Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Bell Mountain
The Augustus Temple.
Temple of Augustus
Gunung Kemekus Entrance
Gunung Kemukus
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Ōmori Nori Vending Machine
Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been slinging these sandwiches since 1929.
Parkway Bakery and Tavern
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Kansas Wamego Beecher Bible and Rifle Church

Beecher Bible and Rifle Church

This historic church is named for abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher and the ruse to arm his fellow abolitionists.

Wamego, Kansas

Added By
PrairieFire
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Services are still held, and tours can be arranged   KTWUProductions
Photo from 1971 survey of historic buildings   Library of Congress / Historic American Buildings Survey
Church interior, 1965   Library of Congress / Historic American Buildings Survey
Named for Rev. Henry Ward Beecher   KTWUProductions
The church is in a quiet corner of the county   KTWUProductions
A nearby historical marker   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
Beecher Bible and Rifle Church   KTWUProductions
The old church on the prairie, mid-19th century   Vintage photo (date unknown)
  BleedingKansas686 / Atlas Obscura User
Looking up at the front of the church   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The date on this simple stone church is 1862, but its story began a few years earlier. It was 1856, and Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, an abolitionist preacher and brother of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” author Harriet Beecher Stowe, had organized a contingent of colonists to set out for Kansas.

The status of the new Kansas Territory hung in the balance of a political battle between free and slave states, and Beecher was determined to tip the scale. He assembled a group of his Connecticut followers to light out for the Territory, with the goal of swelling the vote on the side of a free Kansas. Beecher armed the parishioners with Bibles, and rifles as well. 

They were called the New Haven Colony but became better known as the Beecher Rifle Colony, organizing a congregation in Wabaunsee County. With little money, a proper church took time to build, but by 1862 a simple limestone structure went up on the open prairie. It was named the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church, and although devoid of embellishment in its design, there was maybe a touch of embellishment in its lore.

Legend has it that when additional funds were raised by Beecher for more rifles—specifically Sharps, earning the nickname “Beecher’s Bibles”—they were sent to the colony hidden in the bottom of wooden crates marked “Bibles.” It’s tough to corroborate the story, but it’s not all that unlikely. There is at least one confirmed case of rifles being smuggled into Kansas in a crate marked “books,” so a crate marked “Bibles” might just have easily made the journey.

Related Tags

Churches Civil War Secret Slavery Religion Weapons Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

The Wabaunsee townsite is in Wabaunsee County, about 40 miles west of Topeka. The church is at the corner of Elm and Chapel in the south part of town, and there is free parking next to the church. Services are held every Sunday, and tours can be scheduled in advance by calling (785) 617-1300.

Community Contributors

Added By

PrairieFire

Edited By

daleg, BleedingKansas686, evilgreentriangle, melissabollman

  • daleg
  • BleedingKansas686
  • evilgreentriangle
  • melissabollman

Published

January 16, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.mountmitchellprairie.org/beecher-bible-and-rifle-church.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beecher_Bible_and_Rifle_Church
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze4nycJB6Wo
Beecher Bible and Rifle Church
Elm & Chapel Streets
Wamego, Kansas
United States
39.14389, -96.345822
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Oz Museum

Wamego, Kansas

miles away

Wamego LSD Missile Silo

Wamego, Kansas

miles away

Konza Prairie

Manhattan, Kansas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wamego

Wamego

Kansas

Places 3

Nearby Places

Oz Museum

Wamego, Kansas

miles away

Wamego LSD Missile Silo

Wamego, Kansas

miles away

Konza Prairie

Manhattan, Kansas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wamego

Wamego

Kansas

Places 3

Related Places

  • The Ghost Church, fall 2016.

    Mechanicsville, Virginia

    The Ghost Church

    The skeletal white beams stand as a monument to religious dissent.

  • Church of the Good Shepherd

    Lullington, England

    Lullington Church of the Good Shepherd

    This tiny church is one of England's smallest.

  • St Mary’s and All Saints Church, Dunsfold

    Dunsfold, England

    St Mary's and All Saints Church & Holy Well

    An ancient yew tree and holy well nestle beside a remarkable 13th-century church.

  • Great West Window

    Winchester, England

    The Great West Window

    This cathedral's stained-glass patchwork of psychedelic colors and shapes was put in place long before the swinging 60s.

  • Blackfriars

    Newcastle upon Tyne, England

    Blackfriars Friary

    The remains of a Dominican friary, once one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

  • Inside the church

    Atotonilco, Mexico

    Santuario de Atotonilco

    The walls and ceilings of the "Mexican Sistine Chapel" are almost completely covered with mural, sculpture, inscriptions and oil paintings.

  • Greeneville Cumberland Presbyterian Church

    Greeneville, Tennessee

    Greeneville Cumberland Presbyterian Church

    A cannonball from Union forces battling John Hunt Morgan made this church a permanent home.

  • The Church of Saint Sylvester on Mount Soratte.

    Rome, Italy

    Hermitage of Saint Sylvester

    This hermitage celebrates the legend of Emperor Constantine's healing from leprosy.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.