Congregational Church (Osawatomie, Kansas)

The Congregational Church in Osawatomie, Kansas, at 315 6th St., was built in 1858-61. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. It is associated with abolitionist John Brown, as its early preacher and leader, Samuel L. Adair, was married to John Brown's half-sister Florella Brown. After moving to the area with his family in 1855, Adair organized the church, including the first meeting on April 13, 1856 with six free-staters. Church services were held in the Adair cabin, which was later moved to and preserved in the John Brown Memorial Park and is itself listed on the National Register. The National Register nomination for this church reads:The battles of Osawatomie on June 7 and August 30 of that year devastated the town, and church minutes show that hymn books and the Sunday School library were "carried away or burned."... "The congregation reassembled in December 1857 and, in 1858, began the work of building a church home. Samuel Adair worked to raise money, and with his son moved stone and walnut lumber, and actually built the church by 1861. At that time, a severe drought caused many residents of Osawatomie and the Kansas Territory to leave and return a year later. The 1860 census of Osawatomie did not differentiate between the town and the township but showed a population of 304 -167 males and 137 females. " Florella returned to Ohio on what s

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