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OSBORNE — A group of Civil War veterans in Berks and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania began in 1870 to form a colony in which to begin a new life for themselves and their families in the American West. That new life took root in Osborne.
Under the leadership of Colonel William L. Bear and Captain Henry D. Markley a scouting party of 39 men and boys and one woman was sent to Kansas in April 1871 to locate a site for the colony. On May 1, they established the town of Osborne City and soon secured their community for the county seat.
The following September they were joined by the remainder of the colony, more than 200 individuals. Over the next 150 years, the town faced countless challenges – grasshopper plagues, drought, floods, ceaseless wind, wars, pandemics, the Depression, the Dust Bowl, and fluctuations in ag prices.
The story of the Pennsylvania Colony is a lesson in how to confront adverse conditions and lost illusions to come together to solve a myriad of problems both great and small.
Osborne is still going strong in 2021 after 150 years! An epic celebration over Memorial Day Weekend will honor the town’s legacy and look forward to a bright future. The weekend’s events will include the “Bringing It Home to Oz Draggin’ Main Reunion Bash,” a parade, “Prairie Market,” live music, dancing, and a wide variety of other entertainment and activities for folks of all ages, and of course, food and fun. The celebration begins downtown at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 28th.
A full schedule of events can be viewed at the following Facebook Pages: Remembering in Osborne, Osborne 150th Anniversary Celebration, and Bringing it Home to Oz.
Be sure during your stay to talk to local historians, including colony descendant Von Rothenberger, whose extensive research has brought Osborne’s early history to life. Be sure to visit the Osborne County Genealogical and Historical Society in the historic 1912 Carnegie Research Library to purchase books on local history, like A Soldiers’ Colony: How Pennsylvania Veterans Found a Home and Forged a County in 1871 “Sunny Kansas.” It and other Sesquicentennial memorabilia will be available at the Carnegie throughout the weekend. And look for the window displays downtown that will tell more of Osborne’s rich history.