We consider Lawrence to be the symbolic birthplace of the Civil War. We were the Little Rock, Arkansas, the Selma Alabama, the Columbine, Colorado, and the World Trade Center Towers of the 1850's. While civil rights, school violence, and terrorism did not originate in these places, they did become much more prominent as a result of events at these locations. Similarly, Lawrence and eastern Kansas in the 1850's heightened and enlarged the struggle over slavery.

These panels climax with our Quantrill Raid panels and tell the story of the Jayhawkers raiding western Missouri and also Osceoloa, Missouri and then the violence back and forth on both sides with personal excerpts that happened to victims and survivors of Quantrill's Raid.

We've tried very hard to put a human face on those who suffered loss. Particularly because of the Edward Fitch letters we have been able to identify with these people. They are not just names on a list. We have a real feel for their hopes and dreams and their personalities.