Tag: Franklin County Historical Society

Holiday Hours

Diana Staresinic-Deane
Text: Holiday Hours. Background Image features a winter scene with snow, a snowman, and evergreen trees.

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…

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

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…

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Phased Reopening Begins June 17!

Diana Staresinic-Deane

August 9, 2020: Our hours and availability have updated! Please click here for the latest information. Beginning June 17, the Old Depot Museum and the Franklin County Records & Research Center will phase into reopening with appointments during limited hours. Museums and archives face special challenges during a pandemic because artifacts and archives cannot be sanitized without risking permanent harm to the object. Limiting exposure and allowing time for viruses and bacteria to die off naturally is an important line of defense in keeping staff, volunteers, visitors, and artifacts safe.…

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CANCELED: April 22: Unboxing History (Facebook Live Event)

Diana Staresinic-Deane

CANCELED: Unboxing History Series (Online!) Wednesday, April 22, 2 p.m. Franklin County Records & Research Center We’re going to do this program via Facebook Live! Follow us on Facebook for details. The Franklin County Historical Society is home to more than 67,000 artifacts, including textiles, photographs, archives, and other objects. You’re invited to explore the hidden world of the FCHS collection–one box at a time! During each program in our new Unboxing History series, Collections Manager Gloria Kruse and Archives and Research Specialist Ashley Brannan will select one box of…

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FCHS facilities temporarily closed to public

Diana Staresinic-Deane

In order to protect our staff, volunteers, researchers and visitors, the Franklin County Historical Society is taking the following precautions: The Old Depot Museum at 135 W Tecumseh in Ottawa, Kansas, will be closed to the public through Sunday, March 29 until further notice. We recognize that Kansas’ experience with COVID-19 is changing rapidly, and FCHS buildings will remain closed while KDHE and the county health department recommend limiting group sizes. The Franklin County Records & Research Center at 1124 W 7th Street Terrace in Ottawa, Kansas, will be closed…

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CANCELED March 13: Pi Kappa Delta Centennial Exhibit Grand Opening Reception

Diana Staresinic-Deane

Pi Kappa Delta: The Art of Persuasion: from Ottawa to the World 1913-2020 Exhibit Grand Opening Reception Friday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Old Depot Museum   In order to protect our staff, volunteers, researchers, and visitors, the Franklin County Historical Society is closing our facilities to the public and canceling events through March 29. The Pi Kappa Delta grand opening has been canceled, but the exhibit will open to the public at a later date. For more information, click here. Pi Kappa Delta, the oldest comprehensive intercollegiate…

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December 3 program explores heroism or villainy of abolitionist John Brown

Diana Staresinic-Deane
John Brown, as painted by John Steurt Curry.

160 years ago this December, John Brown was executed following the raid on Harper’s Ferry. On Tuesday, December 3, 7 p.m., Ottawa University Associate Professor Ryan Louis will present “Commemorating John Brown: Hero, Villain, or Neither?” at the Ottawa campus of Neosho County Community College, 900 East Logan, in Ottawa, Kansas. To say that John Brown is a polarizing historical character does not do justice to the sheer intensity with which people and communities remember him, says Ryan Louis. Brown is commemorated in more than a dozen states and around…

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Announcing the Laura Ingalls Wilder Commemorative Series

Diana Staresinic-Deane

Library and historical society launch Laura Ingalls Wilder Commemorative Series Ottawa, Kansas—125 years ago, Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family traveled through Franklin County on their way to what would be their permanent home in Mansfield, Missouri. This fall, Ottawa Library and the Franklin County Historical Society are partnering to commemorate the event while exploring Wilder’s impact on Kansas and literature. On August 16, the Wilders entered Franklin County. In her journal, which would later be published as On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota…

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Saturday, April 13: The Victory Garden Movement

Diana Staresinic-Deane
WWI and WWI posters promoting Victory Gardens

The Victory Garden Movement  Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m.  Neosho County Community College, 900 E Logan, Ottawa, KS  Free Event   “Victory Gardens” were home and community gardens used to grow fruits and vegetables at a time when food, fuel, transportation, and labor were in short supply. Though these gardens have their roots in the Home Front efforts of World War I and World War II, the concept of Victory Gardening can be applied today. Loretta Craig will present a history of Victory Gardens, including why they were so important…

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Saturday, March 9: Researching Your Home and the People Who’ve Lived There

Diana Staresinic-Deane

Researching Your Home and the People Who’ve Lived There  Saturday, March 9, 2 p.m.  Neosho County Community College, 900 E Logan, Ottawa, KS  Free Event Researching a property—whether an old home, a new business, or a section of pastureland—can do more than tell us the history of a space; it can also help us build a human connection to the people who came before us and the history they experienced. This presentation helps participants consider creative ways to study documents and assemble a meaningful narrative with information found through research.…

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