News – Page 2 – Franklin County Historical Society

June 25: German Prisoners of War in Franklin County (program)

May 1, 2023May 1, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Two men doing farm work. One man has "PW" on the back of his shirt. There is a wagon with livestock and farm buildings in the background. Photo by J.B. Muecke.

German Prisoners of War in Franklin County presented by Candie Campbell Sunday, June 25, 2023, 2 p.m. In person: FCHS Archives & Research Center, 2011 East Logan Street, Ottawa Online: Zoom or Facebook Live During World War II, nearly 400,000 German, Italian, and Japanese military were captured and housed in almost 700 camps throughout the United States. More than a dozen of those camps were located in Kansas, including a German POW camp in Ottawa in Franklin County. But why were prisoners of war brought to America? Candie Campbell…

March 26: Kiiloona Munsiiw/We Are Munsee: The Munsee Tribe in Kansas

February 17, 2023March 17, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Kiiloona Munsiiw/We Are Munsee: The Munsee Tribe in Kansas presented by Mike Ford Sunday, March 26, 2023, 2 p.m. In Person: FCHS Archives & Research Center, 2011 East Logan Street, Ottawa, Kansas Online: Facebook Live or Zoom Local Munsee historian Mike Ford will discuss the history of The Munsee Tribe in Kansas from their tribe’s survival following the Gnadenhutten Massacre of March 8th, 1782 as their journey takes them through Moravian missions in Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario, Upper Canada; from the New Fairfield Moravian mission on the Thames River through…

March 5: Retelling Sod and Stubble

February 17, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Text: Retelling Sod and Stubble. Presented by Ken Spurgeon. 03/05/2023 2 p.m. In person or Online via Zoom or Facebook Live. Image shows men, women, and children standing in front of a house.

Retelling Sod and Stubble Presented by Ken Spurgeon Sunday, March 5, 2023, 2 p.m. In person: FCHS Archives & Research Center, 2011 East Logan Street, Ottawa, Kansas Online via Zoom & Facebook Live Many Kansans have read SOD AND STUBBLE, John Ise’s incredible “non-fiction novel” about German immigrant Henry Ise and his devoted wife, Rosie Haas Ise, who with tenacity and devotion fight to craft a home for their family on the plains of Kansas. The book, which includes additional material by Von Rothenberger, is known for its realism. This…

January 29: John Brown and Lane, Kansas, subject of 86th Annual FCHS Meeting presentation

January 29, 2023January 29, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Foreground: Portrait of John Brown showing a man was graying hair, sharp facial features, a white shirt with collar, and dark jacket. Background: historic map showing Franklin County in the center.

John Brown and Lane, Kansas presented by Grady Atwater 86th Annual Meeting of the Members of the Franklin County Historical Society Sunday, January 29, 2023, 2 p.m. In person: FCHS Archives & Research Center, 2011 E Logan St, Ottawa, KS Online: Zoom and Facebook Live Handouts for this program: Annual Meeting program Wishlist Kansas-Missouri Border Map John Brown in Kansas Territory Map The Pottawatomie Massacre was over in a matter of hours, but it effects rippled throughout the world. Grady Atwater, site administrator for the John Brown Museum…

April 1: Run For History 5K Run/Walk

January 16, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Text reads: 5K Run for History. Image: Silhouettes of runners.

Run for History 5K Fun Run/Walk Saturday, April 1, 2023, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Old Depot Museum, 135 West Tecumseh Street, Ottawa, Kansas Feel the spirit of the trains as you trace the paths of the former AT&SF and Missouri Pacific railroad lines during our April 1, 2023 5K Run/Walk, which kicks off at the 1888 Old Depot Museum! Whether you set your best time or enjoy a stroll with your friends, your $25 registration fee will help support the Franklin County Historical Society. Register early and receive a…

Goppert Foundation gift funds paint restoration on historic caboose

October 12, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Brightly painted caboose. A "Wet Paint" sign hangs from a barrier in front of it.

If you’re driving down K-68 or pedaling your bike on the Prairie Spirit Trail, you won’t be able to miss the brilliant new paint job on the Old Depot Museum’s 1940s caboose. Thanks to a generous gift from the Goppert Foundation, the Franklin County Historical Society is restoring the exterior paint on the historic 1940s caboose parked on the rails at the Old Depot Museum. Work began this past weekend and will be completed this week, weather permitting. A long and interesting life on the rails Built at the Atchison,…

November 1: W.H. “Dad” Martin, Photographer, Ottawa, Kansas (online program)

October 8, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Man and woman sit in an early 1900s automobile. Gigantic eggs fill the back seat and a large potato is strapped to the back. Two children hang from the side.

W.H. “Dad” Martin, Photographer, Ottawa, Kansas presented by Morgan Williams Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 7 p.m. Online via Zoom of Facebook Live The life and times of W. H. “Dad” Martin as a photographer, world’s champion creator and publisher of exaggeration photo postcards, highway sign manufacturer, and philanthropist in Ottawa, Kansas. Martin from 1908-1910 created over 60 exaggerated photographic images showing farming, fishing and hunting in Franklin County, Kansas. He produced, through his Martin Post Card Company, more that 8 million real photo postcards in Ottawa, Kansas. The program will…

October 21: Chamber Coffee @ FCHS Archives & Research Center

October 7, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Bookcases filled with books. Tables and chairs. File cabinets. Large prints of historic photos in the background.

Chamber Coffee Friday, October 21, 2022, 8 a.m. FCHS Archives & Research Center 2011 East Logan Street, Ottawa, Kansas 66067 We’re excited to share our new location with you! Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Franklin County Historical Society’s Archives & Research Center and learn more about how we hope to use our new space. For more information, call (785) 242-1232 or e-mail Diana Staresinic-Deane.

NEW DATE – October 23: Dress for Success: Nelly Don and American Fashion (in-person program)

October 6, 2022October 7, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Image shows fashion sketch of women's clothing

Dress for Success: Nelly Don and American Fashion Presented by Marla Day Sunday, October 9, 2022, October 23, 2022, 2 p.m. Greenwood Community Center 2705 Florida Rd, Pomona, Kansas 66076 NEW DATE: Due to an unforeseen illness, this program has been postponed and will be held on Sunday, October 23. You can’t mention 20th-century women’s wear without thinking of Nelly Don. The Parsons native built a fashion empire on the vision that women deserved affordable, stylish clothing regardless of means or status. From humble beginnings, Don built a company that…

Summer 2022: 1859 Dietrich Cabin Tours

May 25, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Image shows a stone fireplace. A large gold-framed wedding photo of a couple rests on a mantel. The fireplace is surrounded by household items common in the 1800s.

1859 Dietrich Cabin Tours First Saturday in June, July, & August, 10 a.m. to Noon Dietrich Cabin is reopening for tours! Originally located southwest of present-day Princeton, Dietrich Cabin was built in 1859 by German immigrants Jacob and Catherine Dietrich, who came to Franklin County in 1857. A century later, descendants of the family donated the cabin to the Franklin County Historical Society, and the cabin was moved to City Park. The cabin represents the story of the Dietrich family and hundreds of other early settlers who came to Franklin…