Beecher Bible and Rifle Church
A short drive south of town on Highway 99, then a job west on K-18, leads to the historic church established in late June 1857 established by Free State sympathizers.
When the Kansas-Nebraska Bill passed in May 1854, it allowed Kansans to have a say about whether theirs would be a free or a slave state.
Many from outside the state came to Kansas to influence that decision. One group, known as the Connecticut-Kansas Colony, arrived with Sharps rifles and 25 Bibles provided by the congregation of Henry Ward Beecher, the well-known minister from Brooklyn, New York.
The colonists joined with earlier settlers and founded a church in Wabaunsee, now called the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church.
It not only still stands, but it also still holds Sunday services.
Location
It is located 3 miles south on Highway 99, then 2.5 miles west on K-18, south on Elm Street for 0.3 mile.
Tours
Contact them at (785) 617-1300 or (785) 456-9591
