New Book Celebrates 150 Years of Ottawa
Historical Society director records local town history using vintage images.
- Topeka, KS (1888PressRelease) October 07, 2014 - Happy Birthday, Ottawa! This small city in Kansas has been around for 150 years! And who better to help share its history than resident historian and fifth-generation Kansan, Deborah Barker? As the newest addition to Arcadia Publishing's popular Images of America series, Ottawa features more than 200 vintage images and boasts riveting stories from its first land purchase from the Ottawa Indians to its present-day quality of life and sense of community.
Founded in 1864 and located in the Marais des Cygnes River Valley, the land was originally inhabited by the Ottawa Indians. The area's rich soil and lush grass made it well suited for growing crops and pasturing livestock. The Ottawa Indians gave the early settlers land in exchange for an education for their children. It was in this area that the community's first cultural center was built. Chartered in 1865, it was named Ottawa University. This new book highlights many images of life at the university over the years.
Ottawa should be known to its local residents as a city of celebrations. From parades to pageants to centennials and ceremonies, the locals in this town share a pride in their community that rival the larger cities in the state of Kansas. It's no doubt that the early settlers of the Marais des Cygnes River Valley would be proud of the growth and development of their descendants.
Highlights of Ottawa include:
- Photos taken from the Franklin County Historical Society and its Joseph B. Muecke collection
- Stories and images of the town's pride in its educational system
- Images of the damages caused by the July 1951 flood.
Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.
Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America's people and places. Discover more than 8,500 small towns and downtowns at http://www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Meet Deborah Barker
Author of Ottawa
Deborah Barker has been the Executive Director of the Franklin County Historical Society and its Old Depot Museum for 24 years. Her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado is in Anthropology and American Studies. Her honors Masters at the University of Kansas is in Art History.
She helped edit the 640-page History of Franklin County, Kansas (1993) and wrote The Feast of Franklin County (2005) as well as numerous driving tours, grant applications, and museum exhibits. She created the Franklin Co. Historical Society's 350+ page portal website, www.franklincokshisory.org. She was named a Woman in American History by the General Edward Hand Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2013, a Most Valuable Partner in Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area in 2014, and will serve as the president of the Kansas Historical Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Kansas Historical Society, in 2015.
What lasting impact do you hope your book will leave?
For this project, I approached the concept as an opportunity to display photographic images of the area that people may not have seen before.
Ottawa
by Deborah Barker
Images of America Series
Price: $21.99
128 pages/ softcover
Available: October 20, 2014.
###
space
space
Satisfied Users & 
Approved Press Releases
Print
Email
Report Spam