Since 1978, the Lawrence History Center (LHC) has served as a dynamic living archive as an active and engaging community partner, contributing to the fabric of the contemporary community through extensive collections development, meaningful educational programming, research services, digitization efforts and research technology enhancements, and the continued growth of our reputation both locally,
nationally, and globally. That success has meant an increase in research requests, school and community group programming, and more visitors through our doors. The initial archival collection was started at the YWCA with documents from women immigrants in Lawrence. More than forty years later, The LHC owns its home at 6 Essex Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts in the former Essex Company complex - a site on the National Register of Historic Places built in 1883 that includes a main office building, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, stable, and warehouse. The largest single collection is the Essex Company business and planning records that meticulously document the building of the city of Lawrence starting in 1845. Other collections include well over 40,000 photographs and glass plate negatives, 800 digitally mastered oral histories, mayoral papers, non-current municipal records, church records, organizational records from local businesses and agencies, and an array of family and individual records that document the ethnically diverse and intellectually challenging nature of Lawrence. The community is actively engaged with these unique materials through physical and online exhibits, symposia, educational programs, and research services to foster understanding of the interaction of the built community and the lives of those who live and work there.
