Old West Lawrence Tour of Homes

1. Old West Lawrence Tour of Homes Pictures and information on the history and architecture of homes in the Old West Lawrence neighborhood.

2. Pictures and information compiled by Lisa Harrod & Susan Niedenthal, Third Grade teachers at Deerfield Elementary School

3. 615 Tennessee • The original portion of this Italianate house was built prior to 1857 for Dr. Alonzo Fuller, brother of the leader of the second Immigrant Aide Party, founders of Lawrence. Mr Woodward, owner of the Round Corner Drug Store purchased the house in 1864. For a while this house was thought of as the neighborhood “haunted house.” In 1922, it was purchased and restored by a KU professor.

4. 637 Tennessee • This home was built in 1898. James W. Green, Dean of the Law Department at KU, lived here. A statue of “Uncle Jimmy” Green now stands on the KU campus.

5. 643 Tennessee • The Victorian Baroque house was built in 1882 on the west bank of a gully since filled in and now known as Central Park. It contained 15 rooms and was constructed of materials from the states of Massachusetts and New Jersey.

6. 643 Tennessee • This structure stands just north of the main house and served as a stable with stalls for three horses and a carriage room. Today it is a separate dwelling.

7. 733 Tennessee • This house was built around 1894 on an old foundation of a house that had burned, possibly during Quantrill’s raid. Note the gingerbread trim.

8. 801 Tennessee • This house, built in 1870, of brick and later stuccoed, still reminds one of its original Italianate form. It was the home of the Poehler family who owned a mercantile business, wholesaling groceries in Lawrence.

9. 801 Tennessee • The ornate metal fence surrounding the yard is an unusual feature which escaped the scrap iron drives of World War II.

10. 827 Tennessee • This house was built sometime between 1864-1867 on the ravine that ran down the full length of what is now Central Park. When the ravine was filled over in 1912, the earth work covered the lower portion of the house. This is why it now appears somewhat out of scale with neighboring structures. John Gilman, an early day blacksmith, lived here.

11. 603 Ohio • This house was begun prior to 1871 and later enlarged by William Harris, a former Confederate soldier who later became a U.S. Senator from Kansas. Max Wilhelmi, a partner in the Barteldes Seed Company, purchased the property in 1900 and it remained in his family until1965. The delightful playhouse that once stood on the grounds can now be seen in the Watkins Museum.

12. 745 Ohio • Early in the 1900’s, a widow named Mrs. Kinnear owned a beauty shop that featured shampoos of rainwater and castile soap with drying by hand-rubbing in the sun.

13. 805 Ohio • This home was built around 1884 and was home to Jacob House until 1903. The House Building in downtown Lawrence housed his dry goods store. Dr. Simmons, a surgeon, had a private hospital here from 1905-1930. It has also served as a fraternity house.

14. 601 Louisiana • The house was built in 1913 for the son-in-law of the founder of the Poehler Mercantile Company. Originally known as “Stoneheim”, it is an interesting combination of various architectural features.

15. 615 Louisiana • It was supposedly built by a Mr. Abrams who had a great desire to raise pigs, but it later became the home of A. Monroe, president of Merchants National Bank. The tower, 45 feet tall and topped with a small railing and weather vane is an outstanding feature.

16. 624 Louisiana This house is an excellent example of Italianate style.

17. 646 Louisiana • General George W. Collamore, mayor of Lawrence, and his friend Pat Keefe, hid from Quantrill in a well behind this house. When Quantrill burned the house the smoke caused Collamore and Keefe to suffocate in the well. Captain Lowe went down into the well looking for these men and lost his life possibly from a fall.

18. 701 Louisiana • This Victorian house was built in 1886-1887 by Dry Good Merchant George Innes.

19. 713 Louisiana • The Victorian Baroque was built in 1884 for Alfred Henleys. Mr. Henley had cornered the barbed wire market in the late 1860’s and later organized the American Cement Plaster Company. Mrs. Henley owned the first electric car in Lawrence, a Milburn. It is said that the 700 block of Louisiana was widened because she had difficulties negotiating turns in her car. Other reports say the block was the first in Old West Lawrence to be paved and the residents paid for the paving themselves and made sure the street was wide enough to turn carriages.

20. 720 Louisiana • This house is an example of Cottage style. For about 20 proceeding 1905, it was the residence of David Shaw, a partner in the Manley and Shaw Insurance and Real Estate Company.

21. 723 Louisiana • One of the men instrumental in rebuilding Lawrence after Quantrill’s raid was Alexander Lewis. He built this house in 1865. A dry goods dealer and one of Lawrence’s earliest residents, he traveled east in 1863 to be married. When he learned of Quantrill’s raid, he borrowed money from his family and purchased a barge of lumber to float to the stricken town. He later founded a lumber yard in Lawrence which furnished materials for many of the early University buildings.

22. 800 Louisiana • This house was built around 1865. A.J. Anderson lived here and boarded 12 laborers who built the Wilder and Palm grist Mill formerly located on Ninth St.near Emory Road. These laborers were also responsible for building several other residences in Lawrence.

23. 801 Louisiana • This home was built in 1861 by the brother of Alfred Henley (713 Louisiana). This was the home of Mr. & Mrs. Phog Allen from 1919 to 1947. Allen was the basketball coach at KU from 19 to 1956.

24. 700 Indiana • In 1863 this house was owned by Dr. & Mrs. J. F. Griswold who boarded 3 other couples in their home. Quantrill’s raiders persuaded the men to accompany them elsewhere by assuring them that they would be released after the raid. The 4 friends left the house at Mr. Trask’s urging that they do so to help the town. They began marching toward the business district and had gone about a dozen yards when the raiders shot them.

25. 7th Street (between Louisiana & Indiana) • This stone marks the spot where the 4 men were shot by the raiders. Griswold, Trask and Thorpe died but Baker recovered.

26. 743 Indiana • This house was built in 1861. During Quantrill’s raid Mrs. Emily Hoyt, a widow, was operating a boarding house. According to traditional accounts it was spared by the raiders because of Mrs. Hoyt’s pleas that the house was her only source of income.

27. 715 West 8th • This is an excellent example of the Cottage style.