The Haines House was built by one of the first settlers in the area, John Grant. His initial land grant encompassed much of what we know as the west side of Alliance. His daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Ridgeway Haines, operated a station on the Underground Railroad in the House. Their son John Columbus Haines fought in the Civil War. He and his brothers were active in the growing Alliance community through the second half of the 19th Century and founded the first Alliance City Band. The House is open for tours which describe the family's role in the Abolitionist Movement and the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War.