Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

The number of working women, both single and married, increased by more than 50 percent during World War II. Many were relegated to lower-level positions, such as clerks and cafeteria servers, but others became skilled mechanics, electricians, and ordnance workers.

In Wichita, twenty-four women learned aircraft construction skills at the National Defense Training School. Vocational instructors taught men and women welding, sheet metal work, and riveting, skills in demand at area aircraft plants. Upon completion of training, students qualified for immediate employment in the city's aircraft industries, offering the same pay to men and women.

Join us to learn more about the at Aviation Weekend at the Historical Museum, July 11th & 12th!

204 S Main Street; Wichita, KS 67202
Doors open at 1pm
Programs start at 2pm - McIlwaine Quarterly Speaker Series – Stearman Centennial
Open to the Public
Free Admission

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Pictured: Photo by staff photographer at McCormick Armstrong Commercial Printer of Wichita's National Defense Training School students, April 1943.

Boeing-Wichita workers operated around-the-clock shifts in aircraft plants to meet WWII contracts. By 1941, the Boeing-Wichita cafeteria was the biggest restaurant in Kansas, equipped to serve 15,000 hot meals a day to workers at their place on the line. In 1941, it used 5,000 pounds of meat, 3,500 pounds of potatoes, 100 gallons of navy beans, 7,500 salads, 1,875 loaves of bread, and 1,250 homemade pies every day! Peak employment in December 1943 at Boeing-Wichita was nearly 30,000, half of whom were women.

Join us to learn more about the at Aviation Weekend at the Historical Museum, July 11th & 12th!

204 S Main Street; Wichita, KS 67202
Doors open at 1pm
Programs start at 2pm - McIlwaine Quarterly Speaker Series – Stearman Centennial
Open to the Public
Free Admission

A student at the Cessna Flying School in 1917, Edgar B. Smith documented the community for decades from the air and on the ground. Smith's aerial photographs gave the community previously unseen views of the area, often focusing on commercial districts and downtown Wichita.

Join us to learn more about the at Aviation Weekend at the Historical Museum, July 11th & 12th!

204 S Main Street; Wichita, KS 67202

Doors open at 1pm
Programs start at 2pm - McIlwaine Quarterly Speaker Series – Stearman Centennial
Open to the Public
Free Admission

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Pictured: Edgar B. Smith stands next to his WWI-vintage J-1 biplane.

Postcard with aerial view, dates to 1926.