Osawatomie
Chamber of Commerce
Historic Sites
Osawatomie’s history traces back to 1854 when abolitionists laid claim to the territory. Famous abolitionist John Brown’s time in Osawatomie began Bleeding Kansas and brought the battle against slavery to the national stage.
​The Osawatomie History Museum has plentiful exhibits on the history of Osawatomie, including our storied railroad past, the Osawatomie State Hospital, our community as it was pre-Civil War, the rural culture of small-town-Kansas, and the enduring social history of Osawatomie.
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Located next door to the Osawatomie History Museum, the MoPac Railroad Depot Museum is an exact replica of the town’s original train depot. Dedicated in 2002, the depot museum houses the majority of the Osawatomie History Museum’s railroad artifacts and memorabilia.
Recognized nationally as one of the towns that sparked the Civil War, Osawatomie boasts 7 sites on the National Register of Historic Places:
Old Stone Church
Creamery Bridge
Potawatomie Bridge
Asylum Bridge
Mills House
Soldiers Monument
John Brown Museum
Although not listed on the Historical Register, the Land Office is another site of interest​. Built in 1854, it was used by the first mayor of Osawatomie, H.B. Smith, and his brother who were the first land patent agents in the territory. It was deeded to the city in 1954 by A.Q. Youngberg as a memorial to his wife.
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Formerly a Tourist Information Center in the summers, it was operated by the Osawatomie Historical Society.
Dedicated May 18, 1995, the Trail of Death plaque, a memorial to the Pottawatomie Indians, is on this site.
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In 2023 the Osawatomie PRIDE Committee updated the exterior of the building with a fresh coat of white paint. The hanging bicycle is one of more than 50 decorated bicycles scattered around the community to claim the self-proclaimed title of "Bicycle Flower Basket Capital of the World."​
The Land Office is located at Lincoln & 6th Street.
