The fiery abolitionist Jim Lane, played by historian Tim Rues, hoists a modified American flag as he makes a case for Kansas to be brought into the union as a free state during a play set in a town hall setting in which various figures on opposite sides of the abolitionist and pro-slavery argument make their cases, Monday, June 13, 2016 at the Territorial Capital Museum in Lecompton.

Lecompton Mayor Sandy Jacquot said Kansas! magazine has confirmed what she and others in the northwest Douglas County town already knew.

“We knew we had one of the greatest small towns in Kansas,” she said. “We were glad it was confirmed by our citizens and everybody who voted for Lecompton. We think it’s great news.”

Lecompton was among five Kansas towns to be featured in the latest quarterly issue of Kansas Magazine as one of the favorite small towns in the state. Kansas! magazine editor Andrea Etzel said the towns of Atwood, Council Grove, Lecompton, Marysville and Norton were selected as part of the publication’s second annual readers’ choice awards. Readers were asked to pick their favorite towns with populations of less than 5,000 this year, after selecting in 2015 a bucket list of 75 things to do in the state, she said.

This year’s selection process started with nominations with those 15 towns getting the most nominations placed on an online ballot last spring for two months. The five towns with the most votes were featured in the winter 2016 issue of the magazine that came out Friday.

“I will say Lecompton was the smallest of the five towns selected,” Etzel said. “I know Lecompton does a great job of marketing itself. They have a strong following with a rich history. There are a lot of people from all over who really love Lecompton.”

The magazine highlighted Lecompton’s Civil War-era history, including the Territorial Capital Museum and the Constitution Hall Museum.

Lynn Ward, curator of the town’s Territorial Capital Museum, said the Lecompton Historical Society helped get out the vote for the town of 640 people.

“We sent flyers out to all our historical society members and put notices to all the box holders here in town,” she said. “We also had it up on our Facebook page that you could vote daily.”

Ward and Jacquot said it was their hope the added exposure the community receives from the magazine story attracts visitors to the community and its museums, stores and restaurants. Jacquot said she was sure it would be mentioned during the town’s Nov. 27 community Christmas tree lighting and holiday festival but was looking for other ways for the community to note its selection.

“I don’t know if others are doing anything, but certainly we want to so something,” she said. “I’ll talk to the city council and others about what we can do to make it special. Obviously, it would be a great thing to recognize.”