Old Depot Museum

08/29/2026

OFFICER BODLEY KILLED DURING RAILROAD BOX CAR ROBBERY, August 29, 1906: Sealed merchandise-filled box cars en route from Kansas City regularly overnighted in Ottawa before departing for points further west, but during the summer of 1906, those sealed cars were regularly looted in the Ottawa yards. During the last week of August, Santa Fe watchmen Charles J. Cedar and Oscar G. Bodley hatched a plan to catch the thieves in the act.

In the days leading up to August 29, Cedar and Bodley made arrangements with the yardmen to park the sealed box cars near the scale house just west of King and Powhattan streets. Piles of railroad ties, separated by a small alley, gave Cedar and Bodley extra cover. At 2 a.m. that morning, Cedar and Bodley staked out the tiny 5’ x 7’ scale house and waited.

The railyard remained quiet.

Around 4:30 a.m., Charles Cedar returned to the Santa Fe Depot to perform his regular watch duties. At 4:48 a.m., five pistol shots in quick succession awoke Ottawans on the north end and sent railroad yardmen running to the scale house. Oscar Bodley was found crumpled by the piles of railroad ties, suffering from two gunshot wounds. He died minutes later.

Law enforcement from the railroad, City of Ottawa, and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department fanned out, searching for clues. Sheriff William R. Cody stopped at the house closest to the crime scene and found AT&SF railroad laborer Robert McDaniel, who claimed he did not hear the gunshots despite sleeping under an open window. Suspicious, Sheriff Cody ordered McDaniel’s house searched, where they discovered 150 pounds of bacon, 50 pounds of lard, two hams, a dozen new bandanas and a roll of carpet. They also found a recently fired revolver.

McDaniels was then taken to the second floor of the AT&SF depot, where they “sweated” a confession out of him.

McDaniels, who was Black, told law enforcement that he and two other railroad employees—Jess Bruce and Alonzo Pierce, who were White—had been robbing cars for weeks. Bruce and Pierce were immediately arrested. Ottawa citizens were astonished that three highly regarded men were responsible for the thefts. Bruce and Pierce also endured a grueling interrogation, but in the end, only McDaniels’ word connected them to the crime. They were released.

During his final interrogation, McDaniels admitted he acted alone. He was sentenced to life in prison, but his sentence was commuted by Kansas Governor Arthur Capper after 10 years.

Oscar Bodley had served as a city police officer and an AT&SF watchman during his 15+ years in Ottawa. He was 47 when he died and left behind wife Ida, son Harry, and daughter Ora. According to a short memoir written by Ora Bodley McRae, on the last evening of Oscar Bodley’s life, “He was so happy and proud about having made the last payment on our home. It had taken several years to pay for it and meant many sacrifices.”

As for the gun that killed Oscar Bodley: It once belonged to Oscar. Shortly before his death, Oscar had used the gun as partial payment for furniture for the Bodley home at George Lathrop's store. Lathrop later sold the gun to Robert McDaniel, who claimed he was a traveling minister and wanted a gun for protection.

Today’s photo is of the police badge once worn by Oscar Bodley, which was donated to the Franklin County Historical Society by his daughter, Ora Bodley McRae in 1962. The close up from the 1912 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the location of the scale house near the corner of King and Powhattan.


Franklin County, KS - Government
City of Ottawa Kansas Municipal Government
Franklin County, KS - Sheriff's Office
Ottawa Police Department

08/21/2026

MISSOURI PACIFIC TRAIN DERAILS EAST OF OTTAWA, AUGUST 23, 1912: Missouri Pacific Train No. 3 was supposed to arrive at Ottawa at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, August 23, but the passenger train was running one hour and 20 minutes late. Conductor J.N. Kinney and Engineer W.A. Rader, who were in charge of the “double header” train, made the unfortunate decision to speed up the train to 35 mile per hour to make up for lost time.

At approximately 12:30 p.m. just five miles east of Ottawa, the rear wheels of the first engine, No. 6420, left the tracks. The second locomotive--Engine No. 5502'--completely derailed, along with a combination baggage car/mail car, an additional baggage car, a smoking car, a chair car, and a Pullman car. According to the Saturday, August 24, 1912, Ottawa Herald, “One of the express cars lay in a cornfield near the railroad track,” and the second engine and two cars were badly damaged. Only the second Pullman car and the dining car remained on the tracks. More than 70 sections of track (about 2,730 feet) and 350 ties were damaged.

Several Missouri Pacific employees and passengers were seriously injured. Edward M. Burns, the engineer on the second locomotive, was badly burned when he fell against hot steam pipes, but he tore off his snagged overalls and escaped the overturned engine just before the pipes burst.

Later trains were rerouted from Osawatomie through Garnett, then north on the AT&SF tracks to Ottawa until the wreck could be cleared and tracks repaired. This track is now part of the Flint Hills Trail, a bicycle/hiking/equestrian trail and state park.

Today’s image shows Missouri Pacific Engine No. 5502 lying on its side and a car stripped of its truck (the wheeled undercarriage) in a cornfield as people look at the wreck.

Missouri Pacific Historical Society
Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks

08/11/2026

SKINNER CLOTHING STORE, OTTAWA, KANSAS: On February 10, 1895, the Hamblin House, dubbed the "nicest hotel in Kansas," was destroyed by fire. H.L.T. Skinner quickly purchased the Hamblin's lots at the southwest corner of 2nd and Main streets. By September 1895, H.L.T. Skinner clothing was open for business at 202 South Main. Just four years later, Skinner constructed an addition extending to the west alley. Like the original structure, the extension includes ornamental ironwork from Ottawa Foundry.

Skinner sold the clothing store to employees Gardner P. Walker and L.C. Jones in 1902. In 1905, Jones bought out Walker's share and ran the Jones Clothing Store company until 1910, when he sold the business to Peter Shiras. Peter and his wife, Cornelia, operated the store as the Henry G. Young Clothing Company. Peter and Cornelia invested $3,000 (nearly $110,000 in 2026 dollars) in remodeling the building, removing the large plate glass storefront windows on the north side and installing recessed "teaser" entrances on the Main Street side. Inside, they added a balcony for office space, electric fans, chandeliers with tungsten lights, and 75 feet of oak shelving.

Although the storefront changed hands several times, it remained a clothing store for the next 75 years. It operated as Gardner P. Walker Clothing (1912), Davis Clothing Company (1925), Davis-Wassmer Clothing (about 1926), Wassmer's Clothing (about 1940), and Breck's Clothing (1986). The building later became home to Jan's Stained Glass Cappuccino House, Prairie Rose Collectibles, and Goat Milk Soap Store. Today, The Collective Heart and Olde Thyme Treasures occupy the Main Street store fronts. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure in the Historic Ottawa Central Business District.

Images show how the building has evolved and stayed the same over the years.

Learn more about Ottawa Foundry: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ddkgTax2n/

Ottawa Main Street Association KSHPO - Kansas State Historic Preservation Office

08/05/2026

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
INVITATION TO BID
ROOF PROJECT

OLD DEPOT MUSEUM, also known as the Ottawa Santa Fe Depot
OTTAWA, KANSAS

Building Description
Completed in 1888, the two-story limestone building with a prominent tern-metal roof served as a depot for the Southern Kansas and the AT&SF railroad lines until 1962, when the structure was donated to the Franklin County Historical Society. FCHS reopened the building as the Old Depot Museum in 1963.

Project Description
Repair all built-in gutters on the North, West, and South sides of the building including replacement of the metal lining, adding expansion joints, and replacing damaged wood as needed. Additionally, repair the West side roof including replacement of deteriorated rafters causing dormers to fail, installation of effective flashing, and replace damaged wood, underlayment, and metal as needed.

Detail of Work
• Remove existing bottom row of standing seam panels to access built-in gutters. Remove existing built-in gutter.
• Remove any damaged or rotted wood discovered and replace in accordance with original construction methods.
• Fabricate and install new built-in metal gutters with expansion joints positioned appropriately to allow for proper operation.
• Remove existing metal from dormers and valleys. Replace any rotted or damaged wood discovered in accordance with original construction methods.
• Install new underlayment where necessary. Replace any deteriorated rafters used in construction of west side dormers.
• Fabricate and install new valley metal and any other necessary flashings on west side dormers.
• Reinstall all original roof panels removed during project. Fabricate new metal standing seam roofing to match original as needed to replace any damaged or failing roofing that was removed during project.
• Clean up site and dispose of all waste.

General Conditions
• Repair work to be in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Viewable at https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards//rehabilitation/rehab/stand.htm
• To ensure consistency of materials and appearance, work must generally match the appearance of the repair work completed in 2023.
• Certificates of insurance, performance, and materials payment bonds required as security for faithful performance and the payment of all bills and obligation arising from the contract.
• Storage and the handling of all materials must be in a manner which prevents additional loss, deterioration and damage; storage area to be designated by project administrator.
• All work subject to review by the Kansas State Historical Society throughout the duration of the project.
• Compliance with all applicable laws and statutory regulations required.

Sealed Bids should be labeled “Old Depot Museum HTF Grant Project #2 Roof Project.” Bids will be received by Diana Staresinic-Deane, Franklin County Historical Society, PO Box 145, Ottawa, KS 66067, or hand-delivered to 2011 East Logan Street, Ottawa, Kansas, until 5 p.m. on August 25, 2026, for the work noted above according to the accompanying scope of work approved by the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. This structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

Sealed bids will be publicly opened by 7:00 pm on August 26, 2026 during a Zoom board meeting. Parties interested in observing the opening bids are welcome to attend the public meeting and can also contact Diana Staresinic-Deane at [email protected] to receive a link to watch the meeting.

All inquires about the Invitation to Bid may be directed to Diana Staresinic-Deane, 785-242-1232 or [email protected]. Bids will be received on a total bid price basis and shall include a sum to cover the cost of all items of the contract, including insurance, materials, and performance bonds.

Proposals received after the date and time indicated above for opening shall be considered late and therefore shall not be considered for award. The Bid will be awarded on the basis of cost and performance; to the Bidder who, in the Owner’s judgement, is the lowest, most qualified, responsible and responsive Bidder. Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids and to reject the Bid of any Bidder if the Owner believes it would not be in the best interest of the Owner to make an award to that Bidder. In the event that costs exceed resources available by the HTF Grant and FCHS, the Owner also reserves the right to re-evaluate the scope of work. The successful Bidder must deliver to the Owner certificates of insurance, performance and material payment bonds as security for faithful performance and the payment of all bills and obligations arising from the contract. The successful firm will be required to comply with all applicable laws and statutory regulations. No Bidder shall in any way directly or indirectly, discriminate against any person because of age, race, color, handicap, s*x, national origin or religious creed.

This project is partially supported by the Heritage Trust Fund grant program from the Kansas State Historical Society.

08/04/2026

Stop by the Old Depot Museum to pick up a copy of Greg Kendall's new book about the history of Warner/Ottawa Manufacturing!

07/29/2026

Kansas families: Sunflower Summer--the program that lets you explore Kansas museums, zoos, and other sites--has been extended to August 8!

Attention Kansas Families: we have exciting news! Sunflower Summer has been EXTENDED through Saturday, August 8th.

Had a couple stops on your list you just couldn't fit in? No worries! We are extending Sunflower Summer so you can pack in some last minute fun before the kids head back to school.

Learn more and plan your extra visits at SunflowerSummer.org!

07/28/2026

INSTALLING AN OTTAWA WINDMILL, CIRCA 1908-1913. In 1907, a small local company came up with a big idea—building windmill kits that customers could order directly from the factory at factory prices. Ottawa Manufacturing Company was incorporated with $50,000 in capital in 1907. Within a year, Ottawa Manufacturing began to offer 6’, 8’, and 10’ back-geared steel windmills with internal crank gears. The windmill’s tail was decorated with “The Ottawa Ottawa Kans” in black stenciled letters. The windmills were sold on a 30-day trial with a money-back guarantee. The kit included instructions, complete with photographs, on how to install the windmill and tower.

Ottawa Manufacturing Company was in business as an independent windmill manufacturing company through at least 1913. By 1926, it was listed as a “sales organization” for Warner Steel Products Company, a major Ottawa company that produced fencing, saws, iceboxes, gas pumps, water meter covers, and hit-and-miss engines throughout the first half of the 20th century.
Images include the cover of the Ottawa Windmills brochure and photographs demonstrating the installation of a windmill.

Learn more about Ottawa/Warner Manufacturing during Greg Kendall's presentation, History of the Warner Companies in East Central Kansas: 1895 to 1951 on August 1, 2026!

07/24/2026

Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy closes Saturday, July 25!

07/20/2026

TEACHER, COACH, CHAMPION FOR CHILDREN'S ACCESS TO ACTIVITIES: ORLIS COX (1900-1988). Orlis Cox was born in Elk City, Kansas and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1923. He spent the first three years of his career in Elk City, where he was both a teacher and a coach. In 1926, he took a position with Ottawa High School, where he would stay for 40 years.

Cox was a physical education teacher and coached football, track, tennis, and cross country. In 1933, he personally footed the bill to to take the Ottawa High School 880-Relay Team to the Nationals in Chicago, where they won the National Championship. Ottawa's team beat the team anchored by Jesse Owens, who would go on to win four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics.

In addition to his work as a teacher and coach, Orlis Cox was the athletic director of both Ottawa's Junior and Senior High Schools from 1961 to 1966. He was also a part-time director of Ottawa Recreation Commission. When he retired from teaching in 1966, he became ORC's full-time director.

Cox was a champion for his students and for kids. Stories abound about his commitment to making it possible for every child to have the chance to play, and he worked to address economic, physical, and social obstacles.

He purchased athletics shorts, t-shirts, and shoes for boys who couldn’t afford them.

He encouraged children with disabilities to find ways to be active and healthy throughout the 1950s as polio began to spread.

He worked to create equal opportunities for children, regardless of race. During his coaching years, if he and his student-athletes stopped for dinner and a restaurant wouldn't welcome Black and Latino students, the whole team got back on the bus. As the head of ORC, he opened the segregated swimming pool to non-white children so they could take swimming lessons, because he believed everyone had the right to learn how to swim.

Orlis Cox was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 1965, the Ottawa Recreation Commission voted to rename the West Second Street Field "Orlis Cox Field" in his honor.

Ottawa USD 290 Ottawa Recreation Commission

Today's photo shows Orlis Cox (right) standing with members of the 1933 National Championship 880-relay team: Virgil Sealey, Charles Young, Clarence Heckroot, Jack Richardson.

04/17/2026

The Old Depot Museum will close at 3 p.m. today (04/17/2026).