Wabaunsee, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Wabaunsee is an unincorporated community in Wabaunsee County
, Kansas
, United States
. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. It was named for local Pottawatomi
chief Wabaunsee
and is known mainly for Henry Ward Beecher
, a financial backer for the town who helped smuggle rifles past pro-slavery forces in crates marked Beecher's Bibles
.
. They were inspired by a sermon given by well-known abolitionist
Henry Ward Beecher and Beecher gave money to help supply rifles for the men to defend themselves. The rifles were smuggled through pro-slavery areas in crates marked "Beecher's Bibles."
Wabaunsee was staunchly anti-slavery and became part of the Underground Railroad
in late 1856 and helped Lawrence
after Quantrill's Raid. In 1862, the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church
was completed and after the Civil War
Wabaunsee hoped for a railroad but it was constructed north of the river. Today, the town consists of several houses and buildings including the church which is on the National Register of Historic Places
.
. It is located in Wabaunsee Township along K-18
two miles west of K-99
.
. Most of the town is situated on the south side of K-18
. Streets are maintained by the local county.
Wabaunsee County, Kansas
Wabaunsee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 7,053. Its county seat is Alma. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Topeka metropolitan area
The Topeka Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in northeastern Kansas, anchored by the city of Topeka...
. It was named for local Pottawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
chief Wabaunsee
Waubonsie
Waubonsie was a leader of the Potawatomi Native American people. His name has been spelled in a variety of ways, including Wabaunsee, Wah-bahn-se, Waubonsee, Waabaansii in the contemporary Ojibwe language, and Wabansi in the contemporary Potawatomi language.-Biography:The documentary record of...
and is known mainly for Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher was a prominent Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late 19th century...
, a financial backer for the town who helped smuggle rifles past pro-slavery forces in crates marked Beecher's Bibles
Beecher's Bibles
"Beecher's Bibles" was the name given to the breech loading Sharps rifles that were supplied to the anti-slavery immigrants in Kansas.The name came from the eminent New England minister Henry Ward Beecher, of the New England Emigrant Aid Society, of whom it was written in a February 8, 1856,...
.
History
Wabaunsee was founded in 1855 by a group of nearly 100 emigrants from New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. They were inspired by a sermon given by well-known abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
Henry Ward Beecher and Beecher gave money to help supply rifles for the men to defend themselves. The rifles were smuggled through pro-slavery areas in crates marked "Beecher's Bibles."
Wabaunsee was staunchly anti-slavery and became part of the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
in late 1856 and helped Lawrence
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
after Quantrill's Raid. In 1862, the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church
Beecher Bible and Rifle Church
Beecher Bible and Rifle Church is a historic church at the southeastern corner of Chapel and Elm Streets in Wabaunsee, Kansas. The church is named after Rev...
was completed and after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Wabaunsee hoped for a railroad but it was constructed north of the river. Today, the town consists of several houses and buildings including the church which is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Geography
Wabaunsee is located along Antelope Creek about a half mile south of the Kansas RiverKansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
. It is located in Wabaunsee Township along K-18
K-18 (Kansas highway)
K-18 is a primarily east–west state highway running between US-24 and I-70 in north central Kansas.-Route description:K-18 begins near the town of Bogue in Graham County as it branches off to the south from US-24...
two miles west of K-99
K-99 (Kansas highway)
K-99 is a Kansas state highway that runs north–south through the eastern part of the state.K-99 has its northern terminus near Summerfield at the Nebraska state line and its southern end south of Chautauqua where it crosses the Oklahoma border and becomes State Highway 99...
.
Transportation
I-70 is about nine miles south of Wabaunsee and US-24 is three miles north in WamegoWamego, Kansas
Wamego is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. The population was 4,246 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wamego is located at...
. Most of the town is situated on the south side of K-18
K-18 (Kansas highway)
K-18 is a primarily east–west state highway running between US-24 and I-70 in north central Kansas.-Route description:K-18 begins near the town of Bogue in Graham County as it branches off to the south from US-24...
. Streets are maintained by the local county.