of the people who came before them.
For Davis and Schippers, the history became personal in a way neither expected. They entered the Heritage Center looking through the Windholz family tree; they left knowing they had found family. The discovery may have lasted only a few moments, but the connection was generations in the making.
