Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site
About this property
The Marais des Cygnes massacre (, also ) is considered the last significant act of violence in Bleeding Kansas prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War. On May 19, 1858, approximately 30 border ruffians led by Charles Hamilton, a Georgia native and proslavery leader, crossed into the Kansas Territory from Missouri. They arrived at Trading Post, Kansas, in the morning and then headed back to Missouri. Along the way, they captured 11 abolitionist Free-Staters, none of whom were armed and, it is said, none of whom had participated in the ongoing violence. Most of the men knew Hamilton and did not realize he meant them harm. These prisoners were led into a defile, where Hamilton ordered his men to shoot, firing the first and last bullet himself. Five men were killed and five severely wounded. Only one Free-Stater escaped injury. The abolitionist John Brown later built a fort near the site. The site of the massacre is preserved by the Kansas Historical Society as the Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site, originally called the Marais des Cygnes Massacre Memorial Park. The first commemoration at the site was two stone markers erected by men of the 3rd Iowa Cavalry Regiment in 1864, although these monuments had been destroyed by souvenir hunters by 1895. In 1941, the land where the massacre occurred, as well as an 1870s-era house constructed by a friend of Brown, were transferred to the state of Kansas. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site listed on the National Register?
Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 20, 1971.
What type of historic resource is Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site?
Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site?
The period of significance for Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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