Lecompton, Kansas

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Lecompton, Kansas" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Lecompton, Kansas
City
1857 Constitution Hall (2009)
Location within Douglas County and Kansas
KDOT map of Douglas County (legend)
Coordinates: 39°2′40″N 95°23′41″W / 39.04444°N 95.39472°W / 39.04444; -95.39472[1]
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Douglas
Founded	1854
Incorporated	1855
Named for	Samuel Dexter Lecompte
Area [2]
• Total	1.76 sq mi (4.57 km2)
• Land	1.76 sq mi (4.55 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation [1]	925 ft (282 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	588
• Density	330/sq mi (130/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	66050
Area code	785
FIPS code	20-39150
GNIS ID	2395667[1]
Website	lecompton.org

Lecompton (pronounced /lɪˈkɒmptən/)^[4] is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States.^[1] As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 588.^[3] Lecompton was the de jure territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861, and the Douglas County seat from 1855 to 1858. Anti-slavery Lawrence became the de facto capital during the latter part of this period, when the county seat was moved there. This time period was known as Bleeding Kansas, due to the violence perpetrated by the pro-slavery, and to a lesser extent the anti-slavery, factions in the eastern part of the state. Lecompton was a hotbed of pro-slavery sentiment during the mid-1800s.