History

During 1854-1855 many Northern newspapers urged people to move to Kansas, a new land of opportunity. The pioneer family could cultivate fertile land, enjoy the peaceful countryside, and protect the territory from the spread of slavery. This was the dream of Samuel and Florella Adair, both graduates of Oberlin, a progressive coeducational and biracial college in Ohio. Samuel finished his theology program while he courted Florella. Then they married and moved westward.

Five of the sons of John Brown, Florella's half brother, soon followed the Adairs to Kansas, bringing with them their families and expectations for a better life in the new territory. After settling in the Osawatomie area, severe illness and the "clouds of war" closed in on the pioneers. John Brown came to Kansas to help his sons, although he did not plan to stay permanently in the new territory. In Kansas the steadfast abolitionist found a place where he could act on his radical ideas. The territory officially was under the control of a proslavery government which sometimes prompted free-state men to take desperate action. They fought armed proslavery men, often from Missouri, who invaded the territory, destroying crops and murdering free-state opponents. These troubled times became known as Bleeding Kansas. Osawatomie was attacked and burned by proslavery forces on August 30, 1856, but the Adair Cabin, located some distance northwest of the town, survived.

Pioneer life was difficult enough under any circumstances. The Adairs were exceptional people who faced incredible hardships. As a Congregational minister, Reverend Samuel Adair struggled to gather a faithful flock. The walnut lumber and native stone used in the construction of the church building were supplied from his own claim. This was the first church in Osawatomie and the third of its denomination in Kansas. The work on the meeting house was a labor of love and a source of comfort in troubling times. It was dedicated July 14, 1861, and still stands.

Florella also worked diligently. She had a burning desire to be useful, and Kansas needed strong useful women. Setting up housekeeping in a log cabin was a dramatic change for Florella. The homemaking skills of a pioneer woman included the ability to do without many of the things she needed. It was a strenuous life.

The Civil War, when it came in 1861, separated the Adairs. Samuel served at Fort Leavenworth as military chaplain, while Florella added her husband's responsibilities to her own at home. Eventually ill health forced her to join Samuel at Leavenworth, where she died in 1865.

Following the death of his wife, Samuel returned to his church and cabin in Osawatomie. He helped establish the first insane asylum in Kansas (present-day Osawatomie State Hospital), giving his services voluntarily as chaplain for eleven years. Samuel died in 1898, leaving the cabin to his son, Charles Storrs Adair.

The log cabin stands today as a tribute to the pioneer family who bought it for two hundred dollars in 1854. It is a typical, rough, frontier log cabin. Its fireplace was used for warmth and cooking, and the room in back is said to have hidden escaped slaves. It was nearby that Frederick Brown fell dead, the first victim of the Battle of Osawatomie. Because of his activities in and around the area, John Brown became known as Old Osawatomie Brown. He stayed in the cabin with the Adairs from time to time. The Osawatomie area is rich in history, partly because of the Adairs and the Browns.