Historic Worden Farmhouse

The “Olde Stone House” was built in 1855 by Lorenzo J. Worden and his wife Jane. The Wordens came to Kansas as part of the original anti-slavery groups to settle the land in reaction to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This parcel of land, once one mile west of the city, now sits in the heart of Lawrence. Worden and his family farmed on the land as Worden established his career as a dedicated public servant, starting as tax assessor and ending as Postmaster of Lawrence.

The land was then purchased by Dudley and Priscilla Wiggins (circa 1870) who raised two generations in the stone house. Frank Dudley Wiggins developed a successful Holstein cattle farm on the land, with multiple barns and fields, to support his nine children.

The home was then sold to C.P. Davis in 1912. Between 1912 and 1969, the home was occupied by various tenants until it was saved from potential destruction. The Virginia Inn had plans to expand its parking lot through the property, but the plans changed and the house was purchased by the Garbers of Heritage Realty in 1982. Sandy Garber, a real estate agent, was a descendant of the Wiggins family and excited about the opportunity to work in her family’s historic home. The Garbers built additions on both the east and west sides of the home and brought the interior up to code for office space.

The building was then purchased by Joda Doudna in 1993, who established a successful beauty salon in the historic space. Creating the infrastructure for a salon is no easy task; from plumbing and lighting to equipment, Joda invested countless hour into the space. Joda & Friends Salon offered hair, skin, and nail services to Lawrence residents for over 30 years.

In 2022, the team of stylists dispersed, and the building was sold as-is to a local property management company, who then leased the building to The Hive Salon LLC. Marysa and Dakota took on cosmetic and structural updates with full hearts and a vision for a fresh, unique salon space.

Land Acknowledgement

This land was originally occupied by the Kickapoo, Kansa, Shawnee, and Osage Indigenous tribes. In 1825, the Shawnee living near Care Girardeau Missouri, were removed from their homes by the US government and given a tract of land south of the Kansas River and west of the Missouri River, covering the areas from Lawrence to Wyandotte and Johnson counties. During and after the Civil War, white settlers antagonized the Shawnee and a great many were ready to move on by the late 1850s when Lawrence was founded. Some remained on the Kansas reservation, but most of the Shawnee relocated to a Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma.