Guardians of Grover Barn

Guardians of Grover Barn Guardians of Grover Barn carries on the legacy of the Underground Railroad Association of Douglas Co The Grovers were abolitionist settlers in Kansas Territory.

Built in 1858 by Joel and Emily Grover, the barn at 2819 Stonebarn Terrace in Lawrence, Kansas, played an important role in the Underground Railroad in Kansas. Following his December 1858 raid into Vernon County, Missouri, John Brown stopped at the barn with eleven formerly enslaved men, women, and children and a new free-born baby while escorting them to freedom in Canada. This was Brown’s last t

rip through Lawrence, Kansas. The Grover barn is currently owned by the City of Lawrence. It was modified in the 1980s to serve as a fire station. The station was deactivated in 2006 and the building is now used for storage. It is not open to the public.

More out-buildings at the Grover farm ca.1950-- a corn crib and a shed, south of the Grover stone barn. Only the 1858 st...
07/18/2026

More out-buildings at the Grover farm ca.1950-- a corn crib and a shed, south of the Grover stone barn. Only the 1858 stone barn still remains today.

Photo courtesy of the Grover family and Fire Station No. 4.

Some Outbuildings on the Grover Farm ca.1950sThis ca. 1950 photo shows some outbuildings on the Grover farm as viewed f...
07/18/2026

Some Outbuildings on the Grover Farm ca.1950s

This ca. 1950 photo shows some outbuildings on the Grover farm as viewed from the southeast of the stone barn. To the left is an outhouse, next is a two-door building. The stone barn is in the background and at the right is a trailer.
Only the 1858-built stone barn remains today south of Clinton Parkway, at 2819 Stone Barn Terrace, bounded by Lawrence Avenue on the west.

Photos courtesy of the Grover family and Fire Station #4.

The audio podcast recently released concerning the Grover Barn and the journey of the 12 freedom-seekers who stayed ther...
05/29/2026

The audio podcast recently released concerning the Grover Barn and the journey of the 12 freedom-seekers who stayed there in 1859 is available at https://www.perasperapodcast.com through the "Episodes" link. It's number six in the series.

PER ASPERA Welcome to Per Aspera, a Kansas history podcast from the Kansas 250 Commission.This season, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, we’re telling stories about the people and places of Kansas that connect to themes in the Declaration of Independence. Episodes For ...

Grover Barn, View from the West--Spring 2023- This image shows the windows that were added to the barn before it was occ...
04/21/2026

Grover Barn, View from the West--Spring 2023-

This image shows the windows that were added to the barn before it was occupied by Fire Station No. 4 in the 1980's.

TESTIMONY by JOEL GROVER's FRIEND, GEORGE GOSS, DESCRIBES STRUCTURES on THE GROVER FARM between December 1857 and June ...
04/17/2026

TESTIMONY by JOEL GROVER's FRIEND, GEORGE GOSS, DESCRIBES STRUCTURES on THE GROVER FARM between December 1857 and June 1858.

Joel Grover's friend, George Goss [see bottom image] testified at the Lecompton, K.T. Land office about improvements Grover had made to the property allowing him to purchase a 160-acre-farm in Douglas County, K.T. about 3 miles SW of the City of Lawrence.

Source: U.S. Land Entry Files
[Click on image to enlarge it]

Address

2819 Stonebarn Terrace
Lawrence, KS
66047

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