Explore our Fiery History
August 17-19, 2018
Lawrence was founded in the 1850’s as the state’s center of resistance to the expansion of slavery. And it paid the price. Targeted, pillaged and burned to the ground during the Civil War, the community rebuilt with a commitment to education, civility, and the future. It’s quite a legacy to live up to… but we try. Add some fiery history to your visit by sampling our past.
Historical agencies throughout Douglas County will present programs that explore Quantrill’s Raid and highlight our area’s territorial and Civil War history for Civil War on the Western Frontier.
From the blog: It wasn’t called Bleeding Kansas for nothing>
2018 Schedule
Friday, August 17
Quantrill’s Raid Cemetery Tour, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM, Oak Hill Cemetery
Join Brittany Keegan, Watkins Museum of History curator, to learn about some of the founding of our historic Oak Hill Cemetery, hear stories of early Lawrence, including Quantrill’s Raid. You’ll also meet some of the notable people buried within the hallowed grounds.
Cost: $20. Advanced registration required: Register
Saturday, August 18
Civil War Bus Tours, 8:00 AM – 7:30 PM, Watkins Museum of History
- 8-9:30 a.m., Quantrill’s Raid: with Michele Montour
- In commemoration of a turning point in Lawrence history, take a tour visiting the places and telling the stories of the victims, survivors, and villains of Quantrill’s Raid. The tour will include downtown Lawrence and key homes in West Lawrence with stops at the Miller House and Oak Hill Cemetery. (Please note that minimal walking and standing will be involved in the stops.)
- 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Quantrill’s Raid: with Michele Montour
- In commemoration of a turning point in Lawrence history, take a tour visiting the places and telling the stories of the victims, survivors, and villains of Quantrill’s Raid. The tour will include downtown Lawrence and key homes in West Lawrence with stops at the Miller House and Oak Hill Cemetery. (Please note that minimal walking and standing will be involved in the stops.)
- 3:00-4:30 p.m. Underground Railroad: with Judy Sweets and Kerry Altenbernd
- Join us as we visit two of the last remaining Underground Railroad-associated structures in Lawrence, the Grover Barn, and the Miller House. The tour will also include a stop at a colorful mural by local artists depicting an event in which a local family sheltered an escaped slave girl while slave catchers hunted for her. In between, you will hear other stories of the Underground Railroad.
- 6:00-7:30 p.m. Women of Early Lawrence: with Sarah Bell
- Elizabeth Speer. Jane O’Brien Archibald. Julia Louisa Lovejoy. Learn the stories of these and other brave women who helped establish Lawrence survived Quantrill’s devastating raid and rebuilt their town.
Cost: $30. Advanced registration required: Register
Walking Tours, 8:30 AM – 7:30 PM, Watkins Museum of History
- 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM., Quantrill’s Raid: with John Jewel
- An experienced local historian and tour guide takes participants through the shocking events of a defining day in Lawrence history.
- 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM., Burning Borders Interactive Walking Tour: with Cole Finley and Amanda Burkhart
- Step backward in time for a one-of-a-kind walking tour experience inspired by the Kansas-Missouri rivalry. Featuring history, humor, and audience participation along the way!
- 6-7:30 PM: Rebuilding of Lawrence: with John Jewell
- Meet at the Eldridge for a trip back to the aftermath of Quantrill’s devastating raid to learn how the citizens of Lawrence recovered and made their town stronger than ever.
Cost: $30. Advanced registration required: Register
Raid Victims Memorial Service and Keynote Address, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM, Watkins Museum of History
Community leaders will read the names of the victims of Quantrill’s Raid in this moving service, followed by the Civil War on the Western Frontier keynote address by noted historian Dr. Harry S. Laver. Admission is free!
For Union and Freedom: Songs of the Civil War, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM, Watkins Museum of History
Singers of the Lawrence Opera Theatre present a thrilling selection of historical music evoking the heroism of those who lived through the Civil War. With introductory remarks by historian Dr. Will Hickox. Admission is free!
Sunday, August 19
Bleeding Kansas Play, 1:00 PM, Territorial Capital Museum, Lecompton
You will travel back in time to meet some of the territorial characters of the Kansas territorial period in a simulated political town hall meeting in Historic Lecompton.
The one-hour performance portion of the tour is set in an 1850s Kansas territorial political town hall meeting. Actors from the Lecompton Reenactors troupe will portray some of the famous Kansans from that turbulent time period known as “Bleeding Kansas.” Join free state Governor Charles Robinson and his wife Sara Robinson, radical free state leader Jim Lane, abolitionist John Brown, women’s rights advocates Clarina Nichols and Louise Brown, Sheriff Samuel Jones, Senator David Atchison, Governor Andrew Reeder, proslavery editor John Stringfellow, border ruffian Felix Castor, Pottawatomie Creek Massacre widows Mahala Doyle and Louisa Jane Wilkinson, Wakarusa War widow Matilda Barber, among others as they passionately express their feelings on the issue of slavery in Kansas, both pro and con. The program also includes a visit to Constitution Hall State Historic Site, the Territorial Capital/Lane Museum and Democratic Headquarters. Call for details: (785) 887-6148
Battlefield Tour with John Brown and others, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Black Jack Battlefield, Wellsville
As part of the Civil War on the Western Frontier activities commemorating the 155th anniversary of Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, Kansas, there will be a special tour of the Black Jack Battlefield.
It will be conducted by Kerry Altenbernd as John Brown, and maybe Henry Clay Pate will be there too. Mr.Altenbernd portrays John Brown professionally as John Brown Speaks.
Learn more about Black Jack Battlefield>
Ongoing Programs
Lawrence: Free State Fortress
Make your first stop the Lawrence Visitor Center to see the 27-minute docudrama that chronicles 10 years of Lawrence history, ending with Quantrill’s Raid. The film is shown upon request Monday- Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. FREE
Eudora and the Civil War
The Eudora Community Museum’s exhibit explores Eudora and the Civil War. Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. To schedule a tour, call 785-690-7900 or email EudoraHistory@gmail.com. FREE
Underground Railroad & Freedom Rings
Visit the Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum at Clinton Lake just outside of Lawrence. The area was a key region for the Underground Railroad and a hotbed of abolitionism and had strong community and family histories for Free State Kansas. Many slaves were safely led through the Wakarusa Valley and on their way to freedom by these noble men. Besides an exhibit about the Underground Railroad, you can also visit the “Freedom Rings”, a large-scale outdoor sculpture which serves as a beacon of light and symbol of freedom to represent the history of the region and the Underground Railroad.
Civil War on the Western Frontier is funded in part by the City of Lawrence, the Lawrence Transit System, Douglas County, and Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.
