Walt Disney Hometown Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marceline, MO
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The Walt Disney Hometown Museum, located in the former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot.
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| Location | 120 East Santa Fe Avenue, Marceline, Missouri 64658 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opened | March 6 1888 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | May 11, 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1913 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Walt Disney Hometown Museum is a special place located in the old Santa Fe Railway Depot in Marceline, Missouri. It opened in 2001. The museum holds many items from the Disney family's time living on a farm in Marceline. They lived there from 1905 to 1909. The museum also shows items from Walt Disney's visit back to the town in 1946.
Contents
Walt Disney's Connection to Marceline
Marceline was a very important place for Walt Disney. He spent part of his childhood there. This time inspired many of his ideas for Disneyland and his movies. The museum helps visitors understand this special connection.
Treasures from the Disney Family
Many items in the museum were given by Ruth Flora Disney Beecher. She was Walt's sister. These items include personal letters and photos from the family. You can also see Walt Disney's wooden school desk. There is even a recording of him talking to his parents about their lives.
The Midget Autopia Ride
The museum has a very unique exhibit: parts of the Midget Autopia ride. This ride was originally at Disneyland. It is the only part of a Disneyland ride ever operated outside of Disneyland itself.
History of the Midget Autopia
Walt Disney donated the miniature car ride to Marceline. It was moved there after being taken apart at Disneyland. The town operated the ride in the Walt Disney Municipal Park. This was south of town. The ride ran from 1966 until 1977. It closed because insurance costs became too high. Also, it was hard to find replacement parts.
Bringing the Ride Back to Life
In 2015, the museum started a project to rebuild the Midget Autopia attraction. A single restored car from the original ride is on display. This car was the main focus of a Kickstarter project. The goal was to raise money to rebuild the ride. The project aimed to collect $500,000.
Marceline's Railroad History
The museum is located in a former train station. Because of this, it also shares the town's railroad history. You can see artifacts related to trains. One item is ATSF 5008, an EMD SD40 train engine. It was built in 1966.
See also
- Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
