Osawatomie was one of the free-State settlements made by the New England Emigrant Aid CompanyEmigrant Aid Society in 1855. On August 30 1856, abolitionist John Brown (abolitionist)John Brown lead the defense against a pro-slavery invasion of the town. After he and his followers were dispersed, the town was almost completely demolished by the proslavery men. In 1859, the first convention of the Kansas Republican Party (United States)Republican Party was held in Osawatomie. Republican Party founder and New York Times editor Horace Greeley was among those in attendance. Osawatomie is the site of the oldest state psychiatric hospital in Kansas, first established as the "Kansas Insane Asylum" in 1866. It was renamed "Osawatomie State Hospital" in 1901. At opening, it had only 12 beds, but the number quickly grew to the point where the patient to physician ratio in 1945 was 854:1. Osawatomie State Hospital was the last Kansas hospital to abandon the use of restraints, continuing to use straightjackets as late as 1956. These practices have since been discontinued. The hospital currently has 176 beds and serves 46 counties in Kansas. Osawatomie is said how you us the letter o in open, so it's Osawatomie not Asawatomie (sounded) Osawatomie is surrounded by the two rivers, there is a Indian Legend about A Village surrounded by two rivers will be protected from a tornado, which is true, no tornado has been breached in the cities flood dikes. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osawatomie%2C_Kansas