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Stumble It!Two fire stations in Lawrence have been recently retired.
The city has two proposals on how the buildings might be used once the fire alarms no longer ring.
It started as a barn, then a haven for runaway slaves, and then in 1982, it became Lawrence fire station number four. If buildings could be heroes, this would be one.
Now that the city has outgrown its location, the question becomes, what happens to historic fire station number four?
"It could be used for single family dwellings to museums ... public library use, small businesses -- just a variety of things," Mark Bradford, Lawrence fire chief, said.
The part of the station that is used for living quarters today was the old underground railroad stop for slaves in the 1850s. The barn's owner, Joel Grover, was heavily involved in evacuating slaves from Missouri. The barn's most recognized visitor was John Brown in 1859.
"This is nationally significant history. Not only locally, but nationally, and we just hope more people will get on board and want to help us save some of these sites," Judy Sweets, vice president of the Underground Railroad Association of Douglas County, said.
The under is dedicated to preserving historic stops. They're very excited about the chance to build a museum where a stop was.
The new location on Wakarusa Street is on schedule to be completed in August.
Bradford is excited about the new building, but is also concerned about what happens to the old building.
"I think it's extremely important, that both of the facilities, since they do have some sort of historical background, are used in a fashion that maintains that presence," Bradford said.
The proposal for fire station number four will go to a study committee before a final decision is made.
