Topeka in Shawnee County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Capital City of Kansas

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel

1. Capital City of Kansas Marker

Inscription. Before it became the Kansas capital, Topeka was the seat of a free-state government — an alternative to the official proslavery territorial legislature elected in 1855. These two bodies represented opposing factions in Kansas’ battle over slavery. Antislavery Kansans refused to recognize the official legislature because the elections had been heavily tainted by fraud: thousands of residents from proslavery Missouri crossed the border to cast illegal ballots in Kansas. The antislavery faction elected its own delegates in 1855 to draw up a state constitution. Lest the situation devolve into all-out civil war, President Franklin Pierce ordered federal troops to march into Topeka in July 1856 and shut down the free-state government. But the city remained a hotbed of antislavery agitation. When Kansas finally gained admission to the Union in 1861 - as a free state - Topeka became the lawful capital.

Topeka was also the birthplace of U.S. Vice President Charles Curtis (b.1860). Curtis was the first American Indian and the first Kansan to hold the office.

Erected 2014 by The State of Kansas. (Marker Number 15.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Government & Politics

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• Indigenous Peoples and Communities. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #14 Franklin Pierce series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1856.

Location. 39° 2.809′ N, 95° 40.792′ W. Marker is in Topeka, Kansas, in Shawnee County. It is at the intersection of SW 10th Avenue and SW Harrison Street, on the right when traveling east on SW 10th Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Topeka KS 66612, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kansas. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: East Bas Relief (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); West Bas Relief (about 300 feet away); Pioneer Women of Kansas (about 300 feet away); Removal to Indian Territory (about 400 feet away); The Neosha Valley Experience (about 400 feet away); Kansas Veterans' Walk (about 400 feet away); "To the Stars Through Difficulties": A Chronicle (about 400 feet away); "Ad Astra" (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Topeka.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, July 22, 2015

2. Capital City of Kansas Marker

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel

3. Capital City of Kansas Marker

Photographed by Adam Margolis, July 22, 2015

4. Capital City of Kansas Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 594 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on June 18, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. Photos: 1. submitted on June 18, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 3. submitted on June 18, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.