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History · Lawtey

Lawtey’s post office opened in 1875

Most of Lawtey was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 1910.

1875first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: LittleT889 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Lawtey began

When was Lawtey founded?

1875

The Lawtey post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 492 in 19102020 census: 636151 years
Founding year: the first Lawtey post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Lawtey’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Lawtey are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19183 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1988. Watch Lawtey change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lawtey’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lawtey’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Lawtey on the map, 1918 to 1988

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lawtey. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lawtey on the 1918 USGS mapLawtey on the 1970 USGS mapLawtey on the 1988 USGS map1918Lawtey sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lawtey.

The story so far

Lawtey, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lawtey yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Lawtey is a city in Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 636 at the 2020 US Census, down from 730 at the 2010 US Census. The City of Lawtey has received national attention and earned the dubious distinction of being one of only two official speed traps designated by the American Automobile Association (AAA), (the other being Waldo a few miles to the south). However, the label was removed by AAA in August 2018 after reforms by police chief Shane Bennett.

Its first post office opened in 1875. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 730 to 636 (-13%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Lawtey, 1875 to 1975

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875Post officeThe Lawtey post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1918On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1923Born hereLouie L. Wainwright is born here
  6. 1975Born hereTory Kittles is born here
By decade

Lawtey, decade by decade

Today10 recent
SB US 301 at Lake St CR 225 intersection dashcam2025SB US 301 at Lake St CR 225 intersection dashcamSB US 301 Overhead School Zone 20 mph dashcam2025SB US 301 Overhead School Zone 20 mph dashcamSB US 301 Lawtey dashcam2025SB US 301 Lawtey dashcamSB US 301 Directional road sign Camp Blanding dashcam2025SB US 301 Directional road sign Camp Blanding dashcamFormer Horne's-Florida Gift Shop;2022Former Horne's-Florida Gift Shop;Lawtey, Florida2020Lawtey, FloridaLawtey Correctional Institution2020Lawtey Correctional InstitutionS-200A Keys Shield2012S-200A Keys ShieldS-200A "County Patch" sign2012S-200A "County Patch" signC-200B Sign, Left Turn2012C-200B Sign, Left Turn
People over time

Lawtey, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 730

Between 372 and 730 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lawtey’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Lawtey

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Tory KittlesAmerican actor · b. 1975
Louie L. WainwrightAmerican lawyer · b. 1923

Questions about Lawtey’s history

What year was Lawtey founded?

The Lawtey post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (10), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.