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6305 Lackman Road |
Other Sites of Local Interest |
| Lanesfield School Historic Site |
At Lanesfield School Historic Site meet a costumed schoolteacher. In the restored 1904 one-room school, learn penmanship, compete in spell-downs or a spelling bee. In the visitors' center learn about the importance of one-room school education in Kansas. Take a hike through the restored tall-grass prairie, catch a glimpse of prairie wildflowers, and view the site of the pre-Civil War Battle of Bull Creek.
Programs:
The early history of Lanesfield School Historic Site includes its use in the 1600s, by the Osage and Kansa Indians for hunting, and in the 1820's, the arrival of the Shawnee from Ohio and Missouri. Bull Creek runs near Lanesfield and was a good source of water for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. A stone marker erected by the DAR in 1906 marks the section of the Santa Fe Trail that ran close to Lanesfield School. The Trail was used from 1820-1870. From 1820 to the mid-1850s, travelers could only pass through the area as the Shawnee owned the land. In 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act provided for the settlement of Kansas Territory and the Shawnee moved to Oklahoma. Richard McCamish, an early settler in the area, married a Shawnee woman, and established a home on the east bank of Bull Creek. He began the town of McCamish, which was a pro-slavery settlement. In the summer of 1856 the Battle of Bull Creek took place. There were about 1500 Missourians (pro-slavery) gathered along the east bank of Bull Creek. James Henry Lane led about 300 free-staters to a ridge west of the creek. The (perhaps mythical) story states that Lane paraded his men repeatedly before the enemy by having them circle out of sight causing the pro-slavers to believe that Lane's forces were much larger than they were. In addition, it's stated that he put a stovepipe on the back of a wagon and pointed it at the Missourians in order to make them think the free-staters had a cannon. The pro-slavers retreated to Westport and the free-staters burned McCamish's cabin. The town of McCamish grew to about 50 residents by 1858. In 1858 the town of Lanesfield was begun by William Gans, and named after James Lane. They built 17 homes, 3 stores, 3 churches, a hotel, and in 1869 a one-room school for $1000. The town profited from the Santa Fe Trail traffic, serving as a mailstop. Stories survive of school children seeing travelers along the Trail from the school windows. In 1869, a rail line was built from Olathe to Ottawa. The railroad bypassed Lanesfield and the town of Edgerton sprung up. Most homes and other buildings in Lanesfield were moved to Edgerton. The only surviving building of the 'ghost town' of Lanesfield was the one-room school, which continued to serve area school children. In 1903, the Lanesfield School was struck by lightening and the interior relatively destroyed. The school interior was rebuilt and opened in 1904. The current building has been restored to its 1904 appearance.
In 1904, a typical school day began at 8:30 with the ringing of the school bell. The curriculum focused on memorization and recitation. Textbooks and teachers stressed patriotism and moral values. Subjects might be reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, spelling, grammar, physiology, hygiene, history, and sometimes music. Time was allotted in class for doing lessons so that there would be time to do chores at home. Teachers at Lanesfield School typically stayed with the Dillie family across the road. Teachers often were young single women expected to have high moral values. Part of their job as a school marm was to plan programs at the school for the entire community. Examples of these events included box socials, pie supper, and community celebrations. Lanesfield School served area children until 1963 with the passage of Kansas Unified School Districts. In 1967 the school was opened to the public by a group of volunteers. In 1987, the site became part of the Johnson County Museums, an agency of Johnson County government. Lanesfield School was restored and entered on the National Register of Historic Places in August 1988. Today the school is the site of an enormously popular Living History program offered to area school children, as well as annual public events and programming. |
| Other Sites of Local Interest |
| Old Shawnee Town http://www.cityofshawnee.org/parks/OldShawneeTown/oldshawneetown.htm Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site http://www.kshs.org/places/shawnee/ Grinter Place State Historic Site http://www.kshs.org/places/grinter/index.htm Kansas Forts Network http://www.kshs.org/places/fortsnet/index.htm Steamboat Arabia Museum http://www.1856.com/ Mahaffie Farmstead http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/heritage/research/sft/mahaffie.html Interactive Santa Fe Trail http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/heritage/research/sft/index.html |
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Shawnee, Kansas 66217 
