On Sunday, September 18th at 1:30pm, Lawrence Preservation Alliance will hold its Annual Meeting of Membership at the Union Pacific Depot. A brief business meeting will be followed by recognition of outgoing LPA President Dennis Brown, who, with sixteen years of board leadership to his credit, has been the longest serving president in LPA history.

Lawrence Preservation Alliance returns to the Union Pacific Depot (1889) for the first time since the Annual Meeting of Members in 2008. The depot stands today due to the efforts of a loose coalition of advocates who worked—sometimes frantically—for six years, spanning an initial demolition announcement by Union Pacific on December 11, 1984, to the donation by the company of the depot to the City of Lawrence on February 7, 1990. Narrowly avoiding demolition several times, those advocates were slowly able to add enough support from city and state leaders—and Lawrence Preservation Alliance—to produce a positive outcome.

The Union Pacific Depot was designed by Henry Van Brunt, a classically trained architect from Boston, as part of multiple commissions from Charles Francis Adams—then president of the Union Pacific Railroad. Van Brunt had moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1887 to form the architecture firm Van Brunt & Howe with his friend Frank Howe. Most of Van Brunt’s work in this area was in Kansas City, but he did design one other Lawrence structure: Spooner Hall on the University of Kansas campus in 1894.

Register for this free program by Thursday, September 15th here. Refreshments will be provided.

If you are not able to attend the meeting, but would like to make a donation to LPA or extend your membership, you may do that here.

In January 1859, John Brown and 12 freedom seekers sought refuge at the Grover Barn. Now we invite you to join us at 2819 Stonebarn Terrace in Lawrence as the Guardians of Grover Barn and partners officially dedicate new interpretive panels at this historic Underground Railroad site. After dedicatory remarks and a benediction by the Rev. Verdell Taylor, the public will be invited to view the interior of the barn.

Parking at the site is very limited. A Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department shuttle will run from the Holcomb Park Rec Center parking lot and the Grover Barn between 12:45 and 2 PM for those wishing to attend.

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

Dudley Wiggins House

840 W. 21st Street

Sunday, October 31

1:30 to 3 p.m.

Please come help us congratulate Randy and Wanda Breeden in caring for this handsome brick farmhouse in the Centennial neighborhood. Built in the mid-1860s and listed on the Register of Historic Kansas Places, it has been beautifully rehabbed by the Breedens, who just recently completed a sale of the property.

LPA saved this house from a demolition proposal in 1985 by purchasing it for $25,000, raised from personal loans given by 33 LPA members. Its condition had fallen a long way from being serviceable as a family home. The Breedens, looking for a project house, were told of its availability by LPA board member Katie Armitage. So they took the plunge and purchased it from LPA.

Their first task was to create some semblance of an upstairs bedroom for their young daughter while they turned the rest of the house into a DIY construction zone. Their initial walkthrough with a city inspector gave them a long list of critical tasks to complete. Fortunately, they had the skills necessary to do the work, as well as friends and family members to help them along the way, Randy is a professional designer and a solid carpenter; Wanda (Puderbaugh) is from a family of woodworkers and builders, including her father Perry and her brother Allen. 

Now it’s 36 years later, their family has been raised with a lot of great memories, and the couple is moving on—to a place with less upkeep! But their pride in and love for the home still is evident: They just recently completed a concrete project in the basement. It’s time for a round of applause!

Event Notes:

This is a free event for LPA members. Masks will be required inside the house, and also on the porch if many people are congregating there.

The property is set back on the north side of 21rst Street, between Louisiana Street and Naismith Avenue. We recommend parking on the 2200 block of Carolina Street, which intersects with 21rst very close to the house. An LPA sign will be posted near the street.

Please join us on October 9 for LPA’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Membership at the newly restored Winter School on Farmers’ Turnpike between Lawrence and Lecompton. We are excited to see the results of this recent rehabilitation project undertaken by members of the Winter family.

This open-house event begins at 1:30 p.m. and will be held in two sessions to allow as many members as possible to visit and congregate safely. Brief presentations by members of the Winter family will be made in the schoolhouse at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. LPA board members will be at tables in the courtyard throughout the event to visit with you and listen to your ideas and comments. Members arriving at 1:30 are encouraged to depart by 2:30 so that folks arriving later can participate.

Masks will be required in the schoolhouse and encouraged in the courtyard. Meeting materials, including president and treasurer reports and the new LPA strategic plan, will be emailed to members on Tuesday, October 5.

Winter School is located at 744 N. 1800 Road (Farmers’ Turnpike), about 1 mile west of the I-70 interchange, on the north side of the road just past Heritage Baptist Church. If you reach Berry Plastics while driving west, you’ve gone a bit too far. 

Sarah Holder from PROSOCO will hold a 1 1/2-hour workshop on proper cleaning techniques for historic monuments at Oak Hill Cemetery. We will focus on monuments located in the southwest corner of Section 2. All cleaning materials will be provided. The workshop has 10 spots remaining and reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis until full. Please email friendsofoakhillcemetery@gmail.com to reserve a spot and to sign waivers. Sponsored by Friends of Oak Hill Cemetery.

Location: Baker University Campus, 404 Eighth Street, Baldwin City

Presented by the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council, Baldwin City, Baker University, Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce and the Lumberyard Arts Center.

Advance Registration by July 20th. Be sure to order and prepay for box lunches by July 15th. In-person registration is available but will not be eligible for box lunches.

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

8 a.m. Registration will be open at the Rice Auditorium Lobby; browse information tables.

9 a.m. Baldwin City’s Downtown Commercial District, with behind-the-scenes tours of the Lumberyard Arts Center and Baldwin City State Bank. Led by Sara DeCaro, Archivist, Baker University, and Katrina Ringler, Grants Coordinator, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. Meet at the Lumberyard Arts Center, 718 High Street.

11 a.m. Welcome by Baldwin Chamber Executive. Director Lori Trojan.

11:05 a.m. Glimpses of Barn Preservation Program in Douglas County/KBA Collaboration - Jan Shupert-Arick, Heritage Conservation Council Program Coordinator, and Steve Christy, President, Kansas Barn Alliance.

11:15 a.m. Becoming a Kansas Main Street: Benefits to Main Street Communities, Scott Sewell, Director, Kansas Main Street.

12:15-1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 -2:30 p.m. Historic Building Surveys & The Impact of the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s Historic Building Survey Plan, Speakers on Panel: Katrina Ringler, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office; Michael Delaney, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council;  Stan Hernly, Hernly Associates Inc., Survey Consultant.

3 p.m.Preservation Conference Meet and Greet– Conference attendees and friends of preservation are invited. Location: The Lumberyard Arts Center/Sullivan Square, 718 High Street.

Dinner on your own/Food Truck – Downtown Baldwin City

7:30 p.m. Third FridayLive On Highat the Lumberyard Arts Center/Sullivan Square, 718 High Street.Join local singer-songwriters Eric Nelson, Chris Hudson and Kristin Hamilton for an evening of acoustic music and original songs in the round.

Location: Baker University Campus, 404 Eighth Street, Baldwin City

Presented by the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council, Baldwin City, Baker University, Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce and the Lumberyard Arts Center.

Advance Registration by July 20th. Be sure to order and prepay for box lunches by July 15th. In-person registration is available but will not be eligible for box lunches.

Thursday Schedule

8 a.m. Conference Registration – Rice Auditorium Lobby; browse information tables

8:15 a.m. Tour of Baker University Campus – Sara DeCaro, Baker University Archivist. Registered conference attendees will receive a Baker/Baldwin City Then & Now booklet that highlights local historic structures and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

9:15 a.m.  Break – Rice Auditorium Lobby; browse information tables

9:30 a.m.  Welcome, Rice Auditorium – Casey Simoneau, Baldwin City Mayor, and Amy Van de Riet, Chair, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council.
What is Historic Preservation & Why Is It Important to Our Community?

10 a.m.  Cemetery Conservation: Tombstones of the Kansas Prairie – Panel Providing Overview of Local Cemetery Projects.  Moderator: Jan Shupert-Arick. 
Panelists: Amy Roust, Susan Davis and John Nichols.

10:45 a.m.  The National Register of Historic Places! Why Should I List My Building on the State or National Register? How Do I List My Building? Dispelling Myths and Sharing the Benefits of the National and State Register. Speaker: Jamee Fiore, National Register Coordinator, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. 

11:45-1 p.m. Lunch  

1-2 p.m. Finding Funding for Historic Preservation: The Kansas and Federal Tax Credit Programs/The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s Natural & Cultural Grant Program/What Are Tax Credits and How Are They Related to Historic Preservation? Local Testimonials on Tax Credit Programs. Speakers: Katrina Ringler, Grants Coordinator, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office, and Michael Delaney, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council.  

2:15-2:30 p.m. Break; browse lobby tables

2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Community Conversations: Preservation Challenges in Maintaining the Character of Place –Brick Street Conservation/Local Challenges and Approaches to Brick Street & Sidewalk Maintenance. Moderator: Amy Van de Riet, Chair, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council. Speaker: Glenn Rodden, Baldwin City Administrator. 

4:45 p.m. All conference attendees and preservation friends are invited to be in the full conference drone photo on the bricks on 8th Street in front of Rice Auditorium. Be part of Baldwin City’s celebration of its brick streets!

5-6 p.m. Baker West Campus Historic Neighborhood Walking Tour – Meet at Rice Auditorium. Tour will be led by Sara DeCaro and Zac DeGreef. Tour includes appetizers and beverages at three locations on the walking tour. 

The Tonganoxie Community Historical Society is hosting two two-day workshops, Feb. 25 and 27 and March 11 and 13, to teach community members how to restore the windows in the organizations 1918 Reno Methodist Church building. The church, built in 1918, holds a rich history of Sunday service, marriages, death, ice cream socials and watermelon feeds. In 1993, to save the church from being torn down, the conjuration sold the building to the Tonganoxie Community Historical Society and paid to have it moved to Tonganoxie from Reno in 1994.

The windows are very simple stained glass, operated with ropes and weights. Volunteers will learn how to remove a window, restore the interior finish, replace any cracked or broken glass, remove and replace the exterior glazing and scrape, sand and repaint the exterior of the window. The windows will then be replaced in the building. The plan is for each volunteer to complete one window, under the supervision and instruction of John Wood, WoodWorks Restoration, Denton, KS.

There is no charge for this program. Volunteers should bring their own lunches on Thursday; lunch will be provided on Saturday. Work on the windows will be done in the Community Historical Society’s heated barn, 201 West Washington St. in Tonganoxie. The barn is large enough for six work stations to be adequately social distanced, but masks will be required.

For more information, or to register for the workshops, contact 913-845-2960 or email TCHSTonganoxie@gmail.com.

The Tonganoxie Community Historical Society is hosting two two-day workshops, Feb. 25 and 27 and March 11 and 13, to teach community members how to restore the windows in the organizations 1918 Reno Methodist Church building. The church, built in 1918, holds a rich history of Sunday service, marriages, death, ice cream socials and watermelon feeds. In 1993, to save the church from being torn down, the conjuration sold the building to the Tonganoxie Community Historical Society and paid to have it moved to Tonganoxie from Reno in 1994.

The windows are very simple stained glass, operated with ropes and weights. Volunteers will learn how to remove a window, restore the interior finish, replace any cracked or broken glass, remove and replace the exterior glazing and scrape, sand and repaint the exterior of the window. The windows will then be replaced in the building. The plan is for each volunteer to complete one window, under the supervision and instruction of John Wood, WoodWorks Restoration, Denton, KS.

There is no charge for this program. Volunteers should bring their own lunches on Thursday; lunch will be provided on Saturday. Work on the windows will be done in the Community Historical Society’s heated barn, 201 West Washington St. in Tonganoxie. The barn is large enough for six work stations to be adequately social distanced, but masks will be required.

For more information, or to register for the workshops, contact 913-845-2960 or email TCHSTonganoxie@gmail.com.

The Tonganoxie Community Historical Society is hosting two two-day workshops, Feb. 25 and 27 and March 11 and 13, to teach community members how to restore the windows in the organizations 1918 Reno Methodist Church building. The church, built in 1918, holds a rich history of Sunday service, marriages, death, ice cream socials and watermelon feeds. In 1993, to save the church from being torn down, the conjuration sold the building to the Tonganoxie Community Historical Society and paid to have it moved to Tonganoxie from Reno in 1994.

The windows are very simple stained glass, operated with ropes and weights. Volunteers will learn how to remove a window, restore the interior finish, replace any cracked or broken glass, remove and replace the exterior glazing and scrape, sand and repaint the exterior of the window. The windows will then be replaced in the building. The plan is for each volunteer to complete one window, under the supervision and instruction of John Wood, WoodWorks Restoration, Denton, KS.

There is no charge for this program. Volunteers should bring their own lunches on Thursday; lunch will be provided on Saturday. Work on the windows will be done in the Community Historical Society’s heated barn, 201 West Washington St. in Tonganoxie. The barn is large enough for six work stations to be adequately social distanced, but masks will be required.

For more information, or to register for the workshops, contact 913-845-2960 or email TCHSTonganoxie@gmail.com.

The Tonganoxie Community Historical Society is hosting two two-day workshops, Feb. 25 and 27 and March 11 and 13, to teach community members how to restore the windows in the organizations 1918 Reno Methodist Church building. The church, built in 1918, holds a rich history of Sunday service, marriages, death, ice cream socials and watermelon feeds. In 1993, to save the church from being torn down, the conjuration sold the building to the Tonganoxie Community Historical Society and paid to have it moved to Tonganoxie from Reno in 1994.

The windows are very simple stained glass, operated with ropes and weights. Volunteers will learn how to remove a window, restore the interior finish, replace any cracked or broken glass, remove and replace the exterior glazing and scrape, sand and repaint the exterior of the window. The windows will then be replaced in the building. The plan is for each volunteer to complete one window, under the supervision and instruction of John Wood, WoodWorks Restoration, Denton, KS.

There is no charge for this program. Volunteers should bring their own lunches on Thursday; lunch will be provided on Saturday. Work on the windows will be done in the Community Historical Society’s heated barn, 201 West Washington St. in Tonganoxie. The barn is large enough for six work stations to be adequately social distanced, but masks will be required.

For more information, or to register for the workshops, contact 913-845-2960 or email TCHSTonganoxie@gmail.com.

Free History, a video series sponsored by several local and Midwestern groups, hosts an online lecture about the history and culture of Kansas Mexican-Americans and Food. Visit the Free History: A Video Series main page to see and hear scholar Gene T. Chávez discuss the rich history of Mexican immigration to Kansas, the journey of the humble but important tortilla, and ongoing struggles for diversity. Get more information and view the online lecture here: https://www.facebook.com/freehistoryseries/

Like so many things in 2020, the ELNA Block Party will look very different this year. We simply can’t safely gather, but we still want to connect with our neighbors. We still want to share food, to hear our neighbors play music, and to have a raffle. We still want to get out and enjoy a fine fall evening in our beautiful East Lawrence. We don’t want to give up our favorite parts of the ELNA Block Party, so we’re finding a way of doing things differently.

This year, ELNA is partnering with the Rebuilding East Ninth Project for our Fall Party. East Ninth is coming to a close and needs a final event, and ELNA needs a party. A match made in heaven. Think of it as a sort of masked, physically distant, very small groups only, Art Walk. 

Saturday October 3rd, 5-10pm, rain date October 10th

Here are the details. You can find out more about each site and notices as we have them in this Facebook event. 

MEAL
The evening will start off with a Community Meal at the Sunrise Project, served from 5-6pm. Much like the Community Meals To Go the Sunrise folks have served each Wednesday this summer, you’ll be able to drive up (or walk or bike) to the Sunrise site at 1501 Learnard. Wear masks, please! A volunteer will then greet you and take your order -- meat or vegetarian and how many you need. Your greeter will then bring your meals back to you, and you can find a lovely place to picnic it, or consume it as you go along visiting the other sites in the artwalk. The menu for our event is burgers, both meat and vegetarian, prepared on site, a side dish created by Rebuilding East Ninth Together grant recipient Epicenter, plus a dessert. This Meal is Free! And open to all! But your donations to Sunrise that evening would be accepted and welcome. And please let us know if you require delivery of a meal. We have delivery drivers on hand to bring meals to folks who can’t make it to the Sunrise site. Along with each meal, you’ll get a free raffle ticket and a map of the event. We’ll serve meals as supplies last, and will stop serving at 6pm. 

SITES
Many East Ninth artists and East Lawrence artists and musicians are planning super fun things for you to see and do! At the Community Meal, you’ll get a map of sites along our Art Walk. We’ll have someone moving through the neighborhood with extra maps too, and we’ll put out some signs so you’ll know what’s where. Attractions WILL continue to be added, and there WILL be sites all throughout the neighborhood, but here are a few highlights:

Hobbs Park Learning Garden -- seed bomb making and rock painting, 5-7pm, at Hobbs Park

Sounds of East Lawrence -- music and film projection, 6-10pm, Van Go parking lot, 715 New Jersey St. 

Wishing Bench Film -- outdoor screening of a short film, screenings at 7, 7:30, and 8pm at the Cider Gallery, 810 Pennsylvania St. 

East Lawrence Family Tree Project -- projections of portraits done for the project, 5-10pm, at Art Emergency at 721 E9th St.

901 Pennsylvania Concerts -- perennial Block Party favorites, Byron James and band will play the porch at 901 Pennsylvania St. time tbd.

RAFFLE
You’ll get one free raffle ticket with each meal. The raffle items will be listed on the Rebuilding East Ninth website https://www.rebuildingeastninth.com/. The raffle will be open for a whole week, and you’ll have the opportunity to purchase additional tickets before the drawing concludes. 

***At all sites along our ELNA + E9th Fall Event Art Walk Party Thing, please be mindful of the safety and well being of our friends and neighbors. Stay home if you are sick or under quarantine orders. Wear your mask correctly. Respect at least 6 feet of physical distance between yourself and other attendees whenever possible. Please refrain from gathering in large groups. Wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer when you can. We want to see you, but we want to be safe! 

With Questions and to Volunteer -- email Lane at eastlawrence@yahoo.com.