Guardians of Grover Barn

The Dedication of Informational Kiosk Panels – Saturday, January 22, 2022

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

January 22, 2022

Guardians of Grover Barn

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 on the Network to Freedom provides national recognition of the history and accessibility to grant funds 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.

There are three informational kiosks at the barn that tell 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

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.

Click through on the image below to watch a 2018 story from KMBC-TV on the barn.

Kerry KMCB

guardiansofgroverbarn@gmail.com

© 2023, Guardians of Grover Barn.  All rights reserved.

Last update: July 27, 2022