Beecher Bible and Rifle Church is a historic church at the southeastern corner of Chapel and Elm Streets in

Wabaunsee, Kansas Wabaunsee is an unincorporated community in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 104. It was named for former Potawatomi, Pottawatomi ch ...

. The church is named after Rev.

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...

, a financial backer for the town who helped smuggle rifles past pro-slavery forces in crates marked

Beecher's Bibles "Beecher's Bibles" was the name given to the breech-loading Sharps rifle that were supplied to and used by the anti-slavery settlers and combatants in Kansas, during the Bleeding Kansas period (1854–1860). The breech loading model 1853 Sharps C ...

History

The town of Wabaunsee was founded in 1855 by a group of about 70 New England emigrants from

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

who established the Connecticut Kansas Colony, alternatively called the New Haven Colony or the Beecher Rifle Colony. The settlers were inspired by a sermon given by well-known

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

Henry Ward Beecher and Beecher gave money to help supply rifles for the men to defend themselves. The rifles were smuggled through pro-slavery areas in crates marked "Beecher's Bibles," and consequently the rifles themselves became known as Beecher's Bibles. Wabaunsee was staunchly anti-slavery and became part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

in late 1856 and helped

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

after Quantrill's Raid. In 1862 the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church was completed after four years of construction. The church was built of local limestone by church member Robert Banks, with contrasting stone accents. The overall style is described as Plains Vernacular. The structure is crowned by a gable roof and a wood bell tower. A central brick chimney vents wood stoves on the perimeter of the church, connecting to the chimney via metal stovepipes. The church is entered through a vestibule that provides access to the choir loft stairs. The main space was divided down the center into men's and women's sides. The church building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1971.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places Churches in Kansas Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas Churches completed in 1862 Buildings and structures in Wabaunsee County, Kansas Historic American Buildings Survey in Kansas 1862 establishments in Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Wabaunsee County, Kansas Bleeding Kansas