photo by: Screenshot of Douglas County information packet

A handful of grave markers are seen at the Lewis-Crowder Cemetery, which is located in rural Douglas County on private property between Lecompton and Lawrence.

The Lecompton Historical Society will host a panel discussion Saturday about the history and legacy of a rural cemetery in Douglas County that was the first African-American cemetery in the county.

The program, which will be at Lecompton’s Territorial Capital Museum, 640 E. Woodson Ave., will feature a panel of four speakers who will discuss the Lewis-Crowder Cemetery, which was established in the 19th century in what is now unincorporated Lakeview in Douglas County. According to the Lecompton Historical Society, the cemetery, which is located on private land between Lecompton and Lawrence, was established in 1879 and was in use until 1940, and there were “approximately 40 known burials” of Black residents at the site.

Speakers at the event will include Ahnya Lewis, a descendant of Joshua and Mary Dent Lewis who helped found the cemetery; Paul Bahnmaier, the president of the Lecompton Historical Society; Megan Bruey, the author of the National Register nomination for the cemetery and Jan Shupert-Arick, the former Douglas County heritage coordinator.

The panelists will share research, the cemetery’s historical context and personal connections to the site that provide insight to the broader story of African American settlement in Douglas County, according to the county’s website. After the talk, a guided visit to the cemetery will follow, weather-permitting.

Multiple local groups, including the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council, the Lecompton Historical Society and Hernly Associates of Lawrence, worked to get the cemetery on the National Register of Historic Sites. That designation was approved by the Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review on Feb. 7, 2026.

Bahnmaier said in a statement the event “provides an important opportunity” for residents to learn about Lecompton’s past, and he hopes that bringing together speakers from a mix of different fields will “foster a deeper understanding of the cemetery’s historical and cultural importance.”

The event is open to the public, and it will start at 10 a.m. at Lecompton’s Territorial Capital Museum, 640 E. Woodson Ave.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Lecompton’s Territorial Capital Museum, 640 E. Woodson Ave., as seen on Friday, April 10, 2026. The Lecompton Historical Society will host a panel discussion Saturday, April 11 at the museum discussing the Lewis-Crowder Cemetery.