Baldwin ? The land is ready, historical investigations continue and decisions about government support await.

Now the real work begins.

Advocates for Black Jack Battlefield’s standing as birthplace of the Civil War are working to raise more than $250,000 to create a visitors center, walking trails and educational displays at a 40-acre farmstead three miles east of Baldwin.

Members of the Black Jack Battlefield Trust unveiled a site plan for the area Thursday, surrounded by business leaders, historic preservationists and descendants of John Brown, August Bondi and others who led the free-state fight in 1856.

The brief, early-morning skirmish — often forgotten in U.S. history books — now is considered to be the first documented case of armed conflict between anti- and pro-slavery forces, a simmering conflict that would soon boil over into the Civil War.

“We’re standing on the ground where John Brown and his men came through,” said Judy Billings, chairwoman of the planning committee for establishing a National Heritage Area in eastern Kansas, for which the Black Jack site would serve as the “crown jewel.”

“When you start thinking about those things, and the magnitude of what happened here, and its importance to the nation and its development, it begins to give you chills.”

Program plans

Members of the battlefield trust bought the 40-acre farmstead last year for $190,000, a move designed to keep the area from being absorbed by Baldwin’s continued urban march to the east.

The trust still owes $150,000 on the purchase, and needs another $100,000 to refurbish the site’s 1880s-era farm home, which would serve as a temporary visitors center. A permanent visitors center would be built atop the original stone foundation of a barn destroyed by fire 20 years ago.

Wes Jackson, left, Salina, offers Elaine Caldwell, Santa Barbara, Calif., his arm as Caldwell exits the historic home of Robert Hall Pearson at the Black Jack Battle site near Baldwin. Jackson, a descendant of Pearson's, and Caldwell, the great-great-granddaughter of abolitionist John Brown, attended a meeting Thursday at the Black Jack Battlefield. The site, which some historians claim is where the first skirmish of the Civil War occurred, is undergoing changes that would turn the 40-acre farm into a park. If the organizers secure adequate funding, the Pearson home would be restored to its original 1880s' appearance.

Efforts to establish a heritage area, still pending in Congress, could funnel $1 million a year into such projects for 10 years.

Plans for the site call for more than displays commemorating a battle. The program unveiled Thursday would address four themes:

• “The Battle for Freedom,” or the actual conflict waged by Brown’s forces and those of Henry Clay Pate.
• An agricultural site settled by a seeker of the “American Dream.” Robert Hall Pearson, who fought in the battle, established a farm at the site that would last for generations, with products ranging from row crops to maple syrup.
• Woodland and prairie ecosystem. Prairie acres would be reclaimed, and historic trees — such as black jack oaks — would be noted, along with the likely establishment of bird-watching perches.
• Recreational opportunities. A network of crushed-limestone and natural paths for walking and hiking would be established, to give people access throughout the site. Also envisioned: a picnic area, a children’s playground and a performance area to support historic re-enactments and other events.

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‘Where it all started’

Meg Babani, a landscape architect working on the project, said trust officials also would like to one day close down a section of East 2000 Road — which separates the trust’s land from a Douglas County-owned nature preserve to the east — and redirect traffic onto a side street. That way, both sites could be connected and offer a comprehensive picture of the battle.

“It’s part of the battlefield complex,” she said. “It’d be a little bit more cohesive.”

The very prospect of bringing the site to life through historical displays, natural features and public access was enough to bring a smile to the face of Elaine Caldwell, Brown’s great-great granddaughter. She listened intently to Babani’s presentation, after traveling to the area from her home in California.

“It’s a starting point of what was later to be the Civil War,” she said. “It’s where it all started, and I think it’s important that people know that. I hope that it opens the door to more understanding. … I’m thrilled.”

Members of the battlefield trust hope to have the site ready for accommodating visitors by June 2, 2006, on what will be the 150th anniversary of the battle.

“This (history) needs to be grounded in a special place,” said Ramon Powers, a trust board member and former state historic preservation officer. “This allows us to expand on the history of the area and the region and the greater themes of American history — in essence, the battle for freedom.”

Meg Babani, Lawrence, a landscape architect with Landplan Engineering, uses aerial drawings and photographs to explain plans for the Black Jack Battlefield. Descendants of abolitionist John Brown and Robert Hall Pearson gathered Thursday at the site east of Baldwin to discuss the battleground's future.