The Lecompton Reenactors is a skilled group of amateur historians with a theatrical bent who bring to life the dramatic political strife and guerilla warfare which existed in the Kansas Territory. When the territory was established, the federal government implemented popular sovereignty, allowing settlers to decide whether to permit slavery which triggered violent conflicts known as “Bleeding Kansas”. To influence that decision, pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists flooded into Kansas Territory, resulting in intense violence and fraudulent elections, setting a chaotic precedent for the birth of the State of Kansas.
The Bleeding Kansas Reenactment is an entertaining way to understand the American Civil War in its embryonic stage and reveals the wide spectrum of personalities and opinions which existed in the Kansas Territory from 1854 – 1861. You will meet Free State party leader Jim Lane, Governor Charles and wife/author Sara Robinson, Border Ruffian Felix Castor, Suffragist Clarina Nichols, Abolitionist John Brown, Douglas County Sheriff Samuel Jones and the widow Mahala Doyle. Audience members will be encouraged to participate…..Hazzah!
The reenactment will be held on June 17, June 24, July 1 and July 4. Two performances will be held daily at 10 am and 2 pm. No tickets required, free will donation appreciated. Call 785-887-6148 for more information.
