Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Lawrence was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Below: maps from 1932 on and old-book passages.
The Lawrence post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lawrence’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Lawrence.
A post office called Lawrence was established in 1856, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1903. The community was named for Lawrence Bigsby, the owner of the original town site.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Lawrence, cut from the printed page as they were published.
came Rochester, in Wabash county, and were the first settlers in that vicinity. About the year 1809 or '10, came Francis Tougas, another of the four brothers, who assumed a leading part in the pioneer life of Lawrence and Wabash counties. They immigrated from Vincennes, and were marvels of physicial strength and stature ; Joseph was a leading spirit, and the center of influence in the settlement of which he formed a part ; in
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lawrence. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lawrence.
Nobody well known was born in Lawrence itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Lawrence post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
