News Release

Forging Freedom's Pathway: Living History Walks from Historic Ritchie House to Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site on April 6

Date: March 26, 2013

Contact(s): Dave Schafer
Phone number: 785-354-4273

Topeka, KS - From conflicts leading to the Civil War to the birth of the Civil Rights Movement, Topeka has played a central role. As part of an initiative to interpret the unique history of Topeka and Kansas, all are invited to attend a free living history walk on Saturday, April 6 from the Historic Ritchie House to Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The walks will feature living history reenactors portraying personalities from territorial Kansas in the 1850s through the historic Brown legal decisions in the 1950s. They will portray evolving views of race and freedom that developed in Kansas over the years. The walks will begin at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site at 12:30 p.m. with the final walk departing at 3:30 p.m.

Walks will begin at the national historic site where participants will ride a free shuttle to the Ritchie House and walk the half mile back, stopping with a park ranger along the way to meet characters representing a century of history. Shuttles and tour groups will depart approximately every 15 minutes. Space is limited and tours are first-come, first-served.

The Lecompton Reenactors, a park ranger, and other living history presenters will portray characters including abolitionist Mary Jane Ritchie, pro-slavery politician David Rice Atchison, free-stater James H. Lane, women's rights supporter Clarina Nichols, Exoduster Nathan Holder, school board member Chester Woodward, and African American teacher Julia Roundtree. Their stories about the conflict over the extension of slavery into Kansas and the later debates over issues of integration and segregation illustrate the central role Kansas played in the emergence of both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.

The living history walk is sponsored by the Shawnee County Historical Society, the Lecompton Reenactors, Western National Parks Association, Visit Topeka Inc., and the National Park Service.

"The Topeka Constitution," a special presentation about this historic event, will occur at 11:00 a.m. on April 6 at Constitution Hall. The historic building at 429 S Kansas Avenue will be the scene of living history portrayals of James H. Lane and David R. Atchison. They will present their free state versus pro-slavery perspectives. Members of the Friends of Constitution Hall will be on hand to explain the building's fascinating history and describe the status of its restoration.

"From Brown to Brown: Topeka's Civil Rights Story," a new brochure that maps out locations in the city linked to local and national struggles for freedom and equality, will be available starting on April 5. As part of an initiative to help the city tell this important story, the brochure features a map directing drivers to 16 sites such as the Statehouse, Great Overland Station, and the U.S. Post Office (former federal building) on Kansas Avenue where Brown v. Board of Education was first argued. To supplement the experience, visitors can dial a number on their cell phones and listen to audio recordings describing each site. They can also connect to a mobile web address for additional images and stories. More information can be found at www.nps.gov/brvb and www.facebook.com/brownvboardnps.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. For more information, call 785-354-4273 or visit www.nps.gov/brvb and www.facebook.com/brownvboardnps.