The path to slaves’ freedom went through Lawrence 150 years ago, and now some residents have a plan to preserve that history.

The Underground Railroad Association of Douglas County Kansas submitted a proposal to the city last month asking to take over use of Fire Station No. 4, a historic barn once owned by abolitionist Joel Grover.

The city has shown some interest, but said it wouldn’t pay the bills at the building, 2819 Stone Barn Terrace. Now, at a meeting Sunday the group had to get down to the business of brainstorming uses and ways to pay for the project.

“We’ve had some ideas,” association member Judy Sweets said. “We need to save it for history’s sake.”

Sweets and association member Tolly Wildcat threw around ideas for what might come of the site if their group takes it over. Some were realistic, some were admittedly far-fetched.

First, the group would try to preserve the barn portion of the fire station as best they could, retrofitting the structure so it would be as close to its original 1858 form as possible.

Fire Station No. 4, 2819 Stonebarn Terrace, served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Now, as firefighters prepare to vacate the stone barn that forms the station's core, a proposal has surfaced to celebrate the building's history by turning it into a museum.

The barn has changed with the firefighters there. A modern kitchen is inside, and the upstairs area houses the station’s bunks.

The remainder of the fire station would remain intact, according to the group’s plans, and would house an interpretive center with interactive displays and possible links to local oral history projects.

But the barn is part of the group’s larger vision, which would connect the more than 30 documented Underground Railroad sites in the county. While Grover Barn would be a starting point for tours and information about the railroad, Sweets and Wildcat envision tourist and educational interest in sites all over.

In fact, Grover Barn wasn’t the first stop on the group’s list of sites to help preserve.

“It dawned on us that there were all these sites we needed to save,” Wildcat said.

The project started right where the meeting took place: The corner of Kasold Drive and Peterson Road, the former property of Jayhawker John Doy.

The site of Doy’s house, in the woods near the intersection, has been excavated by teams from Kansas and Washburn universities and has been nationally recognized as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Grover Barn – the last true Underground Railroad stop still standing in the county – isn’t quite there yet. First, the group needs approval to take over the barn, and they’ll need money to do it.

Fundraising hasn’t started in full yet, but the group hopes to raise $250,000 by December 2007.

Until then, the old barn will hang in limbo – and the history of the area’s drive to free slaves will hang with it.