The Pottawatomie Massacre Historical Marker
Tour Stop
Directions: This historical marker [ Waypoint = N38 26.364 W95 05.044 ] is located in the town of Lane in Franklin County, Kansas 66042.
- Continue south on Virginia Road into Lane, Kansas for 0.3 miles until you reach W 5th Street.
- Look for the historical marker at the southeast corner of Virginia Road and W 5th Street.
Description: The Pottawatomie Massacre Historical Marker's text reads as follows:
“On the night of May 24-25, 1856, a small band of abolitionists led by John Brown murdered five pro-slavery men just north of here along Pottawatomie Creek. This massacre in "Bleeding Kansas" was one of the most famous events leading up to the American Civil War. Brown was later captured, tried and hanged for his unsuccessful raid on Harper's Ferry, (West) Virginia in 1859.”