bleachers and unwrap the sandwiches we packed. I swat away wasps and I close my eyes and breathe in as a breeze carries the scent of flowers and clean rural air toward me. While only a few visitors seem to make it to the museum each weekend, the baseball diamond is clearly a popular stomping ground for the town's residents.
Up the road from the Territorial Capital Museum is another of Lecompton's claims to fame, Constitution Hall. It's a national landmark preserved by the Kansas State Historical Society, and many of the original floorboards are still in place in their original spots. Just inside the entrance, there's a Lucite admission box — adults are $2; children, students and seniors are$ 1 — and not much else. It seems as though only a serious history nut with a lot of background could get much out of the sparse exhibits, but on this day, the box has collected its fair share of dollar bills. Steven Everley, a Eudora senior studying American history, works the desk and gives presentations to Constitution Hall's visitors. He says the museum is usually pretty quiet, but he likes working there. When people do come in, they are often passing through and making stops at other historical places in the Midwest; Everley says he can tell them what he knows and learn from them at the same time.
The historical nature of Lecompton is a big 'draw, but the museum isn't the only thing that keeps Everley driving back to work every Sunday, even though it's just for a few hours. Everyone is friendly, he says, like the 93-year-old woman who
comes across the street to pull weeds on the lawn next to Constitution Hall. In a town this small(population:608) everyone seems to know each other, he says. "It's like the Cheers bar in a town setting," Everley says.
The town's charm and friendliness rub
off on everyone, even visitors. A 13 year-old girl from Topeka, Kourtney Griffith, is picnicking with her family under a shelter in a
park near Woodson Avenue on this spring day. She and her 8- year old brother
Austin, take turns showing off their
Capital Museum tour wants to chat about life in Lawrence and books on Civil War history. The man claims we're following him when we show up at Constitution Hall right behind him, and we laugh because we're the only people going through the museums
It's not so far...
Take,some directions with you if you go to Lecompton, or you'll be lost before you even get there...like we were. Here's how to get there and bypass the toll on I-70:
Take Sixth Street out of Lawrence and go west until you hit Kansas Highway 10.
museums.
With no bars, restaurants or social events, with the exception of Territorial Days, a summer festival that begins June 24. it may not be a "hot spot" for college students. But
Turn right at the stop
pies,
Tipper
and Nala,
while she chats
candidly with me
about her aunt, who
lives in town, and how
badly she wants to be a
journalist when she goes to
college. It isn't only the children
who seem to want to make friends
right away: A couple on the Territorial
♦ Take K-10 across l-70 and take a left when you hit the next intersection, N. 1800 Road.
- Turn right at the stop sign and continue on E. 600 Road — it turns into Eisenhower Memorial Drive — until you see signs for Leptompson and Woodson Avenue.
- Stay on N. 1800 Road, which runs parallel to I-70, until you reach a stop sign.
Lecompton doesn't need them, nor
Take a left onto Woodson Avenue and you're there. The Territorial Capital Museum will be on your right just as you come into town.
does it need kitschy museum gift shops or giant balls of twine to be appealing. I made the drive not sure what to expect, except for a couple of museums, and physically I didn't find much else. But the relaxation I felt just by being there, during a stressful time of the year, and the people I met that day are enough to make me want to go back. Those who will truly love Lecompton are probably like me: easily charmed by genuine smiles and willing to go on a rehearsed museum tour for the opportunity to a little learn more than just history.
Contact writer at:
pworthy@kansan.com