Silhouette photo of man carrying candle lantern with lighted candle - underground railroad sites

Self-guided · metro area, Kansas

Underground Railroad Sites in Lawrence, KS

Homes, meetinghouses and crossings tied to the Underground Railroad and the people who helped freedom seekers move north.

Open the Kansas map · All states

Photo: Julia Florczak on Unsplash

History books cover the big events in a chapter each. The places those events touched are scattered across counties like this one. The Lawrence, KS metro area has about 120,920 residents, ranking 331st in the country.

A person holding a lit lantern in the dark - underground railroad sites — Photo: Subhro Vision on Unsplash

Portrait of Harriet Tubman - underground railroad sites — Photo: Library of Congress on Unsplash

Four brown wooden benches inside house - underground railroad sites — Photo: Tracy Jentzsch on Unsplash

On the record near Lawrence, KS

The 12 nearest

There are no underground railroad sites on the record within 300 miles of Lawrence, KS. These are the 12 listed historic sites of any kind closest to it, out of 230 within 30 miles.

US Post Office--Lawrenceunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2002National Register of Historic Places
Eldridge House Hotelunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 1986National Register of Historic Places
Reuter Organ Company Buildingsunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2020National Register of Historic Places
Griffin, Andrew Jackson (A.J.) and Mary Carrol, Houseunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2022National Register of Historic Places
Santa Fe Depotunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2018National Register of Historic Places
Taylor, Lucy Hobbs, Buildingunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
Old Lawrence City Libraryunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 1975National Register of Historic Places
Plymouth Congregational Churchunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2009National Register of Historic Places
Saint Luke African Methodist Episcopal Churchunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places
First Methodist Episcopal Churchunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2019National Register of Historic Places
Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Churchunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 2024National Register of Historic Places
Benedict Houseunder a mile from the center of Lawrence · Building · Lawrence · listed 1992National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Lawrence, KS. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Underground Railroad in Lawrence, step by step

1
Read the short history of the period for this area
2
Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter
3
Visit the nearest site and read its full record
4
Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest
5
Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Lawrence, KS ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Lawrence, KS?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Lawrence, KS?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Lawrence

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Lawrence, KS the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the story
The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Lawrence, KS are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.
Step 4
Collect it and come back
Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.