Kansas Culture

City

Lecompton

Douglas County

Constitution Hall, Lecompton, Historic American Buildings Survey
Library of Congress / HABS; Public domain
Constitution Hall State Historic Site, Lecompton, Kansas
Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress; Public domain
Era Bleeding Kansas Linked Lawrence Linked Osawatomie Linked Topeka Linked Fort Scott Linked Lane Linked Franklin County Linked Linn County Linked Atchison Linked Leavenworth

Constitution Hall in Lecompton housed the 1857 Lecompton Constitutional Convention, which drafted a proslavery constitution later defeated nationally. Lecompton, in Douglas County, was founded in 1854. The hall is on the National Register and is a National Historic Landmark.

Timeline

  1. 1855 From August 1855 to January 1861, Lecompton was the territorial capital of Kansas and a headquarters of proslavery elements in the territory. Sourced
  2. 1856 Constitution Hall in Lecompton is the building where the Lecompton Constitutional Convention drafted a proslavery constitution during Bleeding Kansas. Sourced
  3. 1857 The Lecompton Constitutional Convention reconvened at Constitution Hall on October 19, 1857; the resulting proslavery constitution was later rejected by Kansas voters. Sourced
  4. 1971 Kansapedia/National Register listing states Constitution Hall was listed in the National Register on 1971-05-14 and designated a National Historic Landmark on 1974-05-30. Link only
  5. 1992 HABS index to photographs for Constitution Hall (KS-64) credits Eric J. Zabilka as photographer on July 10, 1992, documenting exterior and interior framing views of the land office and courtroom. Sourced
  6. 2020 Library of Congress Highsmith Archive also documents the Community Building in Lecompton (item 2020742051) as unrestricted photography of the territorial-capital townscape; treat as secondary to HABS Constitution Hall for structural documentation. Sourced

Connected through

Lecompton Constitution / Constitution Hall, 1856-57

Historic structures

Constitution Hall, Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey / Library of Congress; Public domain

HABS documents Constitution Hall at 315 Elmore Street, Lecompton (HABS KS-64; LoC item ks0151), the 1856 building associated with the Lecompton Constitutional Convention.

Notes

Constitution Hall in Lecompton is the building where the Lecompton Constitutional Convention drafted a proslavery constitution during Bleeding Kansas. Sourced

Kansapedia/National Register listing states Constitution Hall was listed in the National Register on 1971-05-14 and designated a National Historic Landmark on 1974-05-30. Link only

Constitution Hall at 315 Elmore Street in Lecompton housed territorial government functions, including the Lecompton Constitutional Convention. Sourced

Kansapedia’s Constitution Hall register entry states the Lecompton Constitution protected slavery regardless of how Kansans voted, was defeated at the national level, and never went into effect. Link only

From August 1855 to January 1861, Lecompton was the territorial capital of Kansas and a headquarters of proslavery elements in the territory. Sourced

The Lecompton Constitutional Convention reconvened at Constitution Hall on October 19, 1857; the resulting proslavery constitution was later rejected by Kansas voters. Sourced

Lecompton is a Connected-through Bleeding Kansas destination from the Lawrence hub; the path hinge is the Lecompton Constitution / Constitution Hall, 1856 to 57. Sourced

HABS significance for Constitution Hall (KS-64) states a federal land office occupied most of the ground floor and that the upstairs meeting room hosted both sessions of the Lecompton Constitutional Convention and other territorial governmental functions. Sourced

HABS index to photographs for Constitution Hall (KS-64) credits Eric J. Zabilka as photographer on July 10, 1992, documenting exterior and interior framing views of the land office and courtroom. Sourced

HABS significance for Constitution Hall (ks0151) states a federal land office occupied most of the ground floor while the upstairs meeting room hosted territorial political conventions, assemblies, courts, and both sessions of the Lecompton Constitutional Convention. Sourced

HABS significance states Constitution Hall was built in 1856, probably by Samuel Jones (Douglas County sheriff and proslavery champion), as a commercial venture to house governmental functions in the territorial capital. Sourced

Library of Congress Highsmith Archive also documents the Community Building in Lecompton (item 2020742051) as unrestricted photography of the territorial-capital townscape; treat as secondary to HABS Constitution Hall for structural documentation. Sourced

Sources