Tag: Ottawa

November 12: History Trivia Night

Diana Staresinic-Deane
HISTORY TRIVIA NIGHT in neon lettering, surrounded by nerdy thought bubble lightbulbs.

History Trivia Night Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Not Lost Brewing, 229 S Main, Ottawa, KS Tickets: $25 each History Trivia Night is back by popular demand! Bring your random history knowledge to the Franklin County Historical Society’s History Trivia Night! All proceeds will support the Franklin County Historical Society. Play solo or bring a team! Tickets include one beverage. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Special thanks to Not Lost Brewing, Shanda Olmsted/Prestige Real Estate, and Kansas State Bank for sponsoring this event. Tickets are $25…

Read More

October 24: Ottawa Memorial Auditorium Paranormal Investigation

Diana Staresinic-Deane
A large brick building trimmed with stone.

Ottawa Memorial Auditorium Paranormal Investigation Friday, October 24, 2025, 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. 301 S Hickory St, Ottawa, Kansas Tickets: $35 + fees   The Ottawa Memorial Auditorium and the Franklin County Historical Society host a one-night paranormal investigation of the OMA. Join us Friday, October 24th at 7:30pm for an evening of history, guided investigations of public and backstage spaces and 30 minutes of free-range investigation. We’ll conclude the evening with a group gathering to discuss our findings. The paranormal investigation is recommended for ages 14 and up.…

Read More

October 16: The Farewell Tour: The Death Industry Downtown Ottawa Walking Tour

Diana Staresinic-Deane
Victorian-era downtown buildings. Building on far left includes a large sign that reads COFFINS & CASKETS.

The Farewell Tour: The Death Industry Downtown Ottawa Walking Tour Thursday, October 16, 2025, 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Tours begin at Haley Park, 201 S Main, Ottawa, Kansas   Death is part of life in any town, and death industry services–undertakers, coffin makers, stone carvers, and concrete vault casters–have been an important part of Ottawa’s downtown since the town was founded. The Franklin County Historical Society’s August Third Thursdays Walking Tour will explore the history of Ottawa’s downtown death-related businesses in buildings along Main Street. Tours are free,…

Read More

October 13: Buildings On the Brink Series: 207 S Main & 401 S Main

Diana Staresinic-Deane
A large two-story brick building at an intersection.

Buildings On the Brink Series: 207 S Main & 401 S Main Monday, October 13, 7 p.m. Ottawa Memorial Auditorium, 301 S Hickory, Ottawa, KS   Have you ever walked by an empty downtown historic building and hoped someone would bring it back to life? The Buildings on the Brink series features stories about downtown buildings that are now thriving, as told by the owners who gave those buildings a new life. We’ll explore the history of those buildings, the vision of their owners, and the trials and tribulations of…

Read More

October 25-26: Paranormal Investigations at Ottawa Memorial Auditorium

Diana Staresinic-Deane

FCHS and OMA are partnering to offer you the opportunity to investigate the haunted century-old Ottawa Memorial Auditorium! Click here for October 25 Stage Fright Tickets Click here for October 26 Boos and Brews Tickets Stories of otherworldly activities have haunted the century-old auditorium for decades. This October, ghost hunters will have the opportunity to investigate the rumors themselves. Ottawa Memorial Auditorium and the Franklin County Historical Society are partnering to take investigators behind the scenes at OMA to confirm or refute stories of ghosts in the historic auditorium. Stage…

Read More

July 20: Morning at the Mission: A Program and Tour at the Historic Ottawa Indian Mission & Burying Ground

Diana Staresinic-Deane
Illustration. A woodframe meeting house stands within a wooden fence. Grave markers are visible to the left. Small houses and people are scattered among the trees and fields. Wagons and horses are parked along a dirt road. A stone pillar with a plaque reading Ottawa Indian Mission and Burying Ground: Graves of J Meeker, Founder, Chief Comchau, Notino, The Medicine Man, J. Tecumseh Jones Founder of OU in the foreground.

Morning at the Mission: A Program and Tour at the Historic Ottawa Indian Mission & Burying Ground featuring Kalisha Dixon Pheasant, Chief of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma John Mark Lambertson, Historian Saturday, July 20, 2024, 9 a.m. 3375 Osborne Terrace, Ottawa, Kansas, 66067  Tickets: $25 in Advance; $30 at the Gate Current Ottawa University students free with student ID at the gate Founded by Jotham Meeker after the 1844 flood destroyed much of the original 1837 mission site, the Ottawa Indian Mission was home to the Ottawa of Blanchard’s Fork…

Read More

June 3: Reid-Duderstadt Historic House Tour: Renewed, Reused, Restored

Diana Staresinic-Deane
2 1/2 story Italian Renaissance Revival house with a red tile roof, brick first floor, and large wrap-around porch.

Reid-Duderstadt Historic House Tour Renewed, Reused, Restored Saturday, June 3, 2023 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 306 South Elm, Ottawa, Kansas 66067 Tickets: $17 in advance, $20 at the door About the tour: Built for $18,000 by Lyman and Ida Reid in 1899, the 6,000-square-foot house at 306 South Elm was at risk of being torn down until Cathy and Wayne Duderstadt, who had long admired the home, decided to save it. This 45-minute tour will include a history of the house, discussion about the challenges and decisions the Duderstadts faced…

Read More

Presentation, exhibits explore Women’s Suffrage in Kansas and Franklin County

Diana Staresinic-Deane

The Franklin County Historical Society will host a presentation and outdoor and indoor exhibits to commemorate the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. On August 18, 7 p.m., FCHS will host “The Long Road to Women’s Suffrage in Kansas,” a presentation and discussion by Diane Eickhoff.  The free program will be offered via Facebook Live at facebook.com/olddepotmuseum. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas. Kansas was historically a leader in women’s rights, yet the campaign for voting rights in Kansas…

Read More

Now through December: New museum exhibit explores history of hotels in Franklin County

Diana Staresinic-Deane

The Old Depot Museum’s newest exhibit explores the first century of Franklin County’s Hotels and how they reflect the needs of the towns they served. “Rooms For Rent” includes photographs and artifacts from twenty Franklin County hotels, including hotels that once served Richmond, Williamsburg, Rantoul, Lane, Wellsville, Princeton, and Ottawa. When new towns were established on the prairie, hotels were among the first structures built, said Diana Staresinic-Deane, FCHS Executive Director. Those early hotels served as accommodations for travelers and residents building businesses and homes, community dining halls, meeting rooms,…

Read More

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…

Read More