Football started as a school team in 1881; baseball started as early as 1887; basketball in 1926. Lawrence High School’s first football team played Phillips on Oct. 8, 1881 (Lawrence lost). In those days the manager (not a coach) would travel to the town that he wanted the team to play and they... more

In 1847, the first 17 high school students were taught on the first floor of the Oliver School. The first high school building was built in 1867. By the 1890s, the School Committee was considering a new building for the high school. 310 students were housed in a building meant for 200. In 1896,... more

The Lawrence History Center Photograph Collection contains photographs from 1850 to present, which chronicle the history of the people and places of Lawrence, Massachusetts.

The Lawrence redevelopment of the late 1960s included a section of mostly residential properties in an area north of the high school and the common. The neighborhood chosen was bound from White to Lawrence streets and ran from Haverhill Street just west of the high school to Maple Street. The... more

Urban renewal may be characterized as a process of conserving, rehabilitating, or clearing and reconstructing parts of a city to preserve or modernize the physical environment or to adapt districts to entirely new purposes or uses. This process was made necessary by the continued disintegration... more

In 1850, three years after Lawrence’s incorporation as a town, the three selectmen (chosen every March) functioned as both a Board of Health and overseers of the poor. Later works performed by the Board of Health were undertaken by the fire and streets departments, expenses being drawn from an... more

The Lawrence tornado, called the “Great Cyclone,” struck South Lawrence at 9:10 to 9:15 AM on Saturday, July 26, 1890. It took about two minutes to pass through any point. Damages were estimated at about $60,000. Eight people were killed and 65 were injured.That July morning was oppressively... more

Preceding the Engineering Department of today (2010), the original designation was a Commissioner of Streets. The first annual report was published in 1854, the first full year that Lawrence was a city. The Commissioner of Streets was responsible for streets--paving, watering, and general... more

The material in this collection came into the Lawrence Public Library from Lawrence City Hall over a number of months at the beginning of 2009. These sewer plans are bound in twelve volumes measuring 66 x 53 cm. Each plan is hand drawn and lettered. They show the date they were accepted. Later... more

The material in this collection came into the library from Lawrence City Hall. These street plans are bound in seven volumes measuring 66 x 53 cm. Each plan is hand drawn and lettered. They show the date they were accepted. Later additions are also dated. Some of the original drawings and... more

These plans were delivered to the Library from City Hall. Preceding the Engineering Department of today (2010), the original designation was a Commissioner of Streets. The first annual report was published in 1854, the first full year that Lawrence was a city. The Commissioner of Streets was... more

The snowfall of 1935-1936 was extremely heavy. The drifts were still intact in March due to a protracted period of cold weather. An early spring thaw and heavy rains filled Lake Winnepesaukee to dangerous levels and the spill-off began to flood the Merrimack, Spicket, and Shawsheen Rivers. On... more

A collection of glass plate negatives depicting scenes from Lawrence, Mass. These fourteen negatives are 3 x 5 inch glass plates that are showing some signs of erosion. One of them is broken. Some of them had papers that showed what some of the images were. Some of these were numbered, the... more

This lithograph entitled "View of the City of Lawrence" was executed by Ed. Hoffman and published by S. W. Chandler & Bro. lithographers for A. J. Wondra. It has been dated at 1854, the year just after incorporation as a city, due to the population figures listed on the lithograph. This is... more

This collection is composed of black and white photographs. The photographs measure 5.5 x 4 inches and are mounted (possibly pasted) on gray construction paper. It is likely that the collection was once in a scrapbook. The name and years in office are written in black ink on the paper below the... more

The photographs in this collection were found in a number of locations in the Lawrence Public Library. Some of them were framed; others were rolled up. All were in poor condition. In some cases, the condition was so bad that the appraiser could not tell what the subject matter was. The items... more

This collection contains one photograph of the School Committee of Lawrence, Mass., taken on Decemeber 8, 1921. Present in the photo are Walter J. Rochefort, Irving W. Sargent, Thomas F. Greene, William P. White (Mayor, chairman, ex-officio), Bernard M. Sheridan, and Mrs. Anna M. Driscoll. Mrs.... more

The city started the 50th anniversary of Lawrence's incorporation as a city on Monday June 1, 1903. Homing pigeons were freed at the Dracut Car Barn at 7:00 AM to later come to roost in the Lawrence coops. There were monetary prizes for the fastest birds. For the next three days they hosted a... more

The Lawrence textile workers strike of 1912 began January 12 and ended March 14 of that year. 27,000 workers were affected and the cost would be figured at around $3,000,000 in lost wages, revenue, extra expense in policing, and harm to the general business community. 500 people were arrested... more

The first United States Post office in Lawrence, Mass. was established Sept. 7, 1846. The location was on Turnpike St. (now Broadway) at the intersection with Common Street. Lawrence was then Merrimack and the first Postmaster was George A. Waldo of Methuen. A year later, the post office moved... more