The Olathe Historical Society

In 1974, at the direction of Ed Compton and Ward Horton, a group of 15 people met at the Olathe Public Library to discuss the possibility of forming a local historical chapter. The Articles of Incorporation were finalized and accepted on November 24, 1974. A charter was granted by the State of Kansas on January 28, 1975.

The Olathe Historical Society was founded by a group of citizens to preserve the rich history of the city and people of Olathe, and to collect and care for documents and artifacts from the city’s early beginnings to present day.

Past Projects And Activities
With the assistance of staff from the City of Olathe, the Olathe Historical Society took on its first project, locating and placing a city horse trough on the grounds of City Hall. The trough had originally been located in the northeast corner of the Johnson County Courthouse Square about 1900.

In 1976, OHS reprinted and sold the 1884 Gregg Johnson County Atlas for the Bi-Centennial. The monies from the sale of the atlas went to fund the microfilming of editions of the former “Olathe Mirror” and “Johnson County Democrat” papers.

In 1981, the Society funded another microfilming project for the Olathe Public Library which included the “Olathe Gazette,” “Olathe Weekly Herald,” “Olathe Register Weekly” and the “Progressive Thought” newspapers.

In 1982, the OHS joined with the Olathe Arts Council in the reprinting of the 1907 Souvenir Book of Olathe and Johnson County.

The Society joined with the Friends of Mahaffie in 1983 and through a grant from the Kansas State Historical Society made a photographic record of Olathe’s architecture. They also completed a third printing of the Olathe Centennial book, “Arrows to Atoms.”