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mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
mrclay2000 Says: 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...
19 Opinions
19 Opinions
Bella Cucina: A Great Stop For Coffee and a Bite
RoscoeGregg Says: We stopped here for a quick coffee and a bite on our way to pick up some new goats for our herd. It turned out to be a good thing. The counter staff was friendly and well trained. The coffee was good and the atmosphere was relaxing and pleasant. It was clean and the food a...
The Barn And Underground: Historic Barn with historic bad service
pixma520 Says: Although this restaurant is unique (restored barn turned restaurant) The service is horrible. servers can be rude, food orders take forever, and management does not care. I've eaten in both the upstairs and downstairs areas. upstairs service is horrible, downstairs you have...
Helpfulness
This is the Dietrich Cabin. It used to sit near the well travelled trail. Travellers would spend the night on the porch of the cabin. Now this cabin is in the park at 5th and Main.
Written Oct 4, 2002
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Saw this license plate on a truck at Orscheln's. EAT BEEF while you are in Kansas. We raise a lot of cattle in this state. Eating beef while you are here supports the local economy.
Written Oct 4, 2002
Helpfulness
Don't mistake this for the real veteran's memorial. This stone is in the park on Main. The memorial is in front of the courthouse.
Written Oct 4, 2002
Helpfulness
Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Don't worry about bringing boots. You can buy boots and a hat at Orsheln's. You can also read the bulletin board there or look at saddles for sale.
Written Oct 4, 2002
mrclay2000 Says: Less appealing than the First Baptist but also standing on the periphery of the county courthouse is the First United Methodist Church. Similar to other United Methodist buildings throughout Kansas and Oklahoma, the Ottawa chapter has the medieval features of high gables and...
mrclay2000 Says: Always with an eye to rich religious architecture, the Ottawa streets have several gorgeous examples. Prominent among these is the First Baptist Church across the street from the county courthouse. Built of gray stone and featuring wonderful stained-glass and a corner...
mrclay2000 Says: Small, quaint but not entirely private, this tiny urban "park" stands in the hubbub of Main Street, but offers a shady if not peaceful retreat from the traffic of the downtown district. Full of benches and decorated by a plain fountain, visitors to historic Ottawa can take a...
mrclay2000 Says: Ottawa remains a thriving community today, and though its Main Street historic district is difficult to beat, it relies less on tourism than local industry to remain alive. Though situated roughly thirty miles south of the University of Kansas at Lawrence, Ottawa University...
mrclay2000 Says: Though most of the buildings along Main Street now support modern businesses, the entire historic district seems authentic in every particular. Some facades are faded and lackluster, but the majority still retain their original facades and coloration, and the dates of...
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Kansas is one of the nation's leading states for preserving its old historic quarters. Almost every town in the Sunflower State has a long stand of Victorian-era and earlier buildings, some still...
Ottawa is located on Interstate 35 a little better than an hour southwest of Kansas City. It is at once a little more progressive than most towns of its size in the region, but careful to preserve its...
Down town Ottawa has many colorful buildings. We stop there for antique shopping some times on way to KC.
Ottawa isn't only Canadian, eh?
Ottawa is a nice little town half an hour south of Lawrence, Kansas and about half an hour southwest from Kansas City on I-35. It's home to Ottawa University, which is affiliated with the American...
Once on the skids like so many small towns after the Earl Butts farm programs of the 1970's Ottawa is on the upswing. The historic and attractive down town has full store fronts and is ell worth a...
Build your own Ottawa page
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