Chamber Coffee at the Old Depot Museum Friday, January 25, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. 130 years ago this month, Franklin Countians were catching the train at Ottawa’s brand-new train depot. Join us at the Old Depot Museum for a special commemoration of a grand building and a tour of our exhibit, Iron, Steel, & Stone: The Life of a Depot. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (785) 242-1250 or e-mail us.
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Old Depot Museum, Ottawa, Kansas Tuesday, December 11, 10 a.m., 2 p.m., & 6:30 p.m. Free admission, Family Friendly The Old Depot Museum and Ottawa Library are partnering to bring Christmas Storytime to the Old Depot Museum! Join us for an a reading of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, crafts, and a tour of the museum! This program will be offered three times: 10 a.m., 2 p.m., or 6:30 p.m. This free event is perfect for the whole family!
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Historic Craft Class: Making Ornaments From Recycled Papers Wednesday, December 5 OR Wednesday, December 12 , 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Washburn Towers, 506 S Main, Ottawa, KS $4 class only; $ 9 class + craft kit Learn the history of exchanging Christmas greetings while creating your own traditional decorations out of Christmas cards and wrapping paper. The class is just $4 if you bring your own supplies (old or new holiday cards, wrapping paper, embroidery floss, large needles, other embellishments) or $9 for the class plus a supply kit…
Read MoreThe Franklin County Historical Society, Plaza Cinema, and Kansas Silent Film Festival are partnering to bring three fun and spooky films accompanied by live music to the Plaza Cinema, 209 S. Main, Ottawa, Kansas, on Saturday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. Bill Shaffer, former producer/director at KTWU, will emcee the October 20 event, which starts at 7 p.m. The evening’s lineup includes the short films Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920) and Dr. Pycle & Mr. Pryde (1925) and the feature film Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (also 1920). What…
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Plaza Cinema, 209 S Main, Ottawa, KS Saturday, October 20, 2018, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15 + tax The Plaza Cinema, Franklin County Historical Society, and Kansas Silent Film Festival are once again partnering to bring you a spectacular silent film event featuring a LIVE musical score performed by keyboardist Marvin Faulwell and percussionist Bob Keckeisen, with introductions by Bill Shaffer. This year’s films include shorts DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (1920), DR. PYCLE & MR. PRYDE (1925), and the feature length film DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (1920), starring John…
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Neosho County Community College, 900 E Logan, Ottawa, KS Sunday, November 4, 2018, 2 p.m. In 1918, an influenza epidemic killed millions of people around the world. One hundred years later, scientists and historians are still working to understand how it started. Historian Tyler Johnson will present the story of the 1918 Influenza outbreak’s start in Western Kansas, the national outbreak, Kansas’s battle against the flu, and how Ottawa fared during the outbreak. He will also discuss death tolls and theories of how the pandemic started. This program is free…
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Neosho County Community College, 900 E Logan, Ottawa, KS Sunday, October 21, 2018, 2 p.m. In 1854, after recently arriving from England, twenty-two-year-old Reuben Smith traveled west, eventually making his way to Kansas Territory. There he found himself in the midst of a bloody prelude to the Civil War, as Free Staters and defenders of slavery battled to stake their claim. For fifty years, Smith wrote fascinating narratives about all he observed and experienced during territorial days, the border war, civil war, and early Kansas politics (he served three terms…
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Iron, Steel, and Stone: The Life of a Depot Opens Sunday, October 14, 2018 Old Depot Museum, 135 W Tecumseh, Ottawa, Kansas One hundred and thirty years ago, carpenters were putting the finishing touches on the woodwork at the Santa Fe Depot in Ottawa, Kansas. It was a major milestone for a building that was little more than a hole in the ground for more than two years. The Old Depot Museum’s new exhibit, “Iron, Steel, & Stone: The Life of a Depot,” explores how the depot that almost wasn’t…
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Rick Hamman of Coffelt Sign Company puts the final touches on the newly restored 1962 Ottawa sign in the Model Railroad Room at the Old Depot Museum in Ottwa, Kansas. The sign is one of a pair that once served as a beacon for trains arriving at Ottawa’s fifth and final Santa Fe depot, which opened in 1962. Passenger service ended in 1971. Restoration and installation was completed by Coffelt Sign Company of Emporia, Kansas, and funded in part by a grant from the Caroline E. Hewitt Trust.
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Step back in time at the 1859 Dietrich Cabin! Learn about life in 19th-Century Franklin County. Dietrich Cabin is located in City Park at 5th and Main streets in Ottawa, Kansas. Kids are always welcome! Admission is free, but donations to help FCHS maintain the cabin are always appreciated. Fall2018 Dietrich Cabin Hours Sunday, August 26, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, September 15, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, September 23, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, October 28, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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