Join us at Ministry Conference on Friday, July 29, at 2:00 p.m. for a presentation focusing on the first Quaker ministry in Kansas. In 1833, almost 40 years before the founding of Kansas Yearly Meeting, three men visited the Shawnee Indians at their new settlement in what is now Shawnee, Kansas. The men had come west to discuss continuing their work with the Shawnees in Ohio, after a government treaty removed them to Kansas. The Society of Friends was invited to come and start a school and a farm. In the spring of 1836, buildings were erected, and classes were held there from 1837 until 1869.
At 3:00 p.m. we will leave Lawrence. The field trip will include visits to the former site of the mission, 37 miles to the east in Johnson County, and the Shawnee Cemetery nearby. We plan to be back in Lawrence by 6:00 p.m.
Gary Damron, retired pastor who served at Willow Creek, Liberal, and Lone Star Friends churches, will host the presentation. He holds a master’s degree in history from Wichita State University and for 32 years taught history at community colleges in Kansas and Missouri. His master’s thesis is titled, “The Friends Missionary Establishment among the Shawnee Indians in Kansas.”
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