The Franklin County Historical Society considers its alter ego to be a real organization active in late 1860s Ottawa–the Esoteric and Terrible Order of Pie Eaters. The FCHS holds a yearly event called a Conclave of the E. and T. O. of P.E. We serve (what else?) homemade pie, sliced thin to allow everyone to try several kinds. The evening also features a presentation by a historian or reenactor speaking on a topic of interest to Franklin Countians.
The 2012 edition of the Pie Eaters Conclave will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 401 W. 13th, Ottawa KS 66067. The speaker will be the premier Civil War photographer, Alexander Gardner. Besides his many famous photos of Abraham Lincoln and battlefields, Mr. Gardner also took the well-known (at least to us) photo of the work train pulled by the engine “Ottawa” crossing the Kansas river in Lawrence on a pontoon bridge to begin construction of the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston railroad track to Ottawa.
Pie Eater article by Heidi Van der Heuvel
Geoff Hanson in Pie Eater uniform