Cemetery tour explores history and art in Ottawa’s Highland Cemetery

Cemeteries are a snapshot of a community’s history, and on Sunday, October 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Franklin County Historical Society will host a special event at Highland Cemetery in Ottawa, Kansas. This year’s tour is designed to help participants discover the stories of Franklin County through the history of its people and funerary art. Established in 1886, Highland Cemetery is Ottawa’s second cemetery. The first, Hope Cemetery, was established in 1865, but Ottawans quickly discovered that Hope Cemetery was prone to flooding. They chose a new…

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October 15 Cemetery Tour: History in Stone at Ottawa’s Highland Cemetery

Highland Cemetery, 1050 East 15th Street, Ottawa, Kansas Sunday, October 15, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Our second annual cemetery tour takes us to Highland Cemetery, a garden cemetery established in 1886. After discovering Hope Cemetery (Ottawa’s first cemetery) was prone to flooding, citizens founded a new cemetery on higher ground. Highland Cemetery was designed by American landscape architect George Kessler as a garden cemetery (also called a rural cemetery), with winding roads and landscaping that encouraged a park-like experience. Highland Cemetery includes many beautiful and unique monuments and is…

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