Constitution Hall -Topeka

Constitution Hall -Topeka (HMVU2)

Location: Topeka, KS 66603 Shawnee County
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Country: United States of America
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N 39° 3.213', W 95° 40.364'

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Inscription

1855 -

Free State Capitol of Kansas Territory, 1855-1861
Used as the Kansas Capitol, 1864-1869

Constitution Hall is Topeka's oldest building. In October 1855, Free Staters held Topeka's first convention here, to organize a free state government and ratify the Topeka Constitution. This was the first of the four constitutions leading to Kansas statehood.

The Topeka Constitution was far reaching for its time, proclaiming There shall be no slavery in this state. The Topeka Legislature stood against the proslavery Territorial "bogus" government in Lecompton, 17 miles northeast of Topeka. Proslavery forces terrorized the Free State citizens and cut off their supplies from Kansas City.

Constitution Hall-Topeka played a nationally significant role in Bleeding Kansas.

The Mural
Painted in the summer of 2006 by community volunteers, this commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Dispersion of the Free State legislature by Col. Edwin V. Summer and federal troops, on the Fourth of July in 1856. It depicts the front of Constitution Hall from the 1856 lithograph, shown above. Colonel Summer, standing third from the left, is based on a photograph of him at about that time.

The Constitution Hall Restoration Project
The building was purchased in 1998 by Friends of the Free State Capitol, an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization, with funds appropriated by the Kansas Legislature.

Preliminary architectural analysis was been [sic] performed by the Historic Resources Committee, Kansas Chapter, American Institute Of Architects. White House historian and Kansas Capitol restoration consultant William Seale, PhD, under a National Park Service grant award, prepared historical study and restoration recommendations.

Building stabilization has been funded by generous Topekans and Kansans.

In 2001, the National Park Service officially recognized the building by permanent listing in the National Underground Network to Freedom Program.

The National Park Service, the City of Topeka, the Kansas Historic Preservation Office, and Downtown Topeka, Inc. have awarded preservation grants.

The City of Topeka officially recognized Constitution Hall-Topeka as a Topeka Landmark in 2006.

Details

HM Number	HMVU2
Tags	Abolition and Underground Rr, Civil Rights, Politics, Settlements and Settlers
Year Placed	2006
Placed By	Friends of the Free State Capitol
Marker Condition	No reports yet
Date Added	Sunday, September 7th, 2014 at 1:02am PDT -07:00

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Locationbig map

UTM (WGS84 Datum)	15S E 268720 N 4326119
Decimal Degrees	39.05355000, -95.67273333
Degrees and Decimal Minutes	N 39° 3.213', W 95° 40.364'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds	39° 3' 12.78" N, 95° 40' 21.84" W
Driving Directions	Google Maps
Area Code(s)	785
Closest Postal Address	At or near 429 S Kansas Ave, Topeka KS 66603, US
Alternative Maps	Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap