Massachusetts Street
Encyclopedia
Massachusetts Street is a main thoroughfare through the central business district of downtown Lawrence
, Kansas
. It begins just south of the Kansas River
at Sixth Street and continues south until reaching Haskell Indian Nations University
. It takes its name from the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company
, which founded Lawrence to populate the Kansas territory with Free-State
(i.e., anti-slavery
) advocates.
The 600 through 1200 block of Massachusetts is also listed on the National Register of Historical Places under Lawrence's Historical District. Most of the buildings were built between 1856 and 1953. Listed separately under the National Register are the Eldridge Hotel, the Douglas County Courthouse and Watkins National Bank (now Watkins Community Museum). Other listings along Mass Street but not located downtown are the Breezedale Historic District, the Goodrich House, the Edward House House, the Mackie House and the Roberts House (now the Castle Tea Room that was designed by Kansas State Capitol
architect John G. Haskell
).
Other historic businesses and sites of interest along Massachusetts Street are Liberty Hall, the Free State Brewing Company
, Kansas' first legal brewery in over 100 years, the Round Corner Pharmacy which was the longest-running pharmacy in the state until closing in 2009, the House Building, the only downtown building to survive Quantrill's Raid, the Replay Lounge, the Granada
, a former theater and popular music venue. There is also a Japanese Friendship Garden
located next to the Watkins Museum, South Park, a huge city park established when Lawrence was founded in 1854 and Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, located in a former high school built in 1923.
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. It begins just south of the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
at Sixth Street and continues south until reaching Haskell Indian Nations University
Haskell Indian Nations University
Haskell Indian Nations University is a tribal university located in Lawrence, Kansas, for members of federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States...
. It takes its name from the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company
Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company
The New England Emigrant Aid Company was a transportation company created to transport immigrants to the Kansas Territory to shift the balance of power so that Kansas would enter the United States as a free state rather than a slave state...
, which founded Lawrence to populate the Kansas territory with Free-State
Free-Stater
Free-Stater was the name given those settlers in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas era in the 1850s who opposed the extension of slavery to Kansas....
(i.e., anti-slavery
History of slavery in the United States
Slavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
) advocates.
The 600 through 1200 block of Massachusetts is also listed on the National Register of Historical Places under Lawrence's Historical District. Most of the buildings were built between 1856 and 1953. Listed separately under the National Register are the Eldridge Hotel, the Douglas County Courthouse and Watkins National Bank (now Watkins Community Museum). Other listings along Mass Street but not located downtown are the Breezedale Historic District, the Goodrich House, the Edward House House, the Mackie House and the Roberts House (now the Castle Tea Room that was designed by Kansas State Capitol
Kansas State Capitol
The Kansas State Capitol, known also as the Kansas Statehouse, is the building housing the executive and legislative branches of government for the U.S. state of Kansas. It is located in the city of Topeka which has served as the capital of Kansas since it became a state in 1861...
architect John G. Haskell
John G. Haskell
John Gideon Haskell is an architect who designed portions of the Kansas State Capitol and other public buildings in the state....
).
Other historic businesses and sites of interest along Massachusetts Street are Liberty Hall, the Free State Brewing Company
Free State Brewing Company
The Free State Brewing Company is a microbrewery based in Lawrence, Kansas. It opened in 1989 as the first legal brewery in Kansas in over 100 years. In 2010, the brewery announced plans to expand to distribute to vendors in Kansas and Missouri, and as far east as St. Louis. On May 21, 2010 Free...
, Kansas' first legal brewery in over 100 years, the Round Corner Pharmacy which was the longest-running pharmacy in the state until closing in 2009, the House Building, the only downtown building to survive Quantrill's Raid, the Replay Lounge, the Granada
Granada Theater (Lawrence, Kansas)
The Granada Theater is a historic theater and concert venue located in Lawrence, Kansas.-History:The Granada Theater was originally built in 1928 as a vaudeville theater in Lawrence, Kansas by the Boller Brothers. It was renovated in 1934 as a movie theater...
, a former theater and popular music venue. There is also a Japanese Friendship Garden
Japanese Friendship Garden
Japanese Friendship Garden is used to describe many gardens including:*Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego, California*Japanese Friendship Garden in San Jose, California*Ro Ho En in Phoenix, Arizona...
located next to the Watkins Museum, South Park, a huge city park established when Lawrence was founded in 1854 and Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, located in a former high school built in 1923.