April 21, 1914: Ottawa University students are handed picks and shovels and tasked with digging out the foundation for the new $34,000 gymnasium, which opened in 1915. This photo is part of our new exhibit, THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF LUKE HOFFMAN, UNIVERSITY STUDENT.
Old Depot Museum - FCHS
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Housed in a former 1888 Santa Fe railroad depot designed by architect George Washburn, the Old Depot Museum is the flagship museum for the Franklin County Historical Society. Founded in 1937, FCHS strives to connect our local and online communities with Franklin County, Kansas, history through genealogy, programming, exhibits, and research.
During the 1910s, Luke Hoffman was an Ottawa University student pursuing a degree in science and a passion for photography and graphic design. Hoffman captured hundreds of lively and often funny images of student life—in the classroom, in residence halls and boarding rooms, at play, and around town. Some photos were used in the OU’s yearbook, but many survive only in 3 photo albums donated to FCHS in 2010 by Hoffman’s family. #KansasHistory #HistoricPhotography #OttawaKS @histodons @genealogy
Join us Thurs, November 2, 7pm for Katie Keckeisen's exploration of the history of attempting to communicate with the dead. "Beyond the Veil: A History of Spiritualism" is available in person and online. #Paranormal #OttawaKS #KansasHistory @humanitiesks https://www.olddepotmuseum.org/november-2-program-beyond-the-veil-a-history-of-spiritualism/
@histodons @paranormal
@histodons @paranormal
The traveling Smithsonian exhibit VOICES AND VOTES: DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA and our companion exhibit BARELY MADE IT: THE NAKED VOTERS OF 1858 AND OTHER STORIES OF DEMOCRACY IN FRANKLIN COUNTY are officially open! We've extended our hours while the Smithsonian is in town. Spend some of this very hot week inside at the Old Depot Museum. The Smithsonian exhibit will be at the Old Depot Museum August 19 through October 1.
Admission is free; donations are always appreciated. @histodons @genealogy
Admission is free; donations are always appreciated. @histodons @genealogy
On July 7, 1909, four cars of the 10-coach Santa Fe No. 5 rolled into 8 feet of fast-moving flood water just half a mile from Pomona, Kansas. 300 people were aboard the train; all but one--a 4-year-old named Georgie Rhodes--survived. #KansasHistory #Railroads #Floods #PomonaKS #OttawaKS @histodons
1931 INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE: A crowd lines the west side of the South 200 Block of Main Street in Ottawa as the Bob's Clothes Shop float rolls down the street. Bob of Bob's Clothes was likely Robert Latimer, who owned DeTar and Latimer's clothing store at 219 South Main in Ottawa, Kansas. #IndependenceDay #fourthofjuly #KansasHistory
All Franklin County Historical Society Locations will be CLOSED on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 to commemorate Independence Day.
March 6-10, 2023, is Severe Weather Preparedness Week.
Jack McClure photographed this tornado just after the tornado hit Antioch Cemetery northeast of Homewood, Kansas, on May 20, 1957. It became known as the Ruskin Heights tornado. It began its long track to the KC Metro area when it touched down at Williamsburg, cutting through Franklin County. The tornado ultimately killed 39 and injured 531. #KansasHistory #KSWX #FranklinCOKS #Tornadoes @histodons
Jack McClure photographed this tornado just after the tornado hit Antioch Cemetery northeast of Homewood, Kansas, on May 20, 1957. It became known as the Ruskin Heights tornado. It began its long track to the KC Metro area when it touched down at Williamsburg, cutting through Franklin County. The tornado ultimately killed 39 and injured 531. #KansasHistory #KSWX #FranklinCOKS #Tornadoes @histodons
THIS SUNDAY! March 5, 2 p.m. Ken Spurgeon talks about bringing Sod and Stubble to the big screen and why the story still resonates with us today. Learn more at olddepotmuseum.org. #KansasHIstory #KansasMovies #SodAndStubble
@histodons
@histodons
A photo of the memorial plaque, which reads, “The clock in the tower of this court house was erected by Mrs. Emma A. Sheldon in the year 1911. And presented to the city of Ottawa and the county of Franklin as a memorial to her husband Edwin M. Sheldon who died in this city April 11, 1911.”
@histodons
@histodons