Shawnee County Historical Society
Cox Communications Heritage Education Center features
The Historic John & Mary Jane Ritchie House
and the Bleeding Kansas era
1116-1118 SE Madison Avenue
P.O. Box 2201
Topeka, KS 66601
Phone: 785-234-6097
Emergency Phone: 785-224-4156
Historic Ritchie House Public Tours
Open next week August 10th Tuesday; August 11th Wednesday, August 12th Thursday
9 am to 1 pm
Other times of the week, Call 785 234 6097
Suggested Admission Fee for Ritchie House
$.50 Students, $2.00 Adults.
Special Tours Available for Groups and Organizations
Our Sunday 3pm Zoom meetings continue July 18th with Grant Glenn and others discussing Constitution Hall at 426 S Kansas. If you want a link, please send a request to shawneecountyhistory@gmail.com
Lighting Freedom's Pathway;
Building Heritage & Culture
Are you interested in Lithographs of Old Areas of Shawnee county. We have five of them for sale for $15 a piece plus shipping and handling.
Click here to see the view of Tecumseh in 1869.
Click here to see old Topeka Buildings
Click here to see Topeka in 1869
Click Here to see Topeka in 1880
Click here to see a Map of the Great Plains
If you are interested call 785 234 6097 or send us an email at shawneecountyhistory@gmail.com
Please help the Society by signing up with Amazon Smiles or Dillon's and designate your purchases to help the Society. It won't cost you a thing and will help us. Click here and scroll down the page to see how to sign up.
Interesting Fact of Shawnee County
It was 167 years ago, May 30th the Kansas Nebraska Act became law and that action led to Topeka, Lawrence, and Manhattan being founded by the end of the year in 1854 by members of the New England Emigrant Aid Company.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, creating two new territories,(Kansas and Nebraska) and allowed for popular sovereignty. It also produced a violent uprising known as “Bleeding Kansas,” as pro slavery and antislavery activists flooded into the territories to sway the vote.
Learn more about the Bleeding Kansas struggle by visiting the Ritchie House(the oldest house in Topeka) at 1116 SE Madison, Tuesday thru Thursday 9 to 1pm. You will learn about the quest for freedom in the 1850's and how Topeka fit into this struggle.
Upcoming Events in 2021
Here are the programs held at 3pm Sundays in 2020 and 2021
Sept. 27 Allen Stahl on the history of the Topeka Fire Dept.
October 4th Joan Barker on the 150th Anniversary of Topeka High
October 11th George Vega—Topeka High Walk Out and Marching with Casear Chavez
October 25th Lisa LaRue Baker on the Cherokees and the Civil War
November 1st The History of Adoption in Kansas by Marilyn Waugh
November 8th Deb Goodrich on Dolly Curtis, sister of Vice President Charles Curtis
November 15th Doug Wright---Baseball from 1948 to 1961….the Minor leagues in Topeka Listen here.
November 22th Wendi Bevitt on Colored Troops
December 6 Annual Meeting
January 10th Real Estate history of Topeka forum with Helen Crow and Marshall Barber. Hear the seminar here.
January 17th Thomas Rodriguez on growing up in Topeka and the Bottoms See Program Here.
January 24th Tim Paris -The Garlinghouse Company. Watch Zoom presentation Here.
January 31st Thom Rosenblum— Ike Gilberg, Socialism From Behind a Sewing Machine. A tape of the event is here.
February 28th Chris Cruz--Fred Harvey, setting the standard for fast, fine food with an envied concept that started in Topeka.
March 7th Paul Post on the Bates Family, the Bates Banks and Bates Block(this is the Topeka Blueprint Building) Click Here
March 14th Dan Warner—Historic buildings on Kansas Ave.
March 21st Landry Brewer The Cold War and its impact on Shawnee County View here.
March 28th Doug Wallace on Topeka's own Bonnie and Clyde. Click Here to see the recorded program
June 13th James Concannon on the Washburn Law School
July 18th Chris Meinhardt and Grant Glenn on Constitution Hall
August 15th Topeka High Architectural History
October 10th Oral History and the state legislature
October 17th
October 24th
October 31st
November 7th
November 14th Martin Hall with Paul Post
Here are the programs held at 3pm Sundays in 2020 and 2021
Sept. 27 Allen Stahl on the history of the Topeka Fire Dept.
October 4th Joan Barker on the 150th Anniversary of Topeka High
October 11th George Vega—Topeka High Walk Out and Marching with Casear Chavez
October 25th Lisa LaRue Baker on the Cherokees and the Civil War
November 1st The History of Adoption in Kansas by Marilyn Waugh
November 8th Deb Goodrich on Dolly Curtis, sister of Vice President Charles Curtis
November 15th Doug Wright---Baseball from 1948 to 1961….the Minor leagues in Topeka Listen here.
November 22th Wendi Bevitt on Colored Troops
December 6 Annual Meeting
January 10th Real Estate history of Topeka forum with Helen Crow and Marshall Barber. Hear the seminar here.
January 17th Thomas Rodriguez on growing up in Topeka and the Bottoms See Program Here.
January 24th Tim Paris -The Garlinghouse Company. Watch Zoom presentation Here.
January 31st Thom Rosenblum— Ike Gilberg, Socialism From Behind a Sewing Machine. A tape of the event is here.
February 28th Chris Cruz--Fred Harvey, setting the standard for fast, fine food with an envied concept that started in Topeka.
March 7th Paul Post on the Bates Family, the Bates Banks and Bates Block(this is the Topeka Blueprint Building) Click Here
March 14th Dan Warner—Historic buildings on Kansas Ave.
March 21st Landry Brewer The Cold War and its impact on Shawnee County View here.
March 28th Doug Wallace on Topeka's own Bonnie and Clyde. Click Here to see the recorded program
June 13th James Concannon on the Washburn Law School
July 18th Chris Meinhardt and Grant Glenn on Topeka's Constitution Hall Click here
August 15th Topeka High Architectural History
October 10th Oral History and the state legislature
October 17th
October 24th
October 31st
November 7th
November 14th Martin Hall with Paul Post
December 5th Annual Meeting in person at Topeka Country Club and via Zoom
John and Mary Jane Ritchie
Book--John Ritchie: Portrait of an Uncommon Man
Separate sections of the book can be found below
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Foreword, by Daniel Fitzgerald
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John Ritchie in the Context of History, by Bill Cecil-Fronsman, Washburn University
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Introduction
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Town and Fireside, 1855-1860
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Underground Railroad
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Border War - Capture and Escape
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The Conventions - 1858 to 1859
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Aftermath of Border War, John Ritchie Kills A U.S. Marshal, 1860
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Land for Washburn College 1856-1869
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Civil War Service, Volunteer and Regular Armies
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Back Home for Other Battles
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Strongly Supports Women's Suffrage
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"He Was a Strong Prohibitionist"
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Building A City Upon The Farm
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Mary Jane Shelledy Ritchie, 1821-1880
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John Ritchie Remarries - Some Property to Sons
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John Ritchie's Death
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Topeka's Oldest House
Ritchie/Shelledy Family History: Our People Who Came To Kansas Territory in 1855 (Compiled And Written By Mary Evelyn Ritchie)
KTWU Sunflower Journeys 2002 - Episode 1510A - The Ritchie House
JOHN RITCHIE’S CIVIL WAR: A Documentary History. by Bryce Benedict
Wrecking Slavery from the Kansas Territory: The "Topeka Boys" as Saboteurs, 1855-1861
Account of the death of Deputy U.S. Marshal Leonard Arms (PDF)
Terrible Homicide –"The Kansas Record" (Topeka) Monday Morning April 28, 1860
Public Meeting in Lawrence "Kansas State Record" Saturday, May 5, 1860
A Just Judge "Kansas State Record" April 28, 1860
The Story of the Killing of Leonard Ames - The Topeka "Capital" - July 30, 1881
Lewis Bodwell's Account of Assisting Slaves Containing Description of the Ritchie House (PDF)"The Kansas Telephone" (Manhattan, Kansas) August 1893
Lewis Bodwell, Frontier Preacher: The Early Years, Part 1, by Russell K. Hickman
Lewis Bodwell, Frontier Preacher: The Early Years (Conclusion), by Russell K. Hickman
Excerpts that reference John Ritchie from William G. Cutler's "History of the State of Kansas", 1883, A. T. Andreas, chicago, IL
Mrs. H. C. Root's Paper on the Life of John Ritchie April 27, 1903 (PDF)
Major Harrison Hannahs account of John Ritchie and Washburn University from the Rome, N.Y. Daily Sentinel dated February 27, 1911
The Ritchie Lime Kiln, an article from the Topeka Daily State Journal written by Lloyd Sieber on Saturday, June 4, 1921
Mary Margaret Ritchie Wright's recollections of her grandfather John Ritchie
Narrative Report for Evaluating Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and/or the Register of Historic Kansas Places (PDF version here)
A FRIENDSHIP FORMED IN TURBULENT TIMES--Brown and Ritchie left deep and lasting footprints in Topeka history, by Steve Fry
Southwest Topeka Cemetery Resting Place Of Black Soldiers, by Dick King