Entry No. 25 — the Wichita file — filed under: WPA statue
World's Tallest Mennonite (Mennonite Settler Statue)
A 17-foot native Kansas limestone WPA statue from 1942, nicknamed the "World's Tallest Mennonite" by Roadside America, it depicts a bearded farmer in a posture of prayer and honors the Mennonite settlers who brought Turkey Red hard winter wheat from Russia to Kansas in 1874. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998 and fully restored in 2000, it's one of the quirkier pieces of roadside Americana in the Wichita orbit.
The move: Drive out to Athletic Park, stand next to the towering stone farmer for obligatory scale photos, then follow up with a stop at one of Newton's Mennonite-heritage bakeries or the Kauffman Museum on the Bethel College campus nearby to put the wheat-and-settlers story into fuller context.
📍 Before you go The statue stands on the circular drive inside Newton's Athletic Park, a free public city park about a half-hour north of Wichita off I-135. Look for it near the Fischer Field football stadium; it faces north toward a small parking lot and playground, so park by the lot and walk over for your scale photos. It's fully outdoors with no shade or shelter, so pick a clear day and good light, and note that ballfield tournaments can crowd the lots. An on-site marker fills in the backstory, and Bethel College's campus sits a few minutes north in North Newton.
- 📍 Newton
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Athletic Park, 181 Athletic Park Dr, Newton, KS 67114
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · livingnewdeal.org · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-06-07