Saturday, April 13: The Victory Garden Movement

WWI and WWI posters promoting Victory Gardens

The Victory Garden Movement  Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m.  Neosho County Community College, 900 E Logan, Ottawa, KS  Free Event   “Victory Gardens” were home and community gardens used to grow fruits and vegetables at a time when food, fuel, transportation, and labor were in short supply. Though these gardens have their roots in the Home Front efforts of World War I and World War II, the concept of Victory Gardening can be applied today. Loretta Craig will present a history of Victory Gardens, including why they were so important…

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Friday, February 22: O-Town Reads Book Discussion-Tough As They Come by Travis Mills

O-Town Reads Book Discussion Tough As They Come by Travis Mills Old Depot Museum Friday, February 8 February 22, Noon   Originally scheduled for February 8, this event has been rescheduled for February 22. Ottawa Library is partnering with the Old Depot Museum to host a book discussion for Travis Mills’ TOUGH AS THEY COME, the 2019 O-Town community reads book.  Thousands of soldiers die each year to defend their country. United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills was sure that he would become another statistic when, during his third…

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Sunday, January 27: 82nd Annual FCHS Meeting featuring Sarah Bell, Women and Chautauqua

82nd Annual Meeting of the Members of the Franklin County Historical Society featuring “A Congress for Women: Women’s Clubs and the Chautauqua Movement,” presented by Sarah Bell Sunday, January 27, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Neosho County Community College, 900 E Logan, Ottawa, KS   We’re launching the Franklin County Historical Society’s 82nd year with Sarah Bell’s presentation, A Congress for Women: Women’s Clubs and the Chautauqua Movement!  Chautauqua was a rural movement that focused on moral education and self-improvement, and from 1883 to 1914, Ottawa was home to a…

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December 11: Christmas Storytime at the Old Depot Museum

Old Depot Museum, Ottawa, Kansas Tuesday, December 11, 10 a.m., 2 p.m., & 6:30 p.m. Free admission, Family Friendly The Old Depot Museum and Ottawa Library are partnering to bring Christmas Storytime to the Old Depot Museum! Join us for an a reading of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, crafts, and a tour of the museum! This program will be offered three times: 10 a.m., 2 p.m., or 6:30 p.m. This free event is perfect for the whole family!

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Dietrich Cabin Fall 2018 Hours Announced

Step back in time at the 1859 Dietrich Cabin! Learn about life in 19th-Century Franklin County. Dietrich Cabin is located in City Park at 5th and Main streets in Ottawa, Kansas. Kids are always welcome! Admission is free, but donations to help FCHS maintain the cabin are always appreciated. Fall2018 Dietrich Cabin Hours  Sunday, August 26, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Saturday, September 15, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, September 23, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Sunday, October 28, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

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Dietrich Cabin Spring 2018 Hours Announced

Step back in time at the 1859 Dietrich Cabin! Learn about life in 19th-Century Franklin County. Dietrich Cabin is located in City Park at 5th and Main streets in Ottawa, Kansas. Kids are always welcome! Admission is free, but donations to help FCHS maintain the cabin are always appreciated. Spring 2018 Dietrich Cabin Hours  Sunday, April 15, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  (weather cancellation) Sunday, April 29, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Sunday, June 10, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 16,…

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Author Paul Thomas to speak about Kansas ghosts, history

Ghost stories and Kansas history will be the focus of author Paul Thomas’s presentation on Sunday, October 29, 3 p.m. at Neosho County Community College in Ottawa, Kansas. Thomas has long been interested in Kansas folklore and the ghost stories of northeastern Kansas. As a student at the University of Kansas, he cofounded the Stephenson Hall Paranormal Investigation Team, which investigated purportedly haunted locations in and around the Lawrence area. His new book, Haunted Lawrence, looks at the ghosts of one of Kansas’ oldest towns. He explores the stories—and the…

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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 29 Haunted Lawrence featuring author Paul Thomas

  Neosho County Community College, 900 East Logan, Ottawa, Kansas Sunday, October 29, 3 p.m. Join us for a special program and book signing featuring Ottawa native Paul Thomas, author of Haunted Lawrence! Founded in 1854 as an abolitionist outpost, Lawrence is a seemingly unassuming college town with a long history of hauntings. A ghostly guest never checked out of the Eldridge Hotel’s mysterious room 506. Sigma Nu’s fraternity house, the former home of Kansas’s eighteenth governor, is still haunted by the specter of a young woman. Learn the tragic stories…

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