The Drummer's Room
Long before online catalogs and showroom floors, salesmen—known as "drummers"—traveled from town to town, carrying their goods and wares in heavy trunks, eager to strike deals with local businesses. In Ellinwood, Kansas, these traveling salesmen found a unique and strategic stop: The Drummer’s Room, hidden beneath the bustling streets in the Ellinwood Underground.
Located within the network of underground businesses, the Drummer’s Room served as both a workspace and a showroom for these traveling peddlers. Here, drummers would set up displays of fabrics, tools, housewares, and other goods, inviting local shopkeepers and businessmen to inspect their samples in comfort—away from the dust, heat, and unpredictable weather of the Kansas plains.
The Drummer’s Room became a hub of commerce. Business was done with a handshake, orders were placed on the spot, and new trends in fashion, household goods, and farming equipment made their way into the hands of Ellinwood’s shopkeepers.
Today, visitors can step into the Drummer’s Room and experience firsthand the atmosphere of an era when face-to-face sales were the backbone of commerce. The space showcases products that would have filled the shelves of the Drummer's Room during the 19th & 20th centuries.
