Topeka’s ‘Ritchie House’ an iconic piece of Kansas history
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – The Shawnee County Historical Society is helping people see important pieces of history all around them.
“There’s a lot of history in Shawnee County and we’ve had a lot of impact on the development of the nation as well as Topeka,” said Bob Totten, manager of the Shawnee County Historical Society.
Shawnee County is full of history, including the fight to end slavery and the monumental civil rights case of Brown v. Board of Education.
“It’s a non-fiction. Several times our heritage is good. Sometimes, it’s not, but you do learn from that,” said Totten, who has always been fascinated with Kansas history.
Just next door to the Shawnee County Historical Society is a building known as the Ritchie House.
“It was a stop on the underground railroad,” said Totten. “The underground railroad was an effort to make fugitive slaves get to Canada where they could get their freedom. That really is the bleeding Kansas era.”
The Ritchie House was owned by an Indiana couple. John and Mary Jane Ritchie moved to Kansas in the mid-1800s and provided shelter for 250 runaway slaves making their way north.
The Ritchies went on to champion other social causes like women’s suffrage and education, leading them to hosting some notable house guests, like John Brown and Susan B. Anthony.
For Totten, the Ritchies’ story is more than just a part of history, it’s also a source of inspiration for generations to come.
“This tells you that if you have the desire, have the interest and an issue, you can also make this become something of importance nation wide,” said Totten.
The historic Ritchie House is in Topeka and has public tours Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The suggested admission price is just 50 cents for students and two dollars for adults.
The Ritchie House and Shawnee Historical Society have more information on their websites.