Ottawa offers museums, self-guided tours: Historic canal, scouting enhances city’s history

OTTAWA – Oh, the things there are to see ... Ottawa offers a variety of sites and sounds to keep day trippers busy.

Part of Ottawa’s allure comes from the Illinois and Michigan Canal. The city has a Fox River aqueduct that carried the canal over the river. It was built in the 1840s and once was thought of as the eighth wonder of the world. It can be found on Champlain Street.

Also, look for the Illinois and Michigan Canal tollhouse on Columbus Street. The one-room building collected money from barges traveling on the canal. Grain, coal, lumber and stone were transported on the barges. This is the canal’s only remaining tollhouse.

To see these sites and others, an historic auto tour is available for travelers. There are 26 places of interest on the drive, including the courthouse and Ottawa Boat Club. A map is included in the tour. Visit www.experienceottawa.com for information.

Two highlights of Ottawa are the Ottawa Scouting Museum and the Reddick Mansion. The mansion is at the corner of Columbus and Lafayette streets. It was built before the Civil War and is three-stories high with 22 rooms. Constructed in the Italianate style, it has ornamental plaster cornices, marble fireplaces, and ceiling medallions.

William Reddick, the home’s owner, is said to have sat with Stephen A. Douglas during his debate with Abraham Lincoln in August 1858 in Washington Square. It was close enough for people to watch the debate from the mansion. Now, visitors don’t have to be a guest of Reddick – it is open to the public.

Then there’s the scouting museum on Canal Street, which has a special exhibit involving items that were in a time capsule from 1958, back when Ottawa was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln and Douglas debate.

The museum has been open since 1997 and also features exhibits that honor Girl Scouting, Boy Scouting and Camp Fire scouts. A re-creation of part of W.D. Boyce’s home (Boy Scouting founder), a Native American display, a theater, and nature area can be found there.

Another means of touring Ottawa can be accomplished with the Brush with History cell phone tour. A visitor’s cell phone acts as a guide when touring the town’s seven murals. Sounds effects from the phone add to the journey back in history. Dial 866-687-2571 or stop at the Ottawa Visitors Center for a booklet. Downloading is available at www.ottawaillinoismurals.com on the Internet.