Every so often, a family or group will approach the sign outside Constitution Hall in Lecompton, read what it costs to get in, and then walk away without entering.

“I have noticed that some people balk at paying an admission,” Tim Rues, administrator of the state historical site, said. “Sometimes, I’ve noticed that there seems to be an invisible wall. They’ll read the admission fee and turn around,” he said.

Because of budget cuts, the Kansas State Historical Society in February started charging fees to visit the 16 historic sites statewide and the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. Before February, the visits to the museum and sites were free, though donations were requested.

But since the admission charges have been instituted, visitation has decreased significantly, officials said.

No exact figures have been compiled, but Bobbie Athon, a spokeswoman for the State Historical Society, said the decrease in visits was probably in the range of 30 percent since the fees were put in place.

“We have continued to monitor how attendance is doing across the state, and what we are hearing is that attendance has decreased quite a bit this year,” Athon said.

That means fewer people are experiencing Kansas’ colorful history.

In the late 1850s, Constitution Hall was the site of legislative fights between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces to control Kansas territory. The building is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

One block from Constitution Hall is the historic Territorial Capital Museum, which is run by a local historical society and remains free of charge, though donations are requested. It is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Tim Rues, administrator at Lecompton's Constitution Hall, repairs some cracks in the historic building's walls. Rues says he has seen potential tourists turn away after the Kansas State Historical Society started charging fees to enter the site.

Paul Bahnmaier, president of the Lecompton Historical Society, said he didn’t believe the fees charged at the state historical site have affected visitation nor donations at the Territorial Capital Museum. But, he added, he wishes the state would reduce its prices “to make it more family oriented.”

The museum in Topeka now charges $4 for adults; $3 for seniors; $2 for students; and $1 per student for pre-arranged tours.

Constitution Hall charges $2 for adults and $1 for seniors and students. When the admission fees were first put in place at the historic sites, they were a little higher, but were knocked down in September because attendance had dropped so low.

Even though attendance is down, officials say the admission fees are producing about twice as much revenue as when only donations were requested.

The State Historical Society used to collect about $70,000 per year in visitor donations, but has made $140,000 in admission fees since February, Athon said. Some of that money will go back into making improvements at the museum and historic sites, officials said.

Lecompton celebrates its territorial past (6-29-03) Lecompton Historical Society Kansas State Historical Society

Still, the Historical Society is hardly awash in money. The last two years, the agency’s funding was cut 13 percent, or about $700,000, because of the state’s budget crunch.

Athon said there had been complaints about the charges but that the agency was trying to do the best it could. “We try to make sure that people have a good experience when they visit,” she said.