Site of bloody 1863 massacre named most peaceful place in Kansas

• TripAdvisor users named Lawrence the most peaceful place in Kansas, according to a list from thetravel.com.
• Despite its modern tranquility, Lawrence was the site of a bloody massacre in 1863 during the Civil War.
• The city is noted for its lively downtown, natural scenery and wildlife habitats such as the Baker Wetlands and Clinton State Park.

A city with a violent past is now considered the most peaceful place in Kansas by users of the travel website TripAdvisor.

The northeast Kansas community of Lawrence was the Sunflower State’s representative on a list the travel website thetravel.com published this past summer identifying the most peaceful sites in each state.

“Whether you fancy the midnight-lit stillness of a shimmering lake, the distant calls of wildlife in an untouched wilderness, or the calming experience of strolling through a beautiful downtown, these places transport you to a meditative state and offer more than just stunning scenery,” the article said. “According to travelers on TripAdvisor, these are the most peaceful places in every U.S. state.”

What makes Lawrence so peaceful?

Lawrence, which the U.S. census showed had a population of about 95,000 in 2020, “is a beautiful college town in Kansas, between the Kansas and Wakarusa rivers,” said thetravel.com.

It said the city’s “storied past” includes its’ having played a central role in the “Bleeding Kansas” conflict over slavery in the 1850s, then being the site of a massacre in 1863 during the Civil War in which between 150 and 200 men and boys were killed.

Today, Lawrence is home to a lively downtown and offers beautiful natural scenery, with an abundance of wildlife, said thetravel.com.

“Clinton State Park boasts numerous hiking trails and is the perfect place to relax, while the Baker University Wetlands is perfect for a peaceful stroll through one of the most diverse habitats in Kansas,” it said.

Those wetlands, toward the city’s southern end, were formerly the subject of a 20-year battle over whether the Kansas Department of Transportation would be allowed to build a highway through them.

That dispute ended in 2012 with the approval by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals of a plan that took only 56 acres of that 573-acre area for the project while arranging for the Kansas Department of Transportation to provide about $9 million in an endowment fund to manage the wetlands.

What other places made the ‘most peaceful’ list?

The following 49 other sites were on the “most peaceful” list published by thetravel.com.

• Dauphin Island, Alabama.
• Homer, Alaska.
• Sedona, Arizona.
• Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
• Cohasset, California.
• Fort Collins, Colorado.
• Litchfield County, Connecticut.
• Brandywine Valley, Delaware.
• St. Petersburg, Florida.
• Savannah, Georgia.
• Kailua, Hawaii.
• Moscow, Idaho.
• Galena, Illinois.
• Miller Beach, Indiana.
• Decorah, Iowa.
• Frankfort, Kentucky.
• Covington, Louisiana.
• Baxter State Park, Maine.
• Frederick, Maryland.
• Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan.
• Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota.
• Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi.
• St. Francois Mountains, Missouri.
• Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Montana.
• Cowboy Trail, Nebraska.
• Baker, Nevada.
• North Conway, New Hampshire.
• Red Bank, New Jersey.
• Taos, New Mexico.
• Forest Lawn, New York.
• Lake Toxaway, North Carolina.
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.
• Hocking Hills, Ohio.
• Talimena State Park, Oklahoma.
• Wallowa Lake, Oregon.
• Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
• Providence, Rhode Island.
• Beaufort, South Carolina.
• Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
• Franklin, Tennessee.
• Wimberley, Texas.
• Moab, Utah.
• Stowe, Vermont.
• Shenandoah, Virginia.
• Orcas Island, Washington.
• Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia.
• Schoolhouse Beach Park, Wisconsin.
• Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.