The Story of Mass St.

Free State Brewery is expanding the popular Science on Tap project with an exploration of the history of Mass Street – History on Tap with Dr. Bob Dinsdale. We hope you can join us the evening of October 1st for a vibrant walk down Mass Street through the photos and stories gathered for this special glimpse of the enduring spirit of Lawrence.

Massachusetts Street has been the heart of Lawrence, Kansas, since 1854, when the political aspirations and commercial motivations of the abolitionist founders intersected on this ground between the bend of the Kansas River and the meandering Oregon Trail. It is where optimistic entrepreneurs built a dam and a bridge and railroads to power and grow our town for commerce and where residents of Kansas Territory met to form antislavery political parties. Mass Street, laid out to point to the North Star, was the scene of terror when mass murder and arson were visited on the town in 1863; within days, it was the hub of resolute reconstruction. This is the place to be, the place where people live, shop, parade, protest, and be themselves as only Lawrencians can.

The story of Mass Street includes the inventor of basketball, James Naismith; the post-Prohibition rebirth of Kansas beer brewing; and the arena for the greatest Native American athlete ever.

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