Franklin County History – Franklin County Historical Society

New Exhibit: The Photographs of Luke Hoffman, University Student

December 6, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

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…

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

July 24, 2023August 1, 2023 Diana Staresinic-Deane

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…

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

May 10, 2023 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…

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

October 8, 2022 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…

February 8, 2022: Osage Women, Gender, & Empire

March 29, 2022March 29, 2022 Diana Staresinic-Deane

Osage Women, Gender, & Empire Presented by Dr. Tai Edwards Recording Available Historian Dr. Tai Edwards will speak on the research she has conducted for numerous publications (including her book) on Osage Women and Empire: Gender and Power. She will address aspects of colonialism and its impact, Indigenous power, and gender roles in the context of the Osage experience in modern-day Missouri and Kansas. Dr. Edwards is a history professor at Johnson County Community College. Her research and teaching focus on empire, Indigenous peoples, gender, and disease. She is…