TOPEKA — The Kansas Historical Society will host a traveling exhibit commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862. The exhibit, called “Free Land Was the Cry,” will be on display Feb. 27-March 17 in the State Archives Gallery. Admission is free. This exhibit features panels highlighting the impact of the Homestead Act and was created by the Homestead National Monument of America, in southeast Nebraska. The Homestead Act was signed by Abraham Lincoln and opened up 270 million acres of free public land, or 10 percent of the area of the United States, to settlers. About 1.6 million people received land in the Great Plains. An estimated 93 million people are descendants of homesteaders.
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 3 p.m.
