photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

A historical marker on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, at Black Jack Battlefield just east of Baldwin City.

Douglas County commissioners are set to consider agreements with Baldwin City on Wednesday to jointly acquire and preserve the historic Black Jack Battlefield property.

The proposed agreements aim to ensure the long-term preservation and management of the Black Jack Battlefield, 163 East 2000 Road in Wellsville, through public ownership, protecting its national significance, expanding recreational opportunities, and creating a collaborative governance framework.

Black Jack Battlefield is both a historic site and a nature park. It marks the location of the Battle of Black Jack, which occurred on June 2, 1856. This was the first armed conflict between free state and pro-slavery forces during the “Bleeding Kansas” era and is regarded by many historians as the unofficial first battle of the American Civil War.

Under the agreements, Douglas County would contribute $250,000 from existing open space funds to support Baldwin City’s purchase of the property, while the city would take on site maintenance, ensure ongoing public access and work with the county to appoint an advisory board to guide the site’s future use and preservation. Baldwin City approved the agreements on Sept. 16.

According to a memo in the commission’s meeting agenda, in April 2024, county staff was notified that the Black Jack Battlefield Trust was at risk of mortgage default, “putting the long-term preservation of the site in jeopardy.”

In response, Douglas County and local stakeholders formed the Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park Preservation Committee, which included the Douglas County Historical Society, Santa Fe Trail Historical Society, Lawrence Preservation Alliance, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council, Baker University and Black Jack Battlefield Trust.

That summer, the committee conducted financial assessments, explored preservation strategies and issued a report recommending public ownership of Black Jack Battlefield. In response, the trust and Baldwin City entered into a one-year lease agreement in November 2024, with an option for the city to purchase the property before the lease expires.

The memo said Douglas County has invested $466,353 in the site since 2011 through grants, American Rescue Plan Act funds and support from community partners.

“The best solution to permanently preserving the Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park Historic Site and sustaining continued public access is Douglas County ownership of the property, with maintenance as county open space, establishment of a conservation easement on the property, and partnerships with county Heritage Partners to provide interpretation and programming,” the memo to county commissioners said.

In other business, county commissioners will:

• Hold a work session on Zero Suicide, a framework for helping health care and behavioral health organizations prevent suicide and respond with compassion. Suicide ranks eighth among causes of death in Douglas County for all ages and is the second-leading cause of death for Douglas County residents ages 15 to 44.

The presentation will include county-specific suicide data and trends, highlights from the forthcoming Douglas County Suicide Report, an overview of Zero Suicide, a progress report on collaborative and integrated efforts to implement Zero Suicide across the county’s behavioral health systems and examples of work being done to reduce risk factors in schools and the community. No action will be taken following the session, as it is for informational purposes only.

The County Commission’s work session will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The business meeting will follow at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.