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History · Lawrence

Lawrence dates to 1886, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Lawrence Opera House. Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1900.

1886founded
1on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Lawrence began, and where its name came from

When was Lawrence founded?

1886

Lawrence dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 406 in 19002020 census: 272140 years

How did Lawrence get its name?

Lawrence was named for a railroad official.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1883. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Lawrence’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 Lawrence are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Lawrence change.Boom and bustPeaked at 538 in 1920; 272 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lawrence’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lawrence’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

Lawrence on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Lawrence on the 1898 USGS mapLawrence on the 1969 USGS mapLawrence on the 1985 USGS map1898Superior sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Lawrence, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 538

Peaked at 538 in 1920; 272 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Lawrence came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lawrence.

Read it all →

Lawrence was platted in 1886 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for a railroad official.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lawrence, 1883 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Schell post office opens
  3. 1886
    FoundingLawrence is established
  4. 1887Post officeThe Schell post office closes
  5. 1887Post officeThe Lawrence post office opens
  6. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1901BuiltLawrence Opera House is built
  9. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 538
By decade

Lawrence, decade by decade

Today10 recent
Lawrence, Nebraska downtown 32010Lawrence, Nebraska downtown 3Lawrence, Nebraska downtown 22010Lawrence, Nebraska downtown 2Lawrence, Nebraska downtown 12010Lawrence, Nebraska downtown 1Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 62010Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 6Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 52010Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 5Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 42010Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 4Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 32010Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 3Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 22010Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 2Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 12010Lawrence, Nebraska Calvert Street 1NEMap-doton-Lawrence2005NEMap-doton-Lawrence
On the National Register

1 historic place in Lawrence

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Lawrence Opera House
Lawrence Opera House, built 1901
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Two-part Commercial Block1
Lawrence Opera HouseTwo-part Commercial Block · Built 1901

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Lawrence

Nobody well known was born in Lawrence itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Sandy DennisAmerican actress · b. 1937
Ivan SutherlandAmerican computer scientist and Internet pioneer · b. 1938
N
Neal HeftiAmerican jazz trumpeter, composer, songwriter, … · b. 1922
Gwen LeeActress, model · b. 1904
Sheila HicksAmerican artist · b. 1934
Tom OsborneAmerican football player and coach, college ath… · b. 1937
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Lawrence’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Schell, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Schell
1883–1887
Lawrence
1887–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Lawrence’s history

What year was Lawrence founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lawrence’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1900 counted 406 people here.

What is on the National Register in Lawrence?

One place: the Lawrence Opera House (listed 1988).

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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.