‘Bleeding Kansas’ Series returns to Constitution Hall

Historic Lecompton is presenting six weeks of Bleeding Kansas programs to help get you in touch with the territorial war and Civil War-era history of the area.

The 2026 Bleeding Kansas program series features six weeks of talks and dramatic interpretations focusing on the area’s history from 1854-1865. Bleeding Kansas describes that time in Kansas Territory, during the struggle to determine whether the new state would be free or slave. Each program explores aspects of the state’s unique history. What happened in Kansas during this timeframe was critical to the nation’s history.

The programs begin at 2 p.m. each Sunday, from January 25 through March 1. They’re held at Constitution Hall State Historic Site, 319 Elmore St. in Lecompton. A donation of $5 is requested.

READ: New Laws Take Effect in Kansas for 2026

Constitution Hall is one of the oldest, wood frame structures left standing in the state.   Audiences love to sit inside this historic old structure and listen to modern day historians and authors talk about issues that were discussed over 160 years ago inside this very building. It was the location of some of the most significant events in territorial Kansas political history, namely the writing of the 1857 Lecompton Constitution.  This document would divide the National Democratic Party in the 1860 presidential election and ensure the election of Abraham Lincoln and the civil war.

For info  visit www.lecomptonkansas.com or the “Historic Lecompton” page on Facebook.

–Lee Hartman