April 6: 5K Run For History Fun Run/Walk

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

5K Run For History Fun Run/Walk Saturday, April 6, 2024  9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Old Depot Museum, 135 W Tecumseh, Ottawa, KS 66067 Feel the spirit of the trains beneath your feet as you trace the paths of the AT&SF and the MoPac railroads during our Second Annual 5K Run/Walk, which kicks off at the 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 by March 23 and receive…

Read More

March 3: Carnegie Libraries of Kansas (program)

A Greek Revival brick and limestone building with basement windows and two stories visible. Two-story columns flank the entrance. The Words "Carnegie Free Library" are lettered on the building. Carnegie Free Library, Ottawa, Kansas, is written in the corner of the image.

Carnegie Libraries of Kansas presented by Christine Steinkuehler Sunday, March 3, 2024, 2 p.m. In person: FCHS Archives & Research Center, 2011 E Logan St, Ottawa, Kansas 66067 Online: Register for Zoom Once the richest man in the world, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) donated a substantial portion of his fortune to the construction of more than 2,500 libraries around the world. 65 of those libraries—including 59 public libraries and 7 academic/university libraries—were built in Kansas. In her presentation, Christine Steinkuehler will explore how these buildings democratized access to libraries and created…

Read More

New Exhibit: The Photographs of Luke Hoffman, University Student

Image of a young man airbrushing geometric patterns on a canvas. Text reads: The Photography of Luke Hoffman (University students being university students in the 1910s)

During the 1910s, Luke Hoffman was an Ottawa University student pursuing a degree in science and a passion for photography. His photographs capture all aspects of university life between about 1913 and 1917. The Franklin County Historical Society’s new exhibit, The Photographs of Luke Hoffman, University Student, features 23 of Hoffman’s photos. Born in Illinois, Hoffman was the youngest child of German immigrant parents. He moved to Ottawa to attend Ottawa University Academy (a high school program) and Ottawa University. Hoffman was a skilled airbrush artist and graphic designer, and…

Read More

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

An engraving of men and women sitting around a round table, their hands palms down on the table top. Humanities Kansas logo.

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.…

Read More

Now through October 1: Countywide exhibit celebrates history makers

Franklin County Historical Society’s newest exhibit celebrates Franklin County citizens who exercised their right to protest, run for office, and made a difference! They Raised Their Voices: Rabble Rousers and History Makers exhibit panels are on display throughout the county in or near each history maker’s hometown. In this countywide exhibit, you’ll discover everyday people who advocated for desegregation, abolitionism, women’s suffrage, and good schools. You’ll meet a special agent who hunted down Confederate spies, a Freethinker who published her own Atheist newspaper, and a rancher who spoke out against the…

Read More

Smithsonian Exhibit and Events Coming to FCHS August 19-October 1

Men and women study a chalkboard covered in the names of candidates and votes totals during an election. Logos for the Smithsonian Institution and Humanities Kansas. Logo for the Voices and Votes: Democracy in America exhibit.

Skip to Special Museum Hours Skip to Events: August 19: Grand Opening Celebration August 27: ‘We the People of Kansas…” The Story of Kansas’s Founding Documents, 1820-2020 September 5: The Governor Next Door: Elected Officials From Franklin County September 12: Madame Mayor: The First Women Mayors in Kansas September 19: The Pig in the Swimming Pool: Voices During the Creation of USD 288 September 24: Charles Curtis: The First Native American Vice President How far would you go to exercise your right to vote? In 1858, a group of Franklin…

Read More

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

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…

Read More

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

Background image: A large gathering of men, women, and children. Inset: a bearded man wearing a "Munsee Tribe of Kansas" t-shirt. Humanities Kansas logo.

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…

Read More

March 5: Retelling Sod and Stubble

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…

Read More

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

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…

Read More