A historic barn in Mesquite is set to glow with lantern light on November 6 for a storytelling night. The event, called Stories We Tell in the Dark, is scheduled for November 6 at 8 p.m. inside the Historic Lawrence Barn at Opal Lawrence Historical Park.
Stories We Tell in the Dark is part of Historic Mesquite, Inc.'s Cool Nights at Opal series, with this installment centered on a lantern-lit storytelling night. The evening is inspired by The Moth Radio Hour, bringing together true stories and shared human experiences told live, with the barn's interior lit only by lantern light for atmosphere.
Tickets for the evening are priced at $20, and the event carries a recommended age of 13 and older, per the same source. The setting itself is part of the draw — the Historic Lawrence Barn sits within Opal Lawrence Historical Park, a site that lends the kind of old-wood, lantern-glow backdrop that fits the night's storytelling format.
The barn is part of a farmstead that grew over generations: Stephen Decatur Lawrence began building the family house in 1874, and contractor Charley Florrer added rooms in 1882 and built the large livestock barn in 1887. The Lawrence family remained at the home until 1995, and Opal Lawrence’s will gave the house and two acres to the city; Mesquite later acquired 11 more acres, including the barn and other outbuildings. The city’s history of the Lawrence farmstead traces that timeline.
What to Expect Inside the Historic Barn
The event is set to feature storytellers sharing true, personal stories, echoing The Moth Radio Hour's focus on personal storytelling.
Lantern light stands in for a traditional stage setup, with organizers leaning into the historical character of the barn itself rather than a modern event space. That choice keeps the evening tied closely to the identity of Opal Lawrence Historical Park, which has hosted other installments of the Cool Nights at Opal series.
The event also supports a wider local heritage operation. Historic Mesquite, Inc. is a nonprofit that manages Opal Lawrence Historical Park and the city’s Florence Ranch Homestead, while proceeds from this storytelling performance support educational programs and historic preservation at both sites. Mesquite’s historic-preservation division identifies HMI as the operator of the two museums, giving the ticketed night a role beyond entertainment: helping sustain programming at the historic properties.
The site’s historic standing extends beyond its atmospheric setting: the 13-acre park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark and is recognized as a Century Family Farm by the Texas Department of Agriculture. A Texas Historical Marker was dedicated in 1998, and the property joined the National Register in 1999. Those designations recognize the farmstead’s place in Mesquite and North Texas history.
A separate listing on Eventbrite also places an event called Cool Nights: Stories We Tell in the Dark at Opal Lawrence Historical Park in Mesquite at 8 p.m. on a Friday, November 6, though that listing does not independently confirm the year.
Planning a Visit to Opal Lawrence Historical Park
For locals weighing whether to spend a Friday night under lantern light, the basics are straightforward: the show starts at 8 p.m. at Opal Lawrence Historical Park, tickets run $20, and the recommended age is 13 and up. Beyond those details, information such as the full roster of tellers or whether tickets remained available closer to the date was not part of the materials reviewed for this story.
