Historic Information

Another one from the vault, here’s the ELNA Newsletter from October 1983.  It features pictures from the annual neighborhood picnic in September of 1983.  Not the first block party, but definitely one of the first.  Deliciously retro.

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The Santa Fe Depot at 7th and New York Streets has a rich and storied history.  Read all about it, origins and renovations, here.

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Tucked away at 12th and Oregon, right on the Burroughs Creek Trail, is an unassuming white single story house sitting at the center of a garden.  But it’s not a house at all!  It’s the Oread Friends Meeting house, the worship place of Lawrence Quakers.  Read about our Oread Friends on their website here, and their history here.

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Embattled Lawrence, by Dennis Domer and Barbara Watkins, gives in-depth insight into Lawrence’s 21st century history.  Here’s an excerpted article Building Community Power Structures by Steve Lopes, which talks about how the neighborhood associations and the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods were formed around common issues.

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The East Lawrence News Feb 1984.  Things were different then, but also a lot the same… Thanks to Barry Shalinsky for the missive from the past.  We’ll see if we can get some more old newsletters scanned and uploaded.

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Harry Puckett was an East Lawrence original.  He gave what he could, when others couldn’t, to say the least.  He lived at 1104 Delaware, and was murdered in the 1980s.  Here’s an interview with Puckett, conducted sometime in the late 70s or early 80s by long time neighbor Mark Kaplan.  The sound quality is low, but still, it’s a treasure.

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Have you heard of the Legend of Bill Hatke?  Writer, gardener, neighbor, friend…

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Visit the Murphy Brommelsick House in Hobbs Park at 11th and Delaware, and read about it’s history in the Murphy Brommelsick House brochure, created after it’s revitalization in 2001.

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Historic Warren Street (East Ninth) Timeline 1819-2016, by Dennis Domer

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History of East Lawrence — An illuminating document from the 1995 East Lawrence Neighborhood Revitalization Act

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Dave Evans! — a repository for the research notes of East Lawrence’s honorary historian Dave Evans.

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Historic Districts in East Lawrence — MORE MAPS!  East Lawrence is home to the North Rhode Island Historic District, the South Rhode Island Historic District, and the East Lawrence Industrial Historic District, listed on both the Douglas County and the National Registries of Historic Places.

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Other homes of historical interest in East Lawrence can be found on the National Register of Historic Places.

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And speaking of historic homes, the Lawrence Preservation Alliance created a handy Guide to Owning a Historic Home, current as of fall 2017.
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Shelly Miller was a rad lady who lived in the neighborhood in the 1990s.  She was hugely influential and significant to our history.  There’s a ShellyJaneMiller website.
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If you’re in love with a 70’s aesthetic, Lawrence in the 1970s is a feast for the eyes.  Many photos in the Public Notice tab depict our neighborhood as it was half a century ago.
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And These!  Oral histories of African American citizens of Lawrence were collected in the late 70s and are archived on this Lawrence Public Library site.  Many stories center on the east side.
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Did you know New York School was built by New Deal workers? https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/new-york-elementary-school-lawrence-ks/?  Here’s an interesting, interactive site about New Deal Project locations and structures still in use, 75 years after FDR! The Living New Deal
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The renowned and accomplished author Langston Hughes spent some of his childhood in East Lawrence.  He attended both New York School and Central Middle School, frequented services at St Luke AME, and briefly lived in the 700 block New York Street.  KU’s Langston Hughes Center is an excellent repository of information about him, his work and his life, including some sentiments on his time in Lawrence.  If you dig deep, (scroll down some) you’ll find a video by artist Roger Shimomura (accomplished and renowned as well!  and a former resident of the 1000 block of Delaware St!) of Tiger Dowdell’s funeral procession in 1970.
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Oral history and interview “Afro House according member Brenda Nunez” by Epicenter — a recollection by long time ELNA Board member and community elder Brenda Nunez, recorded in 2019.
Thank you, Epicenter!
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1953 Phone Book

Long time East Lawrence residents, Cindy Trask & Gottfred Beardshear (from the Blackbird Trading Post and the 800 block of New York Street) gave me a treasure! A Lawrence Phone Directory from 1953. Here are some East Law churches, businesses, etc  that were here 67 yrs ago (when East Lawrence included some of the east side of N H & the west side of Haskell Ave).  Just thought it was interesting.  – yers, KT

Mass St:  1242-Assembly of God Church, 1300-Hartman Standard Service

Station, 1400-Liberty Memorial High School.

New Hampshire St:  840- Randsdell Motor Service, 906-Lee Raymond

Plumbing & Wiring, 1002-Farley’s Service Station & U-Haul,

1020-Schubert Funeral Home, 1046-Church of God, 1109-Handy Man, Bill

Walker, 1245-Trinity Lutheran Church.

Rhode Island St:  645 1/2-Bill Bodin Inc Used Cars, 905-Social Service

League, 941-Christine’s Beauty Shop, 1041-H.B. Broeker Furnace Shop,

1415-Monarch Life Insurance Co, 1428-McAllester School (odd address

because McAllester was where the Central playing fields are now).

Connecticut St:  646 Coca Cola Bottling Co, 714 Pur-O-Zone Chemical

Co, 732-H.N. Stone Potato Chips, 820-Leroy Rowland, General

Contractor, 1218-Grants Pet & Gift Shop.

New York St:  foot of N Y St- Bowersock Mills & Power Co Sand Plant,

800-Stouts IGA Groceries, 936-New York School, 1000-Calvary Baptist

Church, 1101-Borer’s Cash Grocery, 1200-Beaman’s Radio & Television,

1205-Friends Church, 1424- Artificial Breeders Association (Cattle).

New Jersey St:  foot of New Jersey-Lawrence Iron Works, 715-J.A.Brooks

Co Wholesale Beer, 1000-Independent Market.

Pennsylvania St:  801-El Tampico Club, 810-C.C. Krum Vinegar,

826-T-N-T Food Products (popcorn), 832-Hammig Meat Locker Plant,

846-Standard Oil Bulk Plant, 1045-Hall Bros.Truck Lines, 1145-Harry

Westergren Electric.

Delaware St:  730-M. N. Penny Construction Co, Ready Mix Concrete Co.,

9th & Delaware-Continental Oil Co. Bulk Agent, 920-National Marketing

Co. (Fuel Oil), 1301- Gene’s Market.

Oregon St:  homes

Haskell Ave:  1147 Ray’s Garage.

  1. 7th: 315-Wm. L. Holliday Liquors, 407- Railway Express Agency,

Inc., 413-Atchison Topeks & Santa Fe Railway Co.

  1. 8th: 217- Pipperts Automotive Parts Co., 514-Green Gable Cafe,

701-Poehler Mercantile Co. Wholesale Grocers.

  1. 9th: 219-W.W. Wempe Veterinary Animal Hospital, 311-Van’s Furniture

Repair, 416-Service Grocery, 512-Patchen Electric Service, Wilson

Window & Glass Service, Hopper’s Tune Up & Electric Service, 712-Auto

Wrecking & Junk, 9th & Haskell (sic)-Garrison Enterprises Vending

Machines.

  1. 10th: Stokeley Foods.
  2. 11th: homes
  3. 12th: 309  Green’s Cut Rate Grocery, 828-Kitty Clover potato Chip Co.
  4. 13th: 810-Lawrence Memorial Co., 844 McConnell Lumber Co., 1201

Malone’s Grocery.

Garfield St-homes

  1. 14th: homes
  2. 15th: homes