Franklin County Courthouse

Franklin County Courthouse. Historic Ottawa Tour Stop 5. , This is the oldest surviving courthouse designed by George P Washburn of Ottawa. Before coming to town, Washburn had worked for the Kansas City architectural firm of Cross and Taylor where he supervised construction of Union railroad depots including those of Denver, Atchison, Peoria IL, and the old Kansas City depot in the west bottoms. He also held the position of architect for the Kansas State Board of Charities, which oversaw institutions such as The School for the Blind in Olathe, the Osawatomie hospital, and the Boy's Industrial School in Beloit., The courthouse block had been deeded to Franklin County by the Ottawa Town Company in 1864, as a recognition of the new town's success in being designated the county seat. The block sat vacant for decades, with the grass being cut for hay. Meanwhile, the county offices were located in rental properties up and down Main Street. Many citizens feared that fire - unfortunately common in wood frame downtowns - would destroy all the records., Efforts to get a courthouse built were sporadic. One developer offered to build the county a courthouse on the Hickory Street half of the block, if the county would give him the Main Street frontage to develop into commercial properties. The court nixed that effort, and local legislator P.P. Elder introduced a bill in the Kansas House of Representatives allowing Ottawa to create a mill levy to fund the new courthouse construction., The bell and clock towers, shown below [in the photo], are distinctive architectural elements of the Franklin County Courthouse and many of Washburn's other courthouses (see list below)., The presence of the county courts is indicated by the allegorical statue of Justice at the crown of the west gable. The courts have now moved to newer quarters, but they remain within the courthouse square., Although held before the construction of this courthouse, the most famous case tried in Franklin County was a change of venue from Douglas County. One George Maddox was charged in 1866 with having participated in Quantrill's deadly 1863 raid on Lawrence. He was acquitted and fled for Missouri on horseback after the trial., Courthouses designed by George P. Washburn , Johnson County KS, Olathe, (demolished) 1891 , Franklin County KS, Ottawa, 1893 , Pike County IL, Pittsfield, (completed) 1894 , Atchison County KS, Atchison, 1896 , Miami County KS, Paola, 1898 , Woodson County KS, Yates Center, 1899 , Anderson County KS, Garnett, 1901 , Neosho County KS, Erie, (demolished) 1904 , Doniphan County KS, Troy, 1905 , Beaver County OK, Beaver, 1907 , Kingman County KS, Kingman, 1907 , Butler County KS, El Dorado, 1908 , Harper County KS, Anthony, 1908 , Pratt County KS, Pratt, 1910 , Chautauqua County KS, Sedan, 1917, Taken on Independence Day 1892, the photo above shows the cornerstone of the Courthouse being laid with solemn Masonic ritual. Washburn can be identified to the right of the stone, wearing Masonic regalia and holding his hat in his hand. The courthouse was funded by a three mill levy over three years., The large and active Union veterans organization was called the "Grand Army of the Republic." It had a large meeting room on the third floor of the courthouse. Membership in the G.A.R. and an affiliation with the Republican Party were requirements for success in nineteenth century Ottawa., The [photo] scene above, from April 1, 1911, shows the dedication of a cedar tree given to the George H. Thomas Post #18 of the Grand Army of the Republic to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the surrender at Appomattox., The G.A.R. had a museum of sorts in the courthouse. By the 1930s, so many of the veterans had died that the organization became inactive. Its collections were then given to the Franklin County Historical Society., Many group photos of the G.A.R. men were taken in and around the courthouse., Before the current Courts Building was constructed north of the courthouse, a jail and sheriff's office designed by Washburn stood there. This hand-tinted postcard shows the former jail., The Franklin County Courthouse, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, is still used as a headquarters of government for Franklin County. Visitors following the Historic Ottawa Tour are urged to detour around the brick courthouse and observe the varied and intricate Romanesque Revival carvings in the white sandstone trim. Butterflies, anchors, fruits, sprites, sunflowers and human portraits can all be found in the building's stone., If you are visiting Ottawa during business hours, take a few moments to explore the interior of the courthouse. A brochure detailing its fascinating history is available inside. The courtroom on the second floor was used to film a 1989 television movie called "Cross of Fire.", Visit the Old Depot Museum , 135 W. Tecumseh , Tuesday-Saturday 10-4 . Sunday 1-4 , 785.242.1250 . www.olddepotmuseum.org