Ottawa, Kansas

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Ottawa

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Ottawa.

8 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

• The Plaza Grill and Cinema · Scraped Hmdb

  Pull over here for a second; you're looking at a real piece of cinematic history. This unassuming building, now called Plaza 1907, might just be the oldest continuously operating movie theater *in the world*! Back in…

• Constitution Hall: Where Kansas Found Its Identity · 2.9 mi · Historical Marker

  Constitution Hall in Lecompton served as the territorial capitol where both pro-slavery and free-state forces battled over rival Kansas constitutions in the 1850s.

• Tauy Jones House · 4.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Pull over here for a second; this unassuming spot in Kansas holds a powerful story of resilience and bridging divides. This is where you'll find the Tauy Jones House, built by a remarkable man of Chippewa heritage who…

• Battle of Black Jack · 12.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Right here, the seeds of the Civil War were sown in a clash between freedom and slavery. On June 2nd, 1856, abolitionist John Brown and his men attacked the camp of pro-slavery Captain Henry Pate near Black Jack…

• Silkville, Kansas · 16.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Right here, amidst these Kansas fields, once stood Silkville, a community with a dream as delicate as the silk it hoped to produce. In the 1870s, a French utopian socialist named Ernest de Boissière founded Silkville.…

• John Brown Museum (Osawatomie, Kansas) · 18.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Stop here to step back in time and witness the crucial role Osawatomie, Kansas played in the fight against slavery. This is where abolitionist John Brown made his stand. John Brown arrived in Osawatomie in 1855, drawn…

• Congregational Church (Osawatomie, Kansas) · 18.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  This unassuming church in Osawatomie, Kansas, was a hotbed of abolitionist activity, deeply connected to the legendary John Brown. The Congregational Church was organized here in 1856 by Samuel Adair, whose wife…

• John Brown's Osawatomie: Where the Civil War Began · 19.0 mi · Historical Marker

  Abolitionist John Brown fought pro-slavery forces at the Battle of Osawatomie in 1856, earning the nickname 'Old Osawatomie Brown' and foreshadowing his raid on Harpers Ferry three years later.