Lifestyle Columns

Local History: After Quantrill’s Raid, a Lawrence church became a morgue

On the east side of the 700 block of Vermont Street, you can see a small bronze plaque on a brick building at about eye level. It tells of a First Methodist Church that once stood there, which was built in 1857 and was used as morgue following Quantrill’s Raid on Aug. 21, 1863. More than ...

Local History: How Breezedale boosted the city’s growth spurt

The electric streetcars in Lawrence may have fallen out of favor, but at least one new neighborhood they made possible is still here. Breezedale — Lawrence’s first identifiable suburban neighborhood — is at the southern end of Massachusetts Street. It was developed by Charles E. Sutton, ...

Local History: Historic former church still gets plenty of use today

It's easy to tell what the law offices at 1040 New Hampshire St. used to be. The stone building has all the hallmarks of a church, and indeed that was the purpose it was built for in the 1870s. Cathy Ambler, in a 1990 paper titled “An Early Stone Church: The English Lutheran Church ...

Local History: Eldridge Hotel has permanent spot in Lawrence history

When you think of historic places in Lawrence, there's a long list to choose from, but high on it would have to be the Eldridge Hotel at Seventh and Massachusetts streets. It's not just the hotel, and its history that goes back to the 1800s, that make the site special. The land itself is ...

Local History: The Legacy of Lawrence’s German community

In the mid-1800s, German immigrants in Lawrence were spread throughout town, forming their own groups and businesses, but that didn't stop them from gathering for a good time or to help each other in times of need. And you can still see signs of that time today. Above the door at 900 Rhode ...

Local History: Once rural schoolhouse became many things as city grew around it

Buildings that serve a singular purpose in rural areas often take on a new identity when they’re absorbed by a growing city — and modern observers might not even realize these places were once cornerstones of country life. Take the Lawrence Board of Realtors building at 3838 W. Sixth St., ...