Topeka, Kansas

Topeka
City in the United States
Statistics:
Number of Bahá'ís
-	Bahá'í source
-	Non-Bahá'í source	105
Related media

Topeka is the capital city of Kansas with the oldest continuous Bahá’í community in the state. The community dates to the arrival of Rose Hilty in Sept. 1906 from her hometown of Enterprise, Kansas. She had been a Bahá’í since 1897. She had been taught the Faith as a personal and private affair to be kept secret from others, so she did not attempt to teach. In 1916 Bertha Hyde, whose family in Urbana, IL had accepted the Faith, also joined. Soon a class of interest was formed and travel teachers came to help.

In 1920 the first major proclamation was held when when Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl came for a few days. He was the last teacher sent to America by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

The next major activity occurred in 1934 when Orcella Rexford came to give lectures on health and nutrition. She also gave free lectures on religion. At the end of her second lecture on religion about forty people signed up to start a class to study the Bahá’í teachings. This was the birth of the Topeka Bahá’í Fellowship. The Fellowship attempted to elect a Spiritual Assembly the next April but was not successful. In April 1935 the Assembly was successfully elected.

In 1940 the Bahá’í communities of Topeka and Shawnee County were defined as being separate. Fifty-four years later an Assembly in the county was formed.

Topeka Bahá’ís began to host regional conferences in the 1940s, a practice that continued the rest of the twentieth century.

The first Bahá’í marriage was held in Topeka in 1950 when Dr. Scott Howard married Fern Latimer. Both remained active in the Topeka Bahá’í community the rest of their lives.

In 1967 the Topeka Assembly was successful in its effort to legalize Kansas statues to recognize Bahá’í marriage. The next year the first such marriage took place in Topeka. Also the that year, the Topeka Assembly was incorporated and the first Topeka Bahá’ís went on pilgrimage to the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel.

When Interfaith of Topeka was formed in 1977, Bahá’ís were invited to take part. Eventually two Bahá’ís were elected to be President of the Board of Directors.

The centennial of the Faith in Topeka was celebrated in 2006. One part of that celebration was publication of: "By Thy Strengtheing Grace, A Brief History of the Bahá’í Faith in Topeka: 1906-2006."

Timeline of Topeka Bahá’í History

• 1896 - Persecution of "Bábís" in Persia mentioned in Topeka newspapers
• 1897 - Publicity in newspapers about Baha’i class in Enterprise & first Bahá’í visits Topeka
• 1903 - Massacre of Bahá’ís in Yazd mentioned in Topeka newspapers
• 1906 - Rose Hilty, member of Enterprise class is first Bahá’í to move to Topeka
• 1912 - Rose and her mother-in-law correspond about the ‘Abdu’l-Bahá & the Faith
• 1916 - Bertha Hyde becomes second Bahá’í in Topeka
• 1917 - Bertha signs petition to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
• 1919 - Bahá’ís in Topeka sign letter to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá & His reply lists their names
• 1919 - Topeka activities reported at Central States Bahá’í Convention
• 1920 - First international teacher visits, resulting in first proclamation & publicity in Topeka
• 1921 - First evidence of Bahá’í administrative organization in Topeka
• 1922 - First Bahá’í from Topeka to pioneer to another state
• 1925 - Bahá’í activities in Topeka reported at National Bahá’í Convention
• 1931 - First deathbed Bahá’í conversion in Topeka, that of Dr. John E. Kirkpatrick
• 1933 - Topeka Bahá’í Fellowship formed
• 1934 - First attempt to elect the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Topeka
• 1935 - Successful election of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Topeka
• 1935 - First Topeka Bahá’ís to pioneer to another city in Kansas
• 1936 - First Topeka Bahá’í Delegate to the National Bahá’í Convention
• 1940 - Topeka Bahá’í community defined separately from Shawnee Co. Bahá’í community
• 1944 - First Kansas Bahá’í Convention hosted in Topeka
• 1945 - Race & World Unity Conference hosted in Topeka
• 1946 - First regional teaching conference sponsored by Bahá’ís of Topeka
• 1947 - First Topeka Bahá’í to attend session of a National Bahá’í School
• 1948 - First Topeka Bahá’í to pioneer to a foreign country.
• 1950 - First Bahá’í marriage in Topeka (and Kansas)
• 1955 - Telegrams sent to President Eisenhower & Shah of Iran for relief of Baha'is in Iran
• 1958 - Topeka Bahá’ís hosted & organized first state-wide Bahá’í retreat
• 1967 - Topeka Assembly achieved legal recognition of Bahá’í marriage in Kansas
• 1968 - Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Topeka incorporated
• 1968 - First legally recognized Bahá’í marriage in Topeka
• 1968 - First Topeka Bahá’ís go on pilgrimage to the Bahá’í World Center
• 1974 - 40th anniversary of Assembly celebrated to honor the surviving original members
• 1979 - First property owned by the Topeka Bahá’í Assembly
• 1979 - Founding membership in Interfaith of Topeka
• 1984 - Topeka Bahá’ís instrumental in Kansas Legislature condemning persecution in Iran
• 1985 - Topeka hosts members of NSA for Victory month in Kansas
• 1987 - Kansas Legislature urges study of The Promise of World Peace
• 1994 - Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Shawnee County formed
• 1997 - Topeka Bahá’ís instrumental in Kansas Bahá’í centennial celebration
• 2006 - Topeka Bahá’í centennial attained and celebrated
• 2007 - By Thy Strengthening Grace awarded the Ferguson Kansas History Book Award