Shawnee Methodist Mission
Encyclopedia
Shawnee Methodist Mission was a camp established by missionaries
in 1830 to minister to the Shawnee
tribe of Native Americans
, relocated to its present location in 1839. It was also the second capital of the Kansas Territory
, holding that designation from July 16, 1855, to the spring of 1856. It is today a museum located in the town of Fairway, Kansas
.
It is the origin of the Shawnee Mission, Kansas
name used by the United States Postal Service
to refer to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
suburban communities in northeastern Johnson County as well as the Shawnee Mission School District
which serves those communities.
The site is administrated by the Kansas Historical Society
as the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site.
home to the unorganized territories
set aside for Native Americans (in the future state of Kansas
) under the terms of a treaty dated November 7, 1825. The mission was initially built on land near the new Shawnee reserve, in the old Turner community
, by Reverend Thomas Johnson
, in order to convert the recently-relocated tribe to Christianity.
During the 1830s, the Shawnee's most venerated men, including Tenskwatawa "the Shawnee Prophet", were frequently at the mission. The Prophet was Tecumseh
's younger brother and had fought with him against the United States earlier in the century, leading the Shawnee in Tecumseh's absence at the Battle of Tippecanoe
in 1811. Following defeat in this battle, he took his men to the British Canadian colonies
, where he was placed under virtual house arrest for years following the end of the War of 1812
. He was eventually allowed to return to the Shawnee to help them move from Ohio to Kansas, and he died in 1836 at his village (the present site of Kansas City, Kansas
).
location, where an Indian boarding school was opened. From 1839 until its closure in 1862, the Shawnee Mission served as a manual training school for Native Americans, principally from the Shawnee and Delaware tribes.
The Shawnee Mission also served as the second capital of the Kansas Territory
. The capital was moved to the mission on July 16, 1855, after pro-slavery delegates to the Territorial Legislature voted to depart the first capital at Pawnee
. It served as territorial capital until the spring of 1856, when the seat of government was moved to Lecompton
. While the capital was located at Shawnee Mission the legislature promulgated the controversial pro-slavery laws that sparked Bleeding Kansas
violence. During the American Civil War
, the site also served as a camp for Union soldiers.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1968.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in 1830 to minister to the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
tribe of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, relocated to its present location in 1839. It was also the second capital of the Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
, holding that designation from July 16, 1855, to the spring of 1856. It is today a museum located in the town of Fairway, Kansas
Fairway, Kansas
Fairway is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. The population was 3,952 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fairway is located at...
.
It is the origin of the Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Shawnee Mission, Kansas is a name created by the United States Postal Service to describe an area of Johnson County, Kansas that contains numerous towns. Parts of southern Overland Park are not part of Shawnee Mission as they were annexed from unincorporated Stanley and use zip code 66085...
name used by the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
to refer to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
suburban communities in northeastern Johnson County as well as the Shawnee Mission School District
Shawnee Mission School District
The Shawnee Mission School District is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Located in northeast Johnson County, Kansas, the school district enrolled approximately 40,000 students in the 2009-2010 school year...
which serves those communities.
The site is administrated by the Kansas Historical Society
Kansas Historical Society
The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas.Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kansas State Archives and Library, Kansas State Capitol...
as the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site.
The Shawnee
The Shawnee tribe was moved from its traditional OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
home to the unorganized territories
Unorganized territory
An unorganized territory is a region of land without a "normally" constituted system of government. This does not mean that the territory has no government at all or that it is unclaimed territory...
set aside for Native Americans (in the future state of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
) under the terms of a treaty dated November 7, 1825. The mission was initially built on land near the new Shawnee reserve, in the old Turner community
Turner, Kansas
Turner is a community in the southwestern corner of Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States. It is the youngest community in the County.-History:...
, by Reverend Thomas Johnson
Thomas Johnson (Kansas)
Thomas Johnson was a Methodist missionary and a member of the Kansas territorial legislature. He was robbed and murdered in 1865. Johnson County, Kansas is named for him...
, in order to convert the recently-relocated tribe to Christianity.
During the 1830s, the Shawnee's most venerated men, including Tenskwatawa "the Shawnee Prophet", were frequently at the mission. The Prophet was Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
's younger brother and had fought with him against the United States earlier in the century, leading the Shawnee in Tecumseh's absence at the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
in 1811. Following defeat in this battle, he took his men to the British Canadian colonies
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he was placed under virtual house arrest for years following the end of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. He was eventually allowed to return to the Shawnee to help them move from Ohio to Kansas, and he died in 1836 at his village (the present site of Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
).
The new mission
The mission was located at its original site from 1830 to 1839. In 1839, the mission was moved to its present-day Johnson CountyJohnson County, Kansas
Johnson County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. The county is largely suburban, being part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, and containing many of its affluent southwestern suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 544,179. Its county...
location, where an Indian boarding school was opened. From 1839 until its closure in 1862, the Shawnee Mission served as a manual training school for Native Americans, principally from the Shawnee and Delaware tribes.
The Shawnee Mission also served as the second capital of the Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
. The capital was moved to the mission on July 16, 1855, after pro-slavery delegates to the Territorial Legislature voted to depart the first capital at Pawnee
Pawnee, Kansas
Pawnee is a ghost town in Geary County, Kansas, United States, which served as the first official capital of the Kansas Territory in 1855. Pawnee was the territorial capital for exactly five days – from July 2 to July 6, 1855 – before pro-slavery legislators voted to move the capital to Shawnee...
. It served as territorial capital until the spring of 1856, when the seat of government was moved to Lecompton
Lecompton, Kansas
Lecompton is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 608 at the 2000 census. Lecompton played a major historical role in pre-Civil War America as the Territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861...
. While the capital was located at Shawnee Mission the legislature promulgated the controversial pro-slavery laws that sparked Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
violence. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the site also served as a camp for Union soldiers.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1968.