909 PENNSYLVANIA

We accepted the challenge of moving this house because it is, undoubtedly, the most difficult move we had ever done. The building precedes Quantrill's 1863 raid on Lawrence, and was built of local limestome and very soft brick laid up in lime and sand mortar. Simply put, the building wanted to implode upon itself as we lifted it. To control this we wrapped the building inside and out with a plywood and stud frame that was secured to a steel grid that we welded together. The inside and outside crates were lined with rigid insulation to cushion the materials during the move. It was a lot like moving a big, very heavy egg. The tonnage was considerable as the walls averaged 18” thick. We relocated the house and today it is a museum of Lawrence’s involvement in the Civil War.