Students are taking an interest in one of Baker University’s most historical, but forgotten structures.

Old Castle Museum housed the first classes at Baker and was the first campus building when the university opened in 1858. However, with recent budget cuts, and a lack of interest from the community, people have forgotten its importance.

“Three men gave big plots of land to the educational association so the university could sell those lots and make money to build Old Castle and then the rest of campus,” Jen McCollough, director of archives and museum, said. “So, Baldwin (City) is actually a product of Baker.”

The museum is open to the public and is hosting an exhibit for Hispanic Heritage Month, but aside from family weekend, the museum hasn’t seen many visitors.

The first floor of the museum holds the exhibits, while the second and third floors are filled with artifacts.

Some of these are recorded and labeled, but other items are unidentifiable.

“There’s a lot of stuff in there that no one knows what it is,” junior Andrew Woodworth said.

Woodworth is trying to start a group on campus to support Old Castle with the organization and identification of items in the museum.

Woodworth is hoping to raise money for the museum to offset as much of the budget cut as possible.

“A number of students have expressed an interest to help out with this and to annually organize a fundraiser,” Woodworth said.

Many students learn about Old Castle through history classes such as History of Kansas: Its Peoples and Cultures and Lab Course in Historical Methods, taught by Assistant Professor of History Leonard Ortiz.

“I usually go in once a semester per class,” Ortiz said.

Some professors use Old Castle to teach students about artifacts at the school and to give them a hands-on way of learning to research historical items.

Ortiz said the history department hopes one day the building will be restored and updated with technology to hold lectures, labs and guest speakers.

“It’s one of those things that hasn’t been a priority, so, it’s kind of put on the back burner until there (are) funds available to finance people to operate it,” Ortiz said.

With a student group in the works to raise money and volunteer for Old Castle, new hope remains for an old, but meaningful building.

The La Yarda exhibit, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, is on display in Old Castle Museum from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Oct. 15.