Lawrence Mass Street Walking Tour

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1. Shunganunga Boulder (aka Founder's Rock)

The Shunganunga Boulder had tremendous significance to the Kanza, a Native American tribe that resided in the area that became eastern Kansas. In the 1920s, white residents of Topeka decided that they wanted the stone removed from its location at the junction of the Shunganunga Creek and Kansas River and placed near the state capital. Not to be outdone, businessmen in Lawrence decided to snag the boulder and place it in their city. And so, in the middle of the night, a sacred natural landmark became the property of the city of Lawrence. The city of Lawrence dedicated the rock in 1929 and added a plaque that reads: "To the pioneers of Kansas who in devotion to human freedom came into a wilderness, suffered hardships and faced danger and death to found this state in righteousness."

2. Black Stag Brewery & Pub

Black Stag Brewery opened in 2018 within Lawrence's Marsh Building, a modern structure that was built at the former location of a turn-of-the-century grocer and warehouse. The brewery is owned by John and Kathryn Hampton and William Myers. The building is owned by the Marsh family and offers a restaurant with an eclectic American range of menu items, along with historically-themed microbrews such as Founding Fathers Tavern Ale.

3. Free State Brewery

Free State brewery ended 100 years in Kansas without a legal brewery when they opened in 1989. Their headquarters at 636 Massachusetts Street has become a favorite for locals and visitors alike along Lawrence's main street looking for good beer and food. The Free State Brewery building is immediately north of the boundary of the National Register-listed Lawrence's Downtown Historic District, listed in 2004. Where the brewery building now stands used to be a wood frame structure housing the railroad car shed of the Kaw Valley Interurban Railway in the early twentieth century.

4. City of Lawrence Historical Marker

Erected by the Kansas Historical Society, this marker commemorates the founding of Lawrence by the Emigrant Aid Company and the events of Bleeding Kansas including both the attacks on the city by proslavery forces in 1856 and 1863. The marker emphasizes Lawrence's role as both a symbol and center of antislavery activities, from the work of journalists who criticized the laws made by the proslavery territorial legislature after Missouri men flooded into the territory to cast illegal votes to John Brown's actions against those who sought to extend slavery into Kansas Territory. The marker also emphasizes Lawrence's connection to the Emigrant Aid Company, a Massachusetts-based anti-slavery organization that encouraged New England families to establish farms and homes in eastern Kansas in hopes of preventing the territory and future state from legalizing slavery. With many New England residents arriving in Lawrence, the town became the center of "free-state resistance" and would later become a place of refuge for many formerly enslaved people during the Civil War. This reputation made Lawrence a target for attack by pro-slavery forces, leading to two major attacks. The first in 1856 saw the destruction of several buildings, including two Free States presses. The event, and regional perceptions of the event, helped spark the Civil War, as did John Brown's later attempt to organize and arm enslaved men in Virginia using weapons acquired from his raid on a federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry. John Brown was an abolitionist who came to believe that the best way to end slavery was to confront enslavers using any means necessary. After the first attack on Lawrence, Brown lead a posse across the Pottawatomie river and killed pro-slavery settlers in retribution for the attack on Lawrence in 1856. The marker also includes the deadly raid by proslavery men led by William Quantrill in 1863 that includes the murder of 150 residents.

5. Liberty Hall

Constructed in 1912 to replace the previous Liberty Hall that burned down the previous year, this historic theater hosts live performances and film screenings. One of the cornerstones of Downtown Lawrence's Historic District, Liberty Hall stands at the site where Kansas Territory's first abolitionist newspaper, The Herald of Freedom, was published. That building was burned to the ground in 1856 by Samuel Jones, the pro-slavery Douglas County Sheriff, during the Sack of Lawrence. The newspaper office was replaced that same year by Samuel Edwin Poole. Poole's building also housed the city post office and business that sold sewing machines, pianos, and organs. A new owner renovated the building and added a third floor in the 1880s to create the Bowersock's Opera House. The current Liberty Hall building was constructed after a fire in 1911 destroyed the opera house. Liberty Hall was renovated in the 1980s and hosts many live performances.

6. The Sack of Lawrence, May 21, 1856

In order to understand why the city of Lawrence was sacked by pro-slavery parties in 1856, it is important to understand the political and historical background of the city. It is said that Lawrence is the only city that was founded for political reasons. According to the idea of “popular sovereignty”, which is essentially the concept that the government is ruled by and according to the consent and desires of its people, settlers were given the choice of whether to make their state a slave or a free state. Abolitionists from New England moved to the area and established Lawrence in an effort to ensure the territory would become anti-slavery.

7. Eldridge Hotel, Former Site of the Free State Hotel

The Eldridge Hotel stands on the site of the former Free State Hotel. One of the first buildings in Lawrence, the Free State hotel served as a place for the city's early settlers. The original hotel was built in 1855 by the New England Emigrant Aid Society. The hotel's name reflected the politics of its founders; during the time period known as Bleeding Kansas, members of the New England Emigrant Aid Society opposed the extension of slavery into the territory. In 1856, pro-slavery partisans attacked Lawrence and burned the original Free State Hotel to the ground. Colonel Shalor Eldridge rebuilt and expanded the Free State Hotel, which stood until another attack on the city-once again by Southern Partisans. The 1863 attack on Lawrence by William Quantrill and his raiders included the murder of more than 150 people-the worst episode of domestic terrorism until the attacks on Oklahoma City. After the raid, Colonel Eldridge once again rebuilt the hotel. As Kansas had entered the Union as a Free State, and as the Civil War was coming to an end, he renamed his establishment Hotel Eldridge.

8. The House Building and Miller Block

Constructed by Josiah Miller from 1858 to 1860, the House Building was located in the center of Lawrence in the territorial period. Miller acquired town lot 35 and built this commercial structure on Massachusetts Street. A leader of the effort to attract settlers to the Kansas Territory, Miller became the postmaster and built this three-story structure as part of the effort to bring commerce and prosperity to the Central Plains. In 1860, Miller added an identical structure on the north half of the lot, creating a 50-foot-wide frontage known as the "Miller Block." The southern half of the building was leased to Jacob House for his gentlemen's clothing store in 1862. Miller leased the north half to Joseph Wharton who set up a dry goods and groceries store. Jacob House's daughter-in-law remodeled the building into a two-story structure with office space above in the early 1920s. The building has housed many businesses and upstairs offices over the years and was listed for sale in 2019.

9. Old Lawrence City Library

Constructed in 1904, the Old Lawrence City Library is an excellent example of Neo-Classical architecture and is a symbol of the town's historical affinity for reading and learning. It was partially funded by a gift $27,000 from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who help fund the construction of libraries all over the country. Affixed to the wall just outside the entrance is a plaque about African-American poet, Langston Hughes (1902-1967), who grew up in Lawrence and raised by his maternal grandmother. His love for literature and poetry was kindled during his trips to the library. He would later become one of the great poets of the 20th century. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

10. Plymouth Congregational Church

Established in Lawrence in 1854, Plymouth Congregational Church is the oldest church in Kansas. The current brick church building was built in 1870, and is classified in the Late Victorian, Gothic Revival, and Romanesque Revival architectural styles. The building was prominent Kansas architect John G. Haskell’s first church (National Register). Like Lawrence itself, the church has a strong connection with the abolition and Free State movements; Reverend Richard Cordley, an early minister at Plymouth, was a noted abolitionist preacher, and the church was founded by Free Staters. Throughout its history, the church's congregation has continued to be active in the community, particularly in political and social matters.

11. Watkins Museum of History

The Watkins Museum of History is the headquarters of the Douglas County Historical Society. The society and museum's mission is to "promote civic engagement by supporting the preservation, research, and interpretation of county history through active exhibits and thought-provoking educational programs for the public." The museum is housed in the historic Watkins Building and contains three floors of exhibits telling stories of Lawrence and Douglas County history, from the tense days of Bleeding Kansas through the Civil Rights Era and KU Jayhawks championships. Admission is free. The second floor gallery exhibits provide an excellent introduction to how the creation of Lawrence and Kansas helped precipitate the Civil War, as well as the cause and effects of William Clarke Quantrill's infamous raid on the city on August 21, 1863.

12. J.E. Stubbs Building (19099); Mass Street Soda and Sylas & Maddy's Ice Cream

Located in Lawrence's J.E. Stubbs Building, Mass Street Soda is at the site of a former drugstore that offered a soda counter in the early 1900s. Today, the building is the site of a business offering one thousand varieties of craft soda from around the world. The business occupies part of the ground floor of a historic commercial block type building at the corner of 11th Street and Massachusetts Street, opposite the Douglas County Courthouse. The J.E. Stubbs Building was constructed in 1909 and is a contributing part of the National Register-listed Lawrence's Downtown Historic District, listed in 2004.

13. Douglas County Courthouse

Douglas County was established on May 15, 1854, and was named after Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas. Those familiar with the history of the late antebellum period may find this somewhat ironic given Douglas's willingness to appease the South, a point of view that ran contrary to the growing Free Soil orientation of Lawrence settlers. While Topeka became home to the Free State legislature, Lawrence was home to many of the leading opponents of slavery's extension in the years leading up to the Civil War. Unlike most counties, Douglas County did not have an official courthouse and its county officers met in rented spaces until city officials and boosters decided that Lawrence needed a dignified courthouse. Completed in 1905, this courthouse was funded through a real estate tax.

14. The Castle - John N. Roberts House

The building known by many as "The Castle" was built as a home for John N. Roberts in 1894, a successful merchant, on Massachusetts Street. The Romanesque style building does resemble a castle, with its stone turret and massive presence. The John R. Roberts House was added to the National Register in 1974 for its significance in architecture. By that date, it housed a restaurant and a single dwelling. The location of the Castle Tea Room since the 1930s, the restaurant has reopened after extensive renovations as a special events venue with a new patio and an exterior kitchen. Offices on the second floor of the building were recently leased to the local United Way. A tenant for first-floor offices is being sought. The building is owned by a non-profit foundation established by the late longtime owner and restauranteur of the Tea Room around 2004. A plaque in front of the building details its history.

15. Edward House Residence

The Queen Anne style house at 1646 Massachusetts Street is named for Edward House. The wood frame house on a limestone foundation was constructed in 1894. The House home was listed on the National register in 2007 as an example of its Late Victorian architectural style in the Free Classic subtype. The house was located south of the original boundaries of the town of Lawrence, within Babcock's Enlarged Addition. The nominated structures include an associated garage dating to the 1920s, a cistern, and a below-ground root cellar. A number of prominent members of the community have resided in the home, including bankers and a Kansas University football coach.

16. Eugene F. Goodrich House

The Eugene F. Goodrich House is in a neighborhood in the south section of Massachusetts Street, a few blocks east of Kansas University. The Queen Anne-style wood frame house rests on a limestone foundation and has a gable-on-hip roof. The 2-1/2 story structure was built to be a single family residence in 1890 for the new postmaster; the architect is unknown. The building was listed in the National Register in 2001; at that time, it was a commercial structure housing the offices of Psych Solutions. It now contains the offices of Psychological Resources Inc., a firm that specializes in providing psychological testing of applicants for public safety positions.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Lawrence Mass Street Walking Tour

Created by David J. Trowbridge on June 12th 2020, 2:49:47 pm.

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Description

This tour of Lawrence's famed Massachusetts Street ("Mass Street" to the locals) includes ten blocks starting with the downtown historic district. The tour is full of 19th and 20th-century commercial buildings, with highlights that include a historic hotel and other landmarks connected to Quantrill's Raid. The tour also includes Watkins Community Museum, historical markers, and two of the region's leading breweries. The tour concludes in the Victorian-era suburbs in the 1700s block of Massachusetts St.et.

Entries on This Tour

Lawrence Mass Street Walking Tour

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