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Built by hardy German pioneers in the late 1850s, the Dietrich Cabin is the oldest home in Franklin County. Originally built a little outside the town limits (Ottawa not chartered until 1864) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this walnut-wood cabin stands well-preserved on the grounds of the Ottawa City Park, a classic example of frontier living quarters from the period.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Ottawa City Park
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The old Ottawa High School and Junior High are nearly identical buildings in the Late Gothic Revival style after designs by George Washburn. Built in the first quarter of the 20th century but abandoned since the 1980s, locals have been embroiled in finding the means and the motive to save these two relics from decay and destruction. Both currently grace the National Register of Historic Places.
Updated Nov 1, 2003
Address: 500 block, Main Street
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Begun in the 1890s and finally finished in 1901, this Late Victorian style mansion actually resides in a neighborhood full of similar homes. Owned by a prominent citizen (James H. Ransom, who helped to save the Hamblin House and other buildings from fire in the 1890s), this building stands not only on the National Register of Historic Places but also as a strong example of Victorian living quarters for the well-to-do in the 19th century.
Updated Oct 31, 2003
Address: 318 S Locust
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Built in 1888 as the Santa Fe Railroad Depot, this classic stone structure is one of countless former depots that have since been restored as county or living museums (1962). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the depot served the railroad and rail passengers for three-quarters of a century before ownership was transferred to the local historical society.
Written Oct 31, 2003
Address: 135 W Tecumseh
Website: atsf.railfan.net/depots/ottawa.html
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As usual, the Carnegie Free Library in rural Kansas become almost an automatic listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed also by George Washburn and built at the turn-of-the-century, this humble-looking construction is now the home of the Ottawa Community Center (but also known as the Ottawa Library).
Written Oct 31, 2003
Address: 5th and Main
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The oldest date encountered on Main Street seems to be the former Hamblin Building, constructed in 1879. Not listed on the National Register specifically, this great building was once a public amusement hall, later a national bank and finally a grand hotel. The two latter occupations seem to be those best suited to such architecture, still a prominent building in the downtown historic district.
Written Oct 31, 2003
Address: 2nd and Main
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Since 1972, the downtown historic district has rightfully taken its place on the National Register of Historic Places. Built from 1872 to the late 1890s, sometimes in eclectic, sometimes in Victorian styles, the historic quarter runs for several blocks along Main Street, its individual members generally bearing dates of construction higher up on colorful facades.
Written Oct 31, 2003
Address: Main Street
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The county seats in America not only have the courthouse somewhere in town but usually a war memorial somewhere on the courthouse lawn. Such is the case in Ottawa, which since its founding in 1864 has produced soldiers for America's foreign causes since the Spanish-American War.
Written Oct 31, 2003
Address: Main Street
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One of the most imaginative in the entire state, this George Washburn designed county courthouse is a gorgeous building and still the center of town life in Ottawa. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and built in the Romanesque style in 1893, this seat of county government is one of over a dozen designed by Washburn, often considered his most illustrious work.
Updated Oct 31, 2003
Address: Main Street
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Built in 1888 of Kansas limestone, the old Southern Kansas railroad depot also housed the offices of the railroad division. By the 1960's, when there was no longer passenger train service to Ottawa, the depot was donated to the city's historical society by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway.
I regret that I was running short on time and was only able to glance at the inside of the museum. However, I found it to have enough appeal that I will try to make a return trip in order to give the museum its due. According to the printed literature, exhibits trace the history of local Indian cultures and the coming of the white immigrants. Second floor rooms depict a one room school, a general store, a dentist office, a Victorian parlor, and more.
Updated Mar 22, 2003
Address: 135 West Tecumseh
Phone: 785-242-1250
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