Past Temporary Exhibits

Now through October 1: Countywide exhibit celebrates history makers

Diana Staresinic-Deane

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…

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

Diana Staresinic-Deane
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…

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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…

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

Diana Staresinic-Deane
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…

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

Diana Staresinic-Deane
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…

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March 5: Retelling Sod and Stubble

Diana Staresinic-Deane
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…

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

Diana Staresinic-Deane
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…

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April 1: Run For History 5K Run/Walk

Diana Staresinic-Deane
Text reads: 5K Run for History. Image: Silhouettes of runners.

Run for History 5K Fun Run/Walk Saturday, April 1, 2023, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Old Depot Museum, 135 West Tecumseh Street, Ottawa, Kansas Feel the spirit of the trains as you trace the paths of the former AT&SF and Missouri Pacific railroad lines during our April 1, 2023 5K Run/Walk, which kicks off at the 1888 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 early and receive a…

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Goppert Foundation gift funds paint restoration on historic caboose

Diana Staresinic-Deane
Brightly painted caboose. A "Wet Paint" sign hangs from a barrier in front of it.

If you’re driving down K-68 or pedaling your bike on the Prairie Spirit Trail, you won’t be able to miss the brilliant new paint job on the Old Depot Museum’s 1940s caboose. Thanks to a generous gift from the Goppert Foundation, the Franklin County Historical Society is restoring the exterior paint on the historic 1940s caboose parked on the rails at the Old Depot Museum. Work began this past weekend and will be completed this week, weather permitting. A long and interesting life on the rails Built at the Atchison,…

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November 1: W.H. “Dad” Martin, Photographer, Ottawa, Kansas (online program)

Diana Staresinic-Deane
Man and woman sit in an early 1900s automobile. Gigantic eggs fill the back seat and a large potato is strapped to the back. Two children hang from the side.

W.H. “Dad” Martin, Photographer, Ottawa, Kansas presented by Morgan Williams Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 7 p.m. Online via Zoom of Facebook Live The life and times of W. H. “Dad” Martin as a photographer, world’s champion creator and publisher of exaggeration photo postcards, highway sign manufacturer, and philanthropist in Ottawa, Kansas. Martin from 1908-1910 created over 60 exaggerated photographic images showing farming, fishing and hunting in Franklin County, Kansas. He produced, through his Martin Post Card Company, more that 8 million real photo postcards in Ottawa, Kansas. The program will…

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