Town founded by Unitarians marks 150th

Lawrence, Kansas, celebration.
By Staff Writer
January/February 2005 1.1.05

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The Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, Kans., celebrated 150 years of Unitarianism in Kansas as part of the town's sesquicentennial in September. The city was founded in 1854 by Unitarians and others sent to Kansas by the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society to ensure that Kansas would not become a slave state.

To celebrate the sesquicentennial, members of the fellowship built a scale model of the original building and used it on a float in the city's sesquicentennial parade. Other anniversary events included a symposium, and the rededication of the original 1,500-pound bell from the First Unitarian Church. The bell was donated to the local high school in the 1890s. The Lawrence High School class of 2004 raised more than $2,000 to have it refurbished.