Voelker Orth Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary, and Victorian Garden
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Voelker Orth house from 38th Avenue
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 Location in New York City
Location in New York
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| Location | 149-19 38th Ave. Flushing, Queens, New York, United States |
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| Built | c. 1891 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100005569 |
| Added to NRHP | September 18, 2020 |
The Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden is a special place in Murray Hill, Queens, New York City. It's a museum that helps us learn about history, nature, and art. It keeps alive the story of a German immigrant family's home and garden from the 1890s.
At the museum, you can explore the old house, see cool exhibits, and enjoy concerts. They also have workshops, fun festivals, and programs for families and schools. The main goal is to share the history of Flushing, Queens and its people. This includes showing what life was like in an immigrant family's home over 100 years ago. This historic property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
Contents
Discover the Voelker Orth Museum House
The museum is in a two-story house built in 1891. A local businessman named James Bouton built it as an investment. This was just two years after the Long Island Rail Road opened the Murray Hill train station nearby.
In 1899, a German immigrant named Conrad Voelcker bought the house. He moved in with his wife Elizabeth and their baby daughter Theresa. After Conrad passed away in 1930, his daughter Theresa and her husband, Dr. Rudolph Orth, lived there.
Their daughter, Elisabetha Orth, lived in the house for most of her life. She made sure that the museum would be created after she was gone. When the museum officially started, the house was carefully restored. Old photos from the early 1900s helped the architects make it look just right. The rooms inside show how the Orth family lived in the 1930s. The house became a New York City Landmark in 2007.
Explore the Victorian Garden and Bird Sanctuary
One of the most amazing parts of the museum is its Victorian garden. This garden is kept beautiful using old-fashioned gardening methods from the 18th century. Gardeners use hand pruning and natural fertilizers to care for the plants.
The garden is also a special bird sanctuary. It has many types of berry bushes and trees that attract wild birds. You might see sparrows, mockingbirds, robins, cardinals, and blue jays flying around. The museum even has a bee hive! They collect honey from the bees for educational programs and to sell in their gift shop. In 2005, the Voelker Orth Museum Garden won a Gold Award for its beauty.
Learn About the Voelcker Family History
Conrad Voelcker was born in Edenkoben, Germany. He came to the United States in 1881 when he was 19 years old. He started a printing business and a German language newspaper called Der Pfälzer in Amerika in 1884.
Conrad lived in Manhattan, New Jersey, and Brooklyn before moving to the Murray Hill area of Flushing, Queens. He bought the house there after marrying Elizabeth Maibach. Their only daughter, Theresa, was about one year old when they moved. Flushing was a nice suburb of Manhattan then, with a quick trip to work.
Conrad stopped selling his newspaper around 1917, when the United States joined World War I. This was likely because of strong feelings against German culture at the time. Conrad retired from printing in 1925.
The Orth Family and the Museum's Beginning
Conrad's daughter Theresa married Dr. Rudolph Orth. He was a doctor who served in World War I. Their first daughter, Elisabetha “Betty” Orth, was born in 1926. In 1935, they adopted a nine-year-old girl named Barbara.
Elisabetha Orth went to New York University and studied English Literature. She later earned a master's degree in Theater from the University of Texas. Elisabetha lived with her mother in the family home for many years after her father passed away in 1948. Barbara married and moved away.
Theresa Orth died in 1992. Elisabetha passed away three years later in 1995. In her will, Elisabetha Orth left money to create the Voelker Orth Museum. She wanted it to be a place where people could learn and explore.
Gallery
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South facade from 38th Avenue
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From southwest of the house
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From southeast of the house
