photo by: Submitted

Grover Barn is at 2819 Stone Barn Terrace in Lawrence

The Watkins Museum of History is inviting the public to attend a dedication ceremony at Grover Barn, a historic Underground Railroad site in Lawrence.

On Jan. 22, the museum, as the Guardians of Grover Barn, will dedicate new interpretive panels dealing with the period in January 1859 when abolitionist John Brown and 12 others sought refuge in the barn, which is at 2819 Stone Barn Terrace.

After dedicatory remarks and a benediction by the Rev. Verdell Taylor, the public will be invited to view the interior of the barn. Masks will be required indoors.

Parking at the site is limited. A Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department shuttle will run between the Holcomb Park Rec Center parking lot and the Grover Barn between 12:45 and 2 p.m. for those wishing to attend. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

This event will also be livestreamed on the Watkins Museum of History Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages.

The barn was built in 1858 and dates back to the territorial days of Kansas. The building, which has been modified and added to over the years, was originally the barn of abolitionist settlers Joel and Emily Grover. The two-story limestone building is now in the midst of a neighborhood at 2819 Stone Barn Terrace, but it was once a few miles outside of town and hid a group of people, led by abolitionist John Brown, who were escaping slavery in Missouri, as the Journal-World previously reported.

The city acquired the barn in 1980 and used it as a fire station until 2006. The building was officially recognized as a site on the Underground Railroad through a National Park Service program in 2018, following the advocacy of the Guardians of Grover Barn.