Topeka ? A plan to shut down state historic sites, including Constitution Hall, for the winter received rough treatment Thursday from several legislators and historians in Lecompton.

“This move to close the sites is a challenge to the heritage of all Kansans,” Paul Bahnmaier, president of the Lecompton Historical Society, told lawmakers Thursday.

The Kansas State Historical Society plans to suspend regular operating hours at most of the 17 state historical sites, starting today, from December through February.

“We have a resource problem,” said Jennie Chinn, the society’s executive director. “We’re trying to do something within the resources we have available.”

Attendance is down at the historic sites, a trend that is being seen nationwide as younger people prefer to experience history by using the Internet and television, Chinn said.

“We are seeing massive changes in our audiences,” she said.

But several lawmakers were upset at the prospect of Constitution Hall and other sites being closed for months.

State Sen. Peggy Palmer, R-Augusta, who is chairwoman of a House-Senate committee on cultural resources, said the closing was “in direct conflict with what our mission is.”

State Sen. Dennis Wilson, R-Overland Park, said the winter closing was regrettable.

“Lecompton is important to this state and to the country,” he said.

Lecompton was the territorial capital of Kansas in the 1850s.

While Constitution Hall will not have regular operating hours through the winter, the Territorial Capital Museum will remain open because it is owned by the local historical society.

Chinn said the historic sites will be opened during the winter months by appointment and special events, such as Kansas Day on Jan. 29.

By suspending regular operating hours, Chinn hopes staff members are able to work with communities and schools to increase programs at the sites, and eventually draw more visitors.

She said many of the sites were struggling financially and local governmental assistance was drying up.

Meanwhile, state funding for the society has been tight. The agency has 15 employees, down from 24 several years ago.

“We’re asking you to do more with less and now we are paying a terrible price for that,” Wilson said to Chinn.