Events – Page 4 – Franklin County Historical Society

Holiday Hours

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Holiday Hours at the Franklin County Historical Society Both the Franklin County Records & Research Center and the Old Depot Museum will be open regular business hours through December 30. Please note: Masks are required for all visitors regardless of vaccination status. For more information on current rules and restrictions, click here. Special Hours at the Old Depot Museum: 12/24 (Friday) – CLOSED 12/25 (Saturday) – CLOSED 12/26 (Sunday) – CLOSED 12/27 (Monday) – CLOSED 12/28 (Tuesday ) – OPEN 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 12/29 (Wednesday) – OPEN 10…

October 12: The Orphan Train Movement (Online Event)

October 28, 2021October 28, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

A train has pulled into the station. A large group of people crowd around the train as passengers deboard.

The Orphan Train Movement presented by Kaily Carson Tueday, October 12, 2021 – 7 p.m. RECORDING AVAILABLE! Between 1854 and 1929, 250,000 children migrated from the East Coast to the West and Midwest on orphan trains. Learn how and why the orphan train system developed, how it worked, and hear the stories of orphan train riders to Franklin County. This free online program is presented by Kaily Carson, curator at the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas. Image: An orphan train arrives in Blue Rapids, Kansas. Photo courtesy…

POSTPONED: November 14: Main Street Richmond: 1880-1980 (online program)

October 28, 2021October 28, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

An aerial view of a street lined with businesses and cars.

Main Street Richmond: 1880-1980 presented by Dennis Peters Register at Zoom or watch via Facebook Live The small town of Richmond, Kansas, has changed a lot over the years. Changing businesses, shifting community needs, and destructive fires have shaped and reshaped the community. Dennis Peters, volunteer with the Richmond Community Museum, will present a history of Richmond through photographs in the museum’s collection. This program will be rescheduled as in in-person program in the spring of 2022.

New exhibit explores transition from horse-drawn buggies to horseless carriages

September 17, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Background: a photo of Central Street in Richmond, Kansas, showing both a horce and buggy and an automobile. The words "Horse Power" are in the foreground.

Horse Power Now through August 2022 at the Old Depot Museum The Franklin County Historical Society’s newest exhibit, “Horse Power,” explores the transition from horse-drawn buggies to horseless carriages and how the automobile shaped our streets and our culture. The exhibit will be on display at the Old Depot Museum in Ottawa, Kansas, through August 2022. In 1899, the Ottawa Herald reported that “Franklin County has 6,622 horses. As yet, she has no automobiles.” “Horseless carriages” were still a rarity in Kansas; in 1900, Kansas ranked tenth in the…

June 29: Dirt, Grit, & Jell-O Salad–How We Survived the Great Depression (Online Event)

May 4, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Text: Dirt, Grit, and Jello-Salad--How We survived the Great Depression. Presented by Beccy Tanner. June 29, 7 p.m. Zoom and Facebook Live. Images include a woman with shoulder-length hair and glasses (Beccy Tanner), and a family of itinerant workers dressed in 1930s clothing, holding hats. Two small children sit in a makeshift wagon.

Dirt, Grit, & Jell-O Salad–How We Survived the Great Depression presented by Beccy Tanner Tuesday, June 29, 7 p.m. Via Zoom & Facebook Live Click here to register for Zoom access Generations after the Great Depression, Kansans still define themselves and rural communities largely in the same terms their grandparents and great-grandparents once used–“hard-working, close-knit, loyal, and faithful.” But the dynamics have changed. Fewer Kansans are growing up on farms. More than 70 percent of people in Kansas now identify themselves as living in urban communities. Today, rural Kansans face…

April 13: Trails of Kansas: Past, Present, and Future (Online Event)

April 23, 2021April 23, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Green-leafed trees arch over a gravel trail. The cover of the book Kansas Trail Guide is highlighted in the lower left corner.

Trails of Kansas: Past, Present, and Future presented by Jonathan Conard and Kristin Conard April 13, 7 p.m. Click here for recording The history of trails runs deep across the Kansas plains. From the historic Oregon, Santa Fe, and Chisholm Trails to the steady growth in recreational trails throughout our state today, there are more opportunities than ever to explore Kansas on foot, bike, or horseback. Trails that connect the past to the present are found throughout the state and we highlight some of the most scenic and interesting trails…

May 4: Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills (Online Event)

March 25, 2021March 25, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills presented by Rex Buchanan Tuesday, May 4, 7 p.m. Via Zoom and Facebook Live Click here to register for Zoom Access Too often Kansas history seems to start with the Coronado’s trip through the state in 1541. For centuries before European arrival, Native people lived on the plains, and some left behind rock carvings on soft sandstone in the middle of the state. Based on the book Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills (University Press of Kansas, 2019), this presentation focuses on these carvings,…

January 31:Historic maps the topic of this year’s virtual historical society annual meeting

February 12, 2021April 4, 2021 Diana Staresinic-Deane

An image of a hand-drawn 19th century map, featuring streets, buildings, and the Marais des Cygnes River is in the background. A photo of a man with a beard is featured in the foreground. The words "Mapping the Past" and "84th Annual Meeting of the Members of the Franklin County Historical Society" float over the map.

“Mapping the Past,” presented by Kelly Johnston 84th Annual Meeting of the Members of the Franklin County Historical Society Sunday, January 31, 2021, 2 p.m. Click Here For Recording Before technology like drones, aerial photography, and GPS, 19th and early 20th century cartographers were creating incredibly accurate and detailed maps of small and large towns and their historic structures. Kelly Johnston will explore the history of some of these maps and how they can be used to research the history of buildings and towns during his presentation at…

POSTPONED: Foam on the Range, presented by Isaias McCaffery – December 16

November 17, 2020December 8, 2020 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Foam on the Range Wednesday, December 16, 7 p.m. Watch via Facebook Live Wherever You Are Watch at Not Lost Brewing and enjoy a round courtesy of The Gun Guys in Ottawa, KS This event has been postponed. A new date will be announced in the spring. Settle in with your favorite beverage for a story about prohibition, an attempt to thwart immigrant brewers, and immigrant perseverance in Kansas! Watch this program live online from wherever you are or watch it over dinner and beer at Not Lost Brewing! Details…

Exhibit celebrates Women’s Suffrage in Kansas and Missouri

November 17, 2020 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Several African American Women lobbying for the right to vote stand in a line.

Demanding a Greater Future: Celebrating a Centennial of Women’s Suffrage Now through December 5 Old Depot Museum “…because she is a progressive being ever out-growing the past and demanding a higher and greater future…” – Moneka Women’s Rights Association statement of purpose, 1858 Demanding a Greater Future: Celebrating a Centennial of Women’s Suffrage marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment by exploring the efforts women in Missouri and Kansas undertook to secure voting rights. Demanding a Greater Future examines the national struggle for women’s suffrage to…