TOPEKA (KSNT) – Visitors had the chance to experience a piece of Kansas history Saturday as Constitution Hall Topeka hosted an event commemorating the 1855 Topeka Constitutional Convention.
The event on Oct. 10, called Civil Unrest on the Western Frontier, featured presentations from historians, historical artifacts and demonstrations by members of the Third Kansas Light Artillery Battery B, including the firing of an antique cannon.
Blanche Wulfekoetter, executive director of Constitution Hall Topeka, said the event was organized to commemorate the writing of the Topeka Constitution in 1855, which sought to bring Kansas into the Union as a free state.
Wulfekoetter said the Friends of the Free State Capitol organization has spent about 30 years working to preserve the historic site. She was hired as executive director in September and helped organize the commemorative event.
“Topeka, Kansas is such a important part of our United States history,” Wulfekoetter said.
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The day’s activities included presentations from historians Durwood Ball, Tony Mullis and Donna Devlin, along with a presentation by Robert Nelson about the Lane Trail, which was part of the region’s Underground Railroad history.
The afternoon featured members of the Third Kansas Light Artillery Battery B demonstrating historical weapons and military equipment. The group also fired an antique cannon outside Constitution Hall.
Stanley Russo, a private with the Third Kansas Light Artillery, said the cannon is a six-pounder Napoleonic cannon made during the 1850s. During demonstrations, the group uses six ounces of black powder substitute.
Russo said operating the cannon requires regular maintenance, safety training and a team of several members.
“It takes about five to seven, maybe even eight of us to properly run smoothly operate this cannon,” Russo said.
Russo said he hopes demonstrations like this encourage people to ask questions and learn more about history.
“What I hope that people learn when coming to events like this is to appreciate history, to appreciate that humans are always changing, that humans have always stayed the same,” Russo said. “I hope that people keep asking questions, that people keep being curious.”
Wulfekoetter said she hopes the event reminds people that they have a role in shaping the country’s future.
“Hopefully will be a reminder that it’s our time in history to continue writing the story of America as a democracy,” Wulfekoetter said. “And it takes concerted effort. And it’s our turn now.”
Constitution Hall Topeka is located at 427-429 South Kansas Ave. The historic site serves as a place for visitors to learn about Kansas’ free-state history and the events that helped shape the state before the Civil War.
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