The story
Read it all →How Lawrence Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Lawrence Township.
Lawrence Township was organized in 1872. It was named for L. D. Lawrence, a pioneer settler.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Lawrence Township
2 of Lawrence Township’s places are on the National Register
Its Register listings are the County Line Bowstring and the Republican River Pegram Truss. Most of Lawrence Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 10 old photos and papers and maps from 1892 on.
2on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
Quick answers
Where Lawrence Township’s name came from
How did Lawrence Township get its name?
Lawrence Township was named for L. D. Lawrence, a pioneer settler.
Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Lawrence Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Salt Creek
Lawrenceburg
Red Stone
Rice
Hollis
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Rice
Gone or out of use
Red Stonelocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lawrence Township
HollisWalnut Grove
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Lawrence Township on the map, 1892 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lawrence Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Concordia sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lawrence Township.
Timeline
Lawrence Township, 1856 to 1902
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1856
In the archiveHo! For the Kansas plains - 1860
In the archiveJames W. Perrine, young clerk killed - 1868Post officeThe Salt Creek post office opens
- 1869Post officeThe Salt Creek post office closes
- 1869Post officeThe Lawrenceburg post office opens
- 1869Post officeThe Red Stone post office opens
- 1876
BuiltCounty Line Bowstring is built - 1885
BuiltRepublican River Pegram Truss is built - 1887Post officeThe Red Stone post office closes
- 1892
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1894
In the archiveSpooner Library, University of Kansas - 20th century
- 1901Post officeThe Lawrenceburg post office closes
- 1902
In the archiveHaskell Indian baseball boy
By decade
Lawrence Township, decade by decade
4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1850s–1890s5 items
1863
18631900s5 items
1903
1903
1903
19031910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your albumThen & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewHo! For the Kansas plains, 1856
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lawrence Township’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
2 historic places in Lawrence Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
County Line Bowstring
Structures
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Lawrence Township
Nobody well known was born in Lawrence Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
H
Herb BradleyAmerican baseball player · b. 1903J
Jerry JonesNational Football League player · b. 1894Help out
Finish Lawrence Township’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Grant TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNelson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLincoln TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSibley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townShirley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElk Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Questions about Lawrence Township’s history
What is on the National Register in Lawrence Township?
Two places: the County Line Bowstring (listed 1990) and the Republican River Pegram Truss (1990).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.