The Eldridge Hotel stands on the site of the former Free State Hotel. One of the first buildings in Lawrence, the Free State Hotel was built in 1855 and the hotel's name reflected the politics of its founders during the time period known as Bleeding Kansas. The original hotel was set on fire in 1856 by pro-slavery Sheriff Sam Jones and his men during their attack on Lawrence. A new four-story hotel was rebuilt in 1857. Colonel Shalor Eldridge, the hotel's owner and avowed Free Stater, vowed that every time the structure was destroyed he would "rebuild and add a story to it." On August 21, 1863, Quantrill's men raided Lawrence. They targeted the hotel because it was considered the seat of free-state activity. The Provost Marshall of Kansas, Alexander R.Banks, displayed a white sheet outside his window, declaring sanctuary for those inside the hotel. Quantrill's raiders burned the hotel but did not kill the occupants. Col. Eldridge immediately started rebuilding but was unable to keep his promise to add a story. The resulting three-story hotel lasted until 1924 when it was demolished to make way for the present five-story hotel built by then-owner W. G. Hutson. Each August 21, the anniversary of the raid, a white sheet is displayed from a window.
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.
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.
Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe, the Sacred Red Rock, has tremendous significance to the Kanza (Kaw), a Native American tribe with ancestral lands located in what is now known as 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 steal the boulder and place it in their city. And so, in the middle of the night, a sacred natural cultural item became the property of the city of Lawrence and was renamed "Founder's Rock." Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe remained in Lawrence until August of 2023, when it was returned to the Kaw.
The historic building now known as Abe & Jake's Landing, a popular wedding and private event venue, was built to house the Consolidated Barb Wire Company in 1893. The Lawrence Paper Company purchased the building in 1907 and used the facility until 1974. The original barbed wire company operated until 1899 and serves as a reminder of the essential nature of this product to the growth of Kansas during the late nineteenth century, as farmers and ranchers needed barbed wire to build fences in the Great Plains where lumber was less prevalent than eastern states. Barbed wire helped transform the central plains of the U.S. from an "open range" to one of consisting of fenced-in ranches and farms. Both commercial businesses benefited from the adjacent Kansas (Kaw) River and the Lawrence Dam which was built around 1879. The building stood vacant for much of the 1980s and fell into disrepair until a ten-year renovation project revived the structure, allowing it to transition into a modern service-industry building during the twenty-first century. The building's new purpose speaks to the city's transition from manufacturing to education and services. It also demonstrates the changing role of the river from transportation and power generation to its connection to downtown service-industry businesses and the way many towns are returning to the river for leisure and recreation.
These two downtown Lawrence structures were built in 1882 and 1927, with the first serving as the home to the Wilder Brothers Shirt Factory from 1882 to 1917. The Reuter Organ Company purchased the stone building in 1919 and used the property as its headquarters until 2001. the company also added the brick building in 1927. The organ company enjoyed immense success during the 1920s and survived the lean times associated with the Great Depression and World War II. By the 1950s, Reuter had rebounded fully and evolved into one of the nation's most prolific organ makers. The company operated from these historic structures in Lawrence until 2001 and sold the former factory building to Harvesters the following year.
This historic depot opened in 1956 and replaced a previous depot that had been built on the same lot in 1883. Although Lawrence's early attempts during the mid-nineteenth century to become a major railroad hub faltered as nearby Kansas City became a major terminus, the railroad was essential to Lawrence, with the trains of the Union Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroad both stopping in Lawrence several times per day by the 1880s. Despite the profound popularity of the automobile by the mid-twentieth century, Santa Fe continued to enjoy success in the 1950s, and this building reflects the company's continued investment in Lawrence even as passenger traffic had already peaked at the end of World War II. The midcentury modern building continues to serve passengers as an unstaffed Amtrak station.
Located in Hobbs Memorial Park, this site is historically significant for two reasons. The property was once a farmstead owned by staunch abolitionist John Speer, and the old building, the Murphy-Bromelsick House, is an excellent example of mid 18th century architecture and a serves as a window to the past. John Speer was a key figure in Kansas during the pre and post-Civil War periods. He worked as a newspaper publisher and wasn't afraid to make his views known. During the height of the war in 1863, his homestead and family were attacked by the infamous Quantrill Raid, which occurred on August 21 of that year. A contingent of 450 Confederate irregulars, led by William C. Quantrill, attacked the town, leaving 200 men and boys dead or missing. They targeted abolitionist leaders and their families; John survived by hiding in a cornfield, but his two eldest sons were killed. If it weren't for Speer's efforts, as expressed through his newspaper, Kansas may not have joined the Union as a free state in 1861. The Murphy-Bromelsick House was built between 1866-1869. It was located just 300 yards away from the current location, saving it from demolition, in 2000. Irish and German immigrants built and lived in it through much of the first half of the 20th century.
Home to Lawrence's Saint Luke African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church which dates back to 1862, this structure was built in 1910 and serves a congregation that has served a vital role within Lawrence's' African American community. This building replaced the congregation's previous building which also stood at the same property. The church is connected to many important figures in history, including Langston Hughes, a prominent author, poet, and intellectual during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance.
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.
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.
Lawrence's Watkins Museum of History is the headquarters of the Douglas County Historical Society and offers several floors of exhibits that interpret the history of Lawrence and Douglas County history Bleeding Kansas through the Civil Rights Era and the connection between Lawrence and the University of Kansas. Admission is free and the museum offers regular thematic exhibits on topics ranging from business and economic history, KU athletics, civil rights, women's history, and military history. The second-floor gallery exhibits provide an introduction to how the creation of Lawrence and Kansas helped precipitate the Civil War and the cause and effects of William Clarke Quantrill's infamous raid on the city on August 21, 1863.
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.
On April 15, 1948, students from the University of Kansas chapter of the Committee on Racial Equality (CORE) held a sit-in at Brick’s Cafe. Like many other Lawrence establishments, Brick's Cafe refused to serve African-Americans. Brick's Cafe was selected because of its proximity to campus and the fact that it depended upon the business of students-a group that was often more friendly towards racial integration. Black and white students participated in a peaceful sit-in until white residents and students attacked the protesters. Although this demonstration and other sit-ins on Midwestern campuses following World War II did not end segregation immediately, students and supporters of civil rights followed their demonstrations with petitions and various measures that gradually ended explicit racial discrimination in these college towns long before the more famous sit-ins of the 1960s.
On the evening of April 20, 1970, the Kansas Memorial Union sustained severe damage despite the efforts of firefighters and students to contain the flames. Officials determined that the fire was set intentionally and was caused by an explosion on the sixth floor. The fire took place during a turbulent spring in Lawrence, as many students were protesting the draft and the Vietnam War while racial tension also contributed to the country’s disquiet. These factors resulted in instances of civil unrest and protests at the University of Kansas and other educational institutions, but also a handful of incidents of arson and other forms of property destruction.
Originally located in Spooner Hall, the University of Kansas's Spencer Museum of Art has been located in this purpose-built structure since 1978 thanks to a $4.6 million donation from Helen Foresman Spencer. The museum holds the most comprehensive art museum in Kansas with a collection of 45,000 works of art and cultural objects ranging from ancient cultures to the present. The collections include paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, furniture, ceramics, and photographs. The museum is known for its robust collections of Native American objects along with Medieval art; European and American paintings, sculpture, and prints; along with Japanese Edo-period painting and prints, and 20th-century Chinese paintings. The museum houses 8,500 ethnographic objects from the former Kansas Museum of Anthropology, which closed in 2007. The building is also home to the Murphy Library of Art and Architecture and the Kress Foundation Department of Art History.
Built to honor the 277 students who died in World War II, the University of Kansas dedicated this Memorial Campanile on May 27, 1951. Inside the Campanile is a carillon, an instrument of 53 large bells which reside at the top of the tower. During KU’s graduation ceremony, students march through the opening of the Campanile on their way to Memorial Stadium where commencement takes place. Popular student legend says that if a student should walk under the Campanile prior to their graduation, they will fail to graduate in four years.
Constructed in three phases over twelve years between 1911 and 1923, Strong Hall is a campus landmark and the main administration building at the University of Kansas. The building is named in honor of Frank Strong, who served as chancellor from 1902 to 1920. Strong was a proponent of the new building which would ease overcrowding at Fraser Hall, but the state legislature did not approve enough funding to complete Strong Hall in one phase. As a result, the east wing was completed in 1911, the west wing in 1918, and the center in 1923, three years after Strong's death. When the United States entered World War I, cadets trained at the construction site for the west wing, using the trenches created by construction crews to prepare for conditions they would face in Europe. Strong Hall has been on the National Register for Historic Places since 1988.
Dedicated on April 23, 1955, the Chi Omega Fountain stands at the western edge of Jayhawk Boulevard as a memorial to alumni of KU's Lambda Chapter. The fountain project began in October of 1952 as part of the sorority chapter’s 50th anniversary. About half of the cost of the fountain came from students and alumni. The limestone fountain has become a prominent campus landmark, given its location at the junction of Naismith Drive and Jayhawk Boulevard. The panels of the fountain were crafted by KU student James L. Bass and feature characters from Greek mythology.
Allen Fieldhouse, which opened March 1, 1955, is named for Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, longtime basketball coach who played for and was trained by James Naismith, the founder of basketball. Naismith was a KU professor of physical education and its first basketball coach. The fieldhouse and its basketball court, now named for Naismith, superseded the facilities at the original Robinson Gymnasium, built in 1907 and razed in the late 1960s, and Hoch Auditorium, where games were played from 1927 to 1955. Like those facilities, the fieldhouse also has been the site of concerts and university functions, as well as men's and women's basketball games.
The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, more commonly referred to as the Dole Institute, is officially nonpartisan and located at the University of Kansas. The Institute pays homage to Senator Robert J. Dole, who served for Kansas in the US Senate from 1969-1996 and the House of Representatives from 1961-1969. In 1996, Dole was the Republican nominee for President and was defeated by Bill Clinton.
Grover Barn, built in 1858 in Lawrence, Kansas by abolitionists Emily and Joel Grover, played a big part in the Underground Railroad. The area of the Kansas Territory was a massive state in terms of being used in the fight against and for slavery. Many people in the state were fighting for slavery and many others in the state were fighting against slavery.
Welcome to the online tour for the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum!
The Memorial Arch at Haskell Indian Nations University was funded through the efforts of Native American donors to honor the 415 Haskellites who served in WWI. It also welcomes visitors to the Memorial Stadium, which was created for Haskell’s powerhouse football team in 1926 and was the first-ever stadium built for Native American football.
Dedicated in 1899 and named after the great Onondaga leader who helped create the Iroquois League, Hiawatha Hall is the oldest structure on the historic campus of Haskell Indian Nations University. Haskell was established in 1884 as a boarding school for Native American children that reflected the goal of the United States government to eradicate the cultural, religious, and communal ways of Native American tribes through assimilation. While many of the first students were forced to leave their families and perished in the early years of the school, Haskell changed over time and is now an accredited university that is supported by the federal government and attended and led by Native Americans.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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This drive through the heart of Lawrence includes two dozen landmarks spaced evenly between the historic downtown core, the University of Kansas, and Haskell University. For more detail, there are dedicated walking tours for all three of those areas in addition to a historic home driving tour and over 100 Lawrence landmarks in Clio.
