An illustration depicting the building where theTopeka Constitutional Convention met in 1855. Delegates assembled at Topeka on October 23, 1855, to draft a constitution. The document was approved on December 15 by a vote of 1,731 to 46. The proslavery--"Law and Order"--party did not participate in the voting on the document. Although Congress rejected this constitution and the request for admission to the Union, the Topeka government kept operating even though its legislature was closed down by U. S. troops on July 4, 1856. This building housed the Kansas legislature in 1864-1869 while the east wing of the state capitol was being built.

Date: 1855