GALLERIES
Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area regrets to announce the closure of our galleries due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding federal funding. This difficult decision comes as we await clarity on future support essential to sustaining our operations.
We remain committed to our mission of preserving and sharing the stories that define this region’s role in shaping America’s history. While our physical galleries will be closed, we will continue to engage the public through digital resources, educational programming, and community partnerships.
We appreciate your understanding and continued support during this time of transition. Please stay connected through our website and social media for updates.
Lawrence’s historic Carnegie Library houses the offices of Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.
In the building’s upstairs galleries, visitors can learn about the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed Kansas Territory settlers the choice to be a slave state or a free state. Migrants from both sides of the issue poured into Kansas to stake a claim for their cause. Called “Bleeding Kansas,” the violent period erupted into a full-blown border war between the “free-staters” and the Missouri “border ruffians.” Known for helping runaway slaves, the city of Lawrence became a flash point as pro-slavers held the city responsible for Union raids into Missouri. On August 21, 1863, William Quantrill and his band of guerrillas took revenge on Lawrence, ravaging denizens, setting fire to buildings, and killing nearly 150 men.
Constructed in 1904, the Carnegie building served as Lawrence’s public library for nearly 75 years. As one of the city’s few unsegregated public facilities during the Jim Crow era, it was regularly visited by the area’s Black residents, including a young Langston Hughes, who began his lifelong love of poetry, literature, and writing on the Carnegie Library’s first floor.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Carnegie Library’s Heritage Room and West Gallery are available to view by appointment Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.