Tecumseh in Shawnee County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Lecompton
Capital of Kansas Territory
Photographed By Mark Hilton, September 2, 2015
1. Lecompton Marker
Inscription.
Lecompton. Capital of Kansas Territory. In 1855, the new town of Lecompton was named the capital of Kansas Territory. President James Buchanan appointed a governor and officials to establish government offices in Lecompton, and construction began on an elegant capitol building. In the fall of 1857 a convention met in Constitution Hall and drafted the famous Lecompton Constitution, which would have admitted Kansas as a slave state. The constitution was rejected after intense national debate and was one of the prime topics of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The controversy contributed to the growing dispute soon to erupt in civil war. The Lecompton Constitution failed, in part, because the antislavery party won control of the territorial legislature in the election of 1857. The new legislature met in Constitution Hall, now a National Historic Landmark, and immediately began to abolish the proslavery laws. The victorious free-state leaders chose Topeka as capital when Kansas became a state in 1861.
In 1855, the new town of Lecompton was named the capital of Kansas Territory. President James Buchanan appointed a governor and officials to establish government offices in Lecompton, and construction began on an elegant capitol building. In the fall of 1857 a convention met in Constitution Hall and drafted the famous Lecompton Constitution, which would have admitted Kansas as a slave state. The constitution was rejected after intense national debate and was one of the prime topics of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The controversy contributed to the growing dispute soon to erupt in civil war. The Lecompton Constitution failed, in part, because the antislavery party won control of the territorial legislature in the election of 1857. The new legislature met in Constitution Hall, now a National Historic Landmark, and immediately began to abolish the proslavery laws. The victorious free-state leaders chose Topeka as capital when Kansas became a state in 1861.
39° 1.18′ N, 95° 30.62′ W. Marker is in Tecumseh, Kansas, in Shawnee County. Marker can be reached from Interstate 70, 10 miles west of S Lawrence Trafficway (State Highway 10). Located at the westbound Topeka Service Area of the Kansas Turnpike, 10 miles west of Exit 197. This is a toll road.
It is furthest west of the picnic area grounds, west of the facilities building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8000 SE I 70, Tecumseh KS 66542, United States of America. Touch for directions.
4. View from marker towards rest area exit westbound.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on September 19, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 3, 4. submitted on September 19, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
