Guardians of Grover Barn

Donate to the Guardians of Grover Barn – See Donate page on this website

Elementary/Middle School Field Trips – See Field Trips page on this website

The Guardians of Grover Barn is an all-volunteer, grassroots citizens’ organization based in Lawrence, Kansas, and dedicated to both the preservation of the historic stone barn, built in 1858 by abolitionists Joel and Emily Grover to serve their farm, and to the promotion of the barn’s unique history.

The barn is located at 2819 Stonebarn Terrace in Lawrence, and it played a significant role in the Underground Railroad in pre-Civil War Kansas. It is also one of the nation’s best-documented stations on the Underground Railroad and one of the best preserved Underground Railroad sites still standing in Lawrence. Because of this, the Grover Barn is designated as an Underground Railroad site on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Designation by the Network to Freedom provides national recognition of the history and strengthens the ability to receive grant funding for interpretation and preservation of the site.

In addition to its national significance, the barn is also an important site in local history, as a territorial period structure remaining in Lawrence and a rare historic agricultural structure within city limits. It is listed on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places.

The barn and its modern addition are not currently ADA compliant, and until that can be remedied, public access to the interior is not allowed by the City of Lawrence. The Guardians are attempting to raise sufficient funds to pay for an architectural and engineering plan for restoring the barn to as close to its original condition as possible and convert the modern addition into an ADA compliant building where history can be studied and told. After the plan in completed, grant funding will be sought to pay for the significant cost of restoration and construction . The intent is for the site to be staffed and open to the public for historical and genealogical research, and for touring the restored interior of the barn. The Guardians are asking for your support to make this a reality.

Visitors are welcome to come and tour the exterior of the barn and view the three informational kiosks that tell the story of the Underground Railroad history of the site, the Grover Family, and the history of the barn after the Grovers. Informational brochures are also available.

Two informational kiosks in front of the Grover Barn with a brochure holder between them. — Informational kiosks at the Grover Barn Underground Railroad Historic Site

The three informational kiosk panels installed at the Grover Barn were dedicated in a ceremony on Saturday,
January 22, 2022.

Please explore this website to learn more about the history of Grover Barn, efforts to preserve the barn and its story, and how you can support these efforts.

guardiansofgroverbarn@gmail.com

Last update: October 22, 2025