Big Well Museum, Greensburg, Kansas Postcard

"Big Well Visitor's Center and Museum, Greensburg, Kansas" by Catherine Sherman The Big Well Museum in Greensburg, Kansas, replaces a museum that was destroyed by a tornado in 2007. The Kansas State Motto, "Ad astra per aspera" is on the museum sign, which is an appropriate motto for Greensburg. The motto means "to the stars through difficulties." On the evening of May 4, 2007, Greensburg was devastated by an EF5 tornado that leveled at least 95 percent of the city, killing eleven people between the ages of 46 and 84. Today, Greensburg is a model "green town," often described as the greenest in America. The hospital, city hall, and school have all been built to the highest certification level issued by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The well reopened on May 26, 2012 The Big Well is a large historic water well in Greensburg, Kansas, United States. It began construction in 1887 at a cost of $45,000 to provide water for the Santa Fe and Rock Island railroads and finished construction in 1888, according to Wikipedia. It served as the municipal water supply until 1932. It was designated a National Museum in 1972; in 1973 it was awarded an American Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association. Under the name of "Greensburg Well," it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1972. In 2008, the well was named one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas. The well had a visitor's center detailing the history of the well's construction. The new visitor's center, also known as the Big Well Museum, contains a circular timeline of the city of Greensburg in three stages, including the beginnings of Greensburg, the Tornadic event, and the Eco-Friendly Rebuilding of Greensburg. The Big Well Museum contains information on the formation of tornadoes and explains the meteorological phenomenon that took place to spawn such an event. There are interactive pull-outs in the walls, as well as televisions, cards, and infographics depicting historical events, interviews, tragedies, model survival kits, and other tornado related items. Around the museum are elements of storm debris, including stop signs, street signs, clocks, and tornado sirens. The visitor's center also displayed a Brenham half-ton (1,000 lb, 450 kg) pallasite meteorite recovered from the area.