Join us on Saturday, May 30th as we commemorate the 153rd Anniversary of the Battle of Black Jack.

Festivities begin at 1:00 p.m. and run until 8:30 p.m.

Battlefield Tours will be available throughout the day, with a special tour at 3:00 p.m. given by John Brown himself, portrayed by Kerry Altenbernd.

Period musicians will play, vendors will offer up their wares to sell, old time photos will be available, with many other things to see and do.

The Lecompton Reenactors will be on stage to present characters from the Kansas/Missouri Border War days. They will entertain and enlighten us with a recreation of that historic time in our nation’s history.

A quilt show will be a featured event during this year’s anniversary. The show will be in the Robert Hall Pearson House, the main building of the Pearson Farmstead. Pearson fought alongside of John Brown in the Battle and years later, he bought the land and built the house in the 1880’s. Quilt show visitors will be able to go inside this historic farm house and admire how it has stood the test of time.

Dinner will be served from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Advance tickets will be sold in Baldwin City at Mid-America Bank, Baldwin City Chamber office, and the Lawrence Visitors Center at the price of $12.50. Tickets sold at the door are $15.00. Children eat for $5.00.

Barbequed Brisket of Beef, with sides, and cobbler will be served. Dinner will also include tea, coffee, or water.

We look forward to seeing you!

Born in the year 1828, Robert Hall Pearson was a man of vision. As many who settled the Kansas Territory found out, life was sometimes ordinary, and sometimes not.

Robert Hall Pearson was one of the brave men who fought alongside John Brown in the Battle of Black Jack on June 2, 1856. This battleground is just to the north of the Pearson House, the main building on the Pearson Farmstead property.

Some time after the battle, Robert Hall Pearson returned to purchase this property. The home was constructed in the 1880’s and is a prime example of a Kansas farm house during that period. It is scheduled for rehabilitation.

153rd Anniversary of the Battle

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Anniversary

Event

1

Pearson Home

restoration

1

Prairie

Restoration

2

Work Day

April 4th

2

Black Jack

History Corner

3

The Sugar

Maple Grove

4

Getting

Involved

4

Tours a big Hit

5

Calendar of Events

5

Membership Sign up

6

Pearson Farmstead home ready for restoration

S P R I N G 2 0 0 9

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Black Jack Battlefield

Courier F O L L O W

I N T H E

F O O T S T E P S O F

“ O L D J O H N

B R O W N … ”

P A G E 2

Prairie Restoration

Area in late Summer

Volunteer at Black Jack April 4th! By Kerry Altenbernd, Board Member, Volunteer & Tour Committee Chairperson

Prairie Restoration Area successes are many By Karl Gridley, Board Member, Site Committee

The Prairie Restoration Area at The Black Jack Battlefield & Nature Park is coming along well in it’s first full year since the removal of the trash dump there by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Shortly after the trash removal, Mary Lynn Stuart oversaw the removal of scrub trees and red cedars with equipment and volunteer assistance provided by R.D. Johnson Excavation Company. The ground was later mowed by

brush hog and then planted by Jim Niehoff, with an assortment of prairie grasses and wildflowers native to this area.

The perimeter trails of the restoration area have been mowed several times this summer, and the central area itself is showing strong signs of returning to prairie.

7-foot tall turkey foot grasses have made a particularly strong comeback in certain areas, as have bluestem grasses

and numerous prairie wildflowers. A large number of volunteer Black Jack Oaks line the upper banks of Captain’s Creek.

The restoration area will eventually be expanded to include a total of 10 acres in the southwest part of the property. It is hoped that the area can be burned off in the spring, perhaps in coordination with the burning of the Ivan Boyd Prairie. The Black Jack Nature Trail continues to be maintained by Karl Gridley and Stan Roth. It will be expanded this year.

I am very excited to let you know of a significant volunteer opportunity in which Black Jack is participating. This year we are an official site for the Civil War Preservation Trust’s annual Park Day, in which thousands of people turn out to volunteer at Civil War sites across the country. This is the first year that Black Jack has been able to participate and we hope to have many volunteers come out and help.

We plan to demolish and remove several dilapidated modern outbuildings, clean out other outbuildings, clean out the Pearson House, clean up trash, collect sticks and branches, and generally spruce up the Battlefield and the Park to get ready for this year’s touring season.

We will be meeting at the Pearson House in the Black Jack Battlefield & Nature Park at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 4th. Wear work clothes and sturdy footwear. Please bring your own work gloves, water, and lunch. If you have tools and want to bring them, please do so.

We will work, rain or shine.

RSVPs are not necessary, but it would be easier to plan if we had a rough estimate of how many volunteers to expect. Please do not hesitate to come if you have not RSVPed ahead of time.

Our being permitted to take part in this year’s Park Day is more evidence that people are recognizing the importance of the Battle of Black Jack to the history of the Civil War.

For more information on the CWPT’s Park Day, go to www.civilwar.org/parkday

To RSVP to us: 785.883.2106 volunteers@blackjackbattlefield.org

B L A C K J A C K B A T T L E F I E L D C O U R I E R

“Our good works are like stones cast into the pool of time; though the stones themselves may disappear, their ripples extend to eternity.” ~anonymous

P A G E 3

At the time of the Battle of Black Jack in 1856, residents of the area were very concerned about survival in the political climate that existed. There was no effort to document all the details of the fighting activities. Many participants did not want their names associated with specific actions as there was a high probability of reprisal from the other side. We also know what happens when we try to recall details after the passage of time---say 20 years or more. That is part of the reason we have so many differing views of how the battle actually was fought and who participated in it. One of the sources that provides information on persons involved in the Battle of Black Jack is the obituaries. The following is an obituary that states that George W. Fitz took part in the Battle. No other source mentions Mr. Fitz as being a participant, but there is reference to reinforcements of up to 50 men from Wakarusa, arriving shortly after the surrender of Henry Clay Pate to John Brown. It is likely that Mr. Fitz was among that group. Does anyone have any information that would verify his participation? We would also welcome any information or documentation about the Pro-Slavery participants and their view of what happened during that time. Any suggestions of material that has been written will be appreciated. Our contact information is: Phone: (785) 883-2106, e-mail: info@blackjackbattlefield.org Postal mail: PO Box 44, Baldwin City, Kansas 66006

FITZ, GEORGE W. From The Baldwin Ledger, 10 Oct. 1885, page 8, col. 2 Mr. Geo. W. Fitz, one of the early settlers of this county, died at his residence, near Vinland, last Saturday and was buried Sunday. The deceased was born in Sandford, New Hampshire April 21, 1814. He remained at the place of his birth until 1832, at which time he removed to Chester, Mass., and engaged in grain and milling business. He continued to reside there for over 20 years, but when the struggle on the slavery question was transferred from the halls of Congress to the prairies of Kansas, he early enrolled himself in a company which was gotten up to come here and make Kansas a free state. He arrived in Lawrence in March 1855, with his wife and children, and soon after settled on the farm where he has resided ever since. During the struggle which followed between the forces of the free state and pro-slavery parties, he took an active part, being a member of the old Coal Creek company. He was present and took part in the battles of Black Jack, Franklin, the defense of Lawrence, and numerous other contests in which his company played an important part. Whenever men were needed he was always ready to go, never holding back through fear of personal danger. During the civil war, although he was unable on account of the infirmities of age, and the cares of a family, to take part in his country’s service, he encouraged his sons to enlist in the union army. He was a member of the Kansas militia and assisted, in the fall of 1864, to repel Price and his horde of hungry followers. Mr. Fitz was a public spirited citizen and was always foremost in all movements which were for the public good. He was a true friend and a neighbor in the true sense of the term. He was liberal to the poor and no one in distress ever appealed to him in vain. The deceased leaves an aged wife, 7 children and several grandchildren to mourn his loss. They have the heartfelt sympathy of the entire community in their dire affliction. In the death of Mr. Fitz it can be truly said that his family lost a kind husband and father, the country a true patriot, and the world an honest man. Lawrence Journal NOTE (from cemetery records): Mr. Fitz was born 21 Apr. 1814, died 25 Sep. 1885, and buried at Stony Point cemetery. His wife was Ellen, born 20 March 1828, died 3 Jan. 1895.

THE BLACK JACK HISTORY CORNER© by Richard Wellman

P A G E 4

B L A C K J A C K B A T T L E F I E L D C O U R I E R

Are those trees planted that way intentionally? This is a perennial question at The Black Jack Battlefield & Nature Park; are the trees adjacent to the picnic shelter planted that way intentionally?

The answer is yes ! Robert Hall Pearson, the man who owned this property and built the farmstead after fighting along with John Brown and his men during the battle, was from Pennsylvania where it is popular to tap sugar maple trees for syrup in the very early spring.

We hope to find out just how much sap is left in those old trees and make a batch or two of syrup like Pearson would have wanted us to.

When it is too late for tapping, the beauty of the Grove is too much for professional and amateur photographers alike to resist.

The Grove is the most photographed area at the site !

Frequently asked questions……..

The Black Jack Battlefield & Nature Park can always use your help! Here are some of the ways you can get involved with the ongoing process of preserving and interpreting this Historic Site: Help do some of the physical work that is needed on what we call our “Work Days.” This can be anything from

clearing the property of broken limbs and sticks fallen from our many trees, helping to dismantle old or construct new buildings, work on restoring the Pearson Farmstead home, mowing, trimming, or any random chore that is needed at the time.

Help to serve food, set up or take down, be a parking attendant, or in general help out at one of our major fundraising events during the year.

Be a greeter for a few hours or a whole day during the weekends between May and October. This would only require a pleasant personality to welcome our visitors to the site and pass out brochures.

Become a tour guide for guided tours. You will receive instruction from one of our experienced tour guides. You will be able to learn the history of the area and the site in order to provide a good tour to small groups of visitors. Dressing in period clothing would be a plus but not required.

Give period demonstrations or don your period garb on weekends and scheduled events. Make a monetary contribution. As much as we appreciate all of our faithful volunteers, money to meet our

operating expenses and to provide improvements that are needed is always appreciated. Please contact us in one of the following ways to let us know how you would like to help become part of our efforts: volunteers@blackjackbattlefield.org - (785) 883-2106 PO Box 44, Baldwin City, KS 66006

…………….What can I do to help?

P A G E 5

“Suburban growth

threatens to

destroy the very

land where John

Brown and Henry

Clay Pate fought.

If we fail to

preserve this site,

an irreplaceable

part of the history

of Kansas and of

our nation will be

lost forever.”

Battlefield Tours hit unexpected high As awareness of the Battle of Black Jack grows, along with other pre-Civil War sites in the surrounding Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, more and more people are coming from far and wide to pay us a visit.

We have had visitors from as far away as the Netherlands, Sweden, and England and as close as a few miles up the road.

The miles traveled by those who visit us have no bearing on how much interest they have in what we are doing in our preservation efforts at Black Jack. Everyone who visits, leaves with a feeling of gratitude that they are able to take with them information of what was happening in this part of the country from 1854-1861.

Visitors may take self-guided tours of the battlefield year round, from dawn to dusk, using a free self-guided tour brochure provided on site. In addition, we conduct guided tours on weekend afternoons from May to October.

Self-guided tour and other informational brochures are available in the picnic shelter area in the Robert Hall Pearson Memorial Park.

The battlefield isn’t the only attraction here at the site. For nature lovers, we offer a Prairie Restoration area complete with a walking trail that winds through native vegetation. There is also a nature trail that will take you through a wooded section of the property, and the ever popular Pearson Farmstead.

Guided Tours of the Battlefield and grounds are

given on the weekends from May - October.

2009 Calendar of Events

April 4th - Civil War Preservation Trust Park Day

Help clean up the Battlefield & grounds, begins @ 9 a.m.

May 2nd - October 18th

Regular Tour Season open for guided tours Saturday & Sunday, some Fridays

May 30th - 153rd Anniversary Event

Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Battle

1-8:30 p.m. Music, entertainment, vendors, & dinner

June 2nd - Dawn at Black Jack

5-7 a.m. tour the battlefield at the exact date and time of the battle

October 18th - Breakfast at Black Jack

8-10 a.m. eat breakfast with us while you enjoy The Black Jack Battlefield, The Nature Park & The Robert Hall Pearson Farmstead

* more events TBA *

A group of medical professionals from the Netherlands spent some time at Black Jack in the Summer of ‘08.

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Yes! I want to be a part of preserving The Black Jack Battlefield.

____ Student/Senior $10 ____ Individual $35 ____ Contributing $50 ____ Supporting $100 ____ Sustaining $250 ____ Patron $500 ____ Benefactor $1,000 ____ Other amount $ ___________ Name _______________________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________ City _________________________________ State __________ Zip Code _______________ Phone ________________________ e-mail _________________________________________

Send your tax deductable payment with this form to:

The Black Jack Battlefield Trust, Inc.

P.O. Box 44 Baldwin City, KS 66006 Thank you !

Black Jack Battlefield & Nature Park P.O. Box 44

Baldwin City, KS 66006 785.883.2106

info@blackjackbattlefield.org www.blackjackbattlefield.org

3 miles east of Baldwin City, KS, just south of Hwy 56 on E 2000 Road

163 E 2000 Road, Wellsville, Kansas