Margaret Wood and her fellow anthropological sleuths have spent the last three weeks trying to solve a mystery at a northwest Lawrence dig site.

Their goal: To determine whether a 12-by-20-foot limestone cellar is the remnant of an Underground Railroad site that belonged to John Doy, a famed Lawrence abolitionist.

They found hundreds of clues – buttons, bullets, medicine bottles, eyeglass lenses, ceramics and other items. But nothing answered their question definitively.

“From what we did this year, we can’t definitely say this is Doy’s house,” said Wood, an assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at Washburn University in Topeka. “If we do work in the future, we might be able to.”

Wood and eight anthropology students on Friday finished a three-week excavation of the site, which is north of Peterson Road between Sherwood Drive and Bently Place. The property has long been identified as Doy’s homestead, but gained new attention in 2000 when an 11-year-old boy and his mother discovered the remnants of the home.

The history

Doy, a homeopathic doctor, came to Lawrence with the city’s original settlers in 1854. He is best known for helping 12 escaped slaves get to Oskaloosa – and freedom – in 1859. In the process, he was captured by 20 pro-slavery Missourians.

He was initially taken to Weston, Mo., and then held in St. Joseph, Mo., for five months before 10 Lawrence men rescued him from the jail.

Washburn University researcher Margaret Wood has been working on the possible site of the home of John Doy, a Lawrence abolitionist. Wood is pictured in the foundation of one of the site's buildings. The site is at the end of Sherwood Drive near Kasold Drive and Peterson Road.

Today, he is best known for his presence in a much-publicized photograph, in which he sits in front of his 10 rescuers, who are sometimes called “the original Jayhawks.”

He lived in Lawrence until 1860, when he moved to Battle Creek, Mich. He died in 1869.

Judy Sweets, vice president of the Underground Railroad Association of Douglas County, said Doy held special prominence among the secretive network of those attempting to free slaves.

“He, I think, ranked pretty high in the hierarchy,” Sweets said.

There are about 30 documented Underground Railroad sites in Douglas County, Sweets said, but only a handful still stand. Those include Grover Barn, south of Clinton Parkway on Lawrence Avenue, and the Miller house at 1111 E. 19th Street.

“We have a lot of stories to tell,” Sweets said, “but not a lot of structures to look at.”

Future museum?

That could change if the dig site is identified as belonging to Doy.

In addition to the limestone cellar, the site contains a brick cistern and well. Sweets said there is documentation of a log cabin on the site, but it is unclear whether the cabin was on top of the cellar or separate from it.

6News video: Archeological dig reveals early Lawrence history

Commemoration recalls city’s bloody history (08-08-04)

Commemoration recalls city’s bloody history (08-08-04)

Unity march, Underground Railroad tour honor Juneteenth (06-20-04)

Commentary: Letters awaken historical curiosity (12-01-02)

The Underground Railroad Association of Douglas County Kansas

Wood said several items recovered at the site date from the territorial period, which supports the idea that the building belonged to Doy.

“It’s definitely possible,” she said. “This is definitely in his original land claim.”

The hundreds of items collected at the site are being processed at a Washburn lab. Wood said she would like to return to the site in the future to collect more items.

“It’s an important chapter in Kansas history,” she said, “and this is an important part of it.”

Sweets said there were several possibilities for the site, which is owned by Cheer Pole Ltd., a local developer. It could become a park or a museum in the future, she said.

“We’re open to all kinds of possibilities,” she said. “What we’re interested in now is preserving the site, to shelter it from rain and protect it.”