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. 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.

Erected by the Kansas Historical Society.

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

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In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #15 James Buchanan, and the Kansas Historical Society series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1855.

Location. 39° 1.18′ N, 95° 30.62′ W. Marker is in Tecumseh, Kansas, in Shawnee County. It 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.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kansas and in Greater Topeka.

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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies:

Photographed by Adam Margolis, July 22, 2015

2. Lecompton Marker

Purple Heart Trail in Kansas (within shouting distance of this marker); First United Brethren in Christ Church in Kansas (approx. 1½ miles away); Veterans Monument (approx. 6½ miles away); Sheriff Samuel J. Jones (approx. 6½ miles away); Lecompton Constitution Hall (approx. 6½ miles away); Resilience (approx. 6.6 miles away); Historic Lecompton (approx. 6.6 miles away); Lane University (approx. 6.6 miles away).

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. Lecompton Constitution. (Submitted on September 19, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Wikipedia article on the Lecompton Constitution. (Submitted on September 19, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

View from marker towards rest area building. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 2, 2015

3. View from marker towards rest area building.

View from marker towards rest area exit westbound. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 2, 2015

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 657 times since then and 20 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.