Franklin County Historical Society – Franklin County Historical Society

April 27, 2025 – Union Guerillas of Civil War Kansas (online & in person)

March 31, 2025March 31, 2025 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Book cover for Union Guerillas of Civil War Kansas, featuring four portraits of men in 19th century attire

Union Guerillas of Civil War Kansas presented by Paul Thomas and Matt Matthews Sunday, April 27, 2025, 2 p.m. FCHS Archives & Research Center, 2011 E Logan St, Ottawa, KS Or register for Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hZeBB-whSbyM_aXAzM8m-A Both before and during the American Civil War, ragtag groups of Kansas militants patrolled the Kansas-Missouri border. Known as “Jayhawkers” and later “Red Legs,” they raided anyone they believed sympathetic to secession. For many in the state, these irregular warriors were heroes fighting for a Free Kansas and preservation of the Union; for their victims,…

April 5, 2025 – Third Annual 5K Run for History (Fun Run/Walk)

March 31, 2025 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Silhouettes of runners. Text reads 5K Run For History.

Third Annual 5K Run for History (Fun Run/Walk) Saturday, April 5, 2025, 9 a.m. Old Depot Museum, 135 W Tecumseh St, Ottawa, KS Register for the race: https://runsignup.com/Race/KS/Ottawa/FranklinCountyHistoricalSociety5K Follow the historic routes of the AT&SF and Missouri Pacific Railroads past historic neighborhoods, a scenic cemetery, and the Marais des Cygnes River. Whether you want to set your best time or enjoy a stroll with your friends, your $25 registration fee will help support the Franklin County Historical Society. Commemorative t-shirts are guaranteed for all registrations received by March 21.…

April 23, 2025 – History Trivia Night

March 31, 2025 Diana Staresinic-Deane

History Trivia Night. Graphic includes neon signs and light bulbs.

History Trivia Night Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Not Lost Brewing, 229 S Main St, Ottawa, KS 66067 Doors Open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets: https://square.link/u/etM581FU Bring your random history knowledge to the Franklin County Historical Society’s first-ever History Trivia Night! All proceeds will support the Franklin County Historical Society. Play solo or bring a team! Tickets include one beverage; participants are welcome to bring food from other local restaurants. Special thanks to Not Lost Brewing, Shanda Olmsted/Prestige Real Estate, and Kansas State Bank for sponsoring this…

November 2 Program: Beyond the Veil: A History of Spiritualism

October 13, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Beyond the Veil: A History of Spiritualism Thursday, November 2, 2023, 7 p.m. In person: FCHS Archives & Research Center, 2011 E Logan St, Ottawa, KS 66067 Online: Zoom (registration required) or Facebook Live It seems one of the eternal questions that has plagued humanity centers around what happens to us when we die. Most modern religions try to tackle this question, but none did so with more fervor than modern Spiritualism. What started in a cabin in New York with two young girls quickly spread across the globe.…

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…

NEW DATE February 6, 2022: Santa Fe depot architecture subject of virtual annual meeting

March 29, 2022March 29, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

“Santa Fe Depots: Form and Function,” presented by Bob Walz 85th Annual Meeting of the Members of the Franklin County Historical Society Recording Available Update: In deference to our Chiefs fans, we are moving our program to February 6, 2022, 2 p.m. What exactly is a depot and what is it for? Using images of depots along the Eastern and Western Lines of the AT&SF Railroad, Bob Walz will examine the history of the development of Santa Fe depots, from repurposed boxcars to large, ornate depots and everything in…

FCHS to host “Voices and Votes,” traveling Smithsonian exhibit, in 2023!

March 9, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Text reads Voices and Votes Democracy in America

The Smithsonian is coming to Ottawa! Franklin County Historical Society to host “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” Ottawa, Kansas – The Franklin County Historical Society in Ottawa is hosting “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America,” a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. “Voices and Votes” will be in Ottawa from August 19, 2023 to October 1, 2023 at the Old Depot Museum, 135 West Tecumseh Street. The “Voices and Votes” Kansas tour is sponsored by Humanities Kansas in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program. “Voices and…