Lawrence History Center

10/17/2026

ATTENTION LAWRENCE RESIDENTS!

Help shape arts & culture in your city by joining the Lawrence Cultural Council!

Lawrence residents can apply here: https://www.lawpd.com/DocumentCenter/View/1383/Boards-and-Commissions-Membership-Application-PDF?bidId=

THIS IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT!

84 applicants to the FY27 Lawrence Cultural Council grant round received this message from Mass Cultural Council TODAY:

"I want to make you all aware that the Lawrence Cultural Council is legally defunct—they cannot review LCC applications or make granting decisions until they have at least five municipally appointed members serving on the council.

Their published email address ([email protected]) is not responding to any emails, so if you have any questions, you're welcome to direct them to me until they appoint new council members.

At this time, four prospective members have submitted applications to the Mayor's Office to serve on the Council, and all of them are awaiting the Mayor's decision before the City Council can then confirm the appointments (if they are selected). Although LCCs must have at least five members to legally function, given that the Lawrence Cultural Council received 84 applications this year (compared to 70 in FY26), they should ideally appoint at least seven members.

Lawrence has some amazing artists, cultural organizations, and community-rooted residents! I'd love to see some of you join this collective effort to steward public funds ($140K) by helping decide how to distribute this funding equitably to make the most impact for the City of Lawrence.

To address a common question now—LCC members can (and often do) apply to their own LCC. This is fine; however, under the Conflict of Interest Law, you'll need to abstain from voting on your own application.

Additionally, Lawrence Cultural Council members must reside in the City of Lawrence and be at least 18 years old. If you're interested in joining, let's connect. I'll keep you all posted on the status of the council once new members are appointed, onboarded, and trained."

Greg Torrales
Program Officer, Local Cultural Council Program
Community Initiative Team
Mass Cultural Council
[email protected]
617.858.2722

10 St. James Avenue, 3rd Fl.
Boston, MA 02116

Office of the Mayor - Lawrence, MA

10/16/2026

Jimmie’s Cafe, mid 1970s, 63 Lawrence St. St Peter & Paul Church, 123 Chestnut St., in the background. Photograph by Tom Delisle, Lawrence History Center Collection.

10/16/2026

Old railroad bridge crossing the North Canal behind Lawton’s Hot Dogs, Canal St. at Broadway, 1980s; photo by Tom Delisle, held in the Lawrence History Center collection.

10/16/2026

From the Lawrence History Center Photograph Collection

Title: Lower Pacific Mills, car wheels
Date: [ca. 1900]

Click to zoom on on image:
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:fb494d77k

10/15/2026

Building on "From VHS to Digital—A Preview of Newly Digitized Lawrence Memories" launched on September 26, 2026, here is another one of nearly 175 newly digitized pieces from our collections:

1990 Thanksgiving Day Pre-Game Package - Lawrence vs. Lowell
https://vimeo.com/1236310890?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

1990 Thanksgiving Day Pre-Game Package features interviews with or pictures of Lawrence legends Justine McComiskey, Mark Devlin, Larry Klimas and Steve Perocchi.

CTV-3 Sports; 10 minutes in length

Summary of video:

The announcer references the historic football rivalry between Lawrence High School and Lowell High School yearly on Thanksgiving Day.

High School football teams wearing uniforms over many decades are pictured.

Football team scrimmages are pictured.

Justine McComiskey, daughter of Mark Devlin, talks about her father, who was Lawrence High School’s Head Football Coach from 1922 to 1948. As Justine describes her father as ‘bringing out the best in the athletes, with respect, discipline, and hard work.’ Pictures of Mark Devlin over the years as a coach are featured.

Larry Klimas, Lawrence High School Football player from 1956-1958, reminisces about winning the 1957 Class A Championship game against Lowell and how the players and fans were jumping and cheering for the team.

Steve Perocchi, Lawrence High School Football player from 1943-1947. Steve narrates an intense rivalry in 1945 between Lowell and Lawrence, where Lawrence was expected to win, but lost 14 to 7 against Lowell. Lawrence High School Football team redeemed themselves in 1946, winning the Thanksgiving Day football game.

Steve Perocchi, Lawrence High School Football Head Coach from 1980 to 1988, recalls the 1985 Thanksgiving Day football game against Lowell, held in a snowstorm. Bobby Wing scored the winning play, in the final minutes of the fourth quarter that led to Lawrence’s victory over Lowell (19-18).

John Molori and Mike O’Connell, CTV-3 Sports Announcers, are shown at Veteran’s Stadium in Lawrence, MA following a Thanksgiving football game, where Lowell beat Lawrence 32 to 0 in 1990.

John and Mike talk about the positive attributes of Lowell’s team and Lawrence’s team and mentions Lawrence H.S. Seniors, Joey Bonilla played a big game for the offense and Francy Vasquez did well on defense.

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2026 Digitization Project funded, in part, by the Mass Cultural Council/Lawrence Cultural Council, the Catherine McCarthy Memorial Trust Fund, the Charles G. Pringle Foundation, and The White Fund of Lawrence, Massachusetts.

1990 Thanksgiving Day Pre-Game Package features interviews with or pictures of Lawrence legends Justine McComiskey, Mark Devlin, Larry Klimas and Steve Perocchi. CTV-3 Sports; 10 minutes in length Summary of video: The announcer references the historic football rivalry between Lawrence High School a...

10/14/2026

Where is Jackson now 11 years later? Youth Development Organization (YDO)?

10/12/2026

ATTENTION EDUCATORS!

Humanities in Class Webinars

Instructor: Brian Sheehy (NHC Teacher Advisory Council, 2020–21), North Andover High School, North Andover, MA (and Lawrence History Center board member)

Sports in the Classroom
October 15, 2026
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm ESTWebinar

Register here (free): https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/event/webinars/sports-in-classroom/

Sports have long reflected the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape human history. From the ancient Olympic Games to contemporary debates surrounding race, gender, labor, nationalism, and globalization, athletics provide meaningful opportunities for students to examine historical change and civic life through topics that are familiar and engaging.

This webinar explores how sports can serve as a powerful lens for teaching humanities and social studies across K–16 classrooms. Participants will examine examples from history, literature, civics, economics, and cultural studies while exploring strategies that promote historical inquiry, critical thinking, and student engagement. Educators will leave with classroom-ready lessons, primary source activities, object-based learning approaches, and interdisciplinary projects that help students connect sports to larger historical and contemporary issues without sacrificing disciplinary rigor or standards-based instruction.

Register here (free): https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/event/webinars/sports-in-classroom/

Brian Sheehy (NHC Teacher Advisory Council, 2020–21), North Andover High School, North Andover, MA

10/10/2026

Our guest book shows that people from around the world, and around the Merrimack Valley, have visited the Lawrence History Center over the last few days! 🌎

10/09/2026

This afternoon, Dr. Naydeen González-De Jesús, Vice President of the Lawrence Campus and Community Relations at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) and a delegation of educators from Colombia visited the Lawrence History Center for a tour of our site and to learn about our collections!

Dr. Luisa Mejía, (pictured in red jacket, 5th from left) of the Americas Cultural Alliance arranged for NECC to host the delegation and teach them about the two-year community college model in Massachusetts.

The program was part of Rionegro Bilingüe, a municipal initiative designed to strengthen English-language education, improve educational quality, and expand global learning opportunities for public school teachers and students in Rionegro, Colombia, a city located near Medellín and home to the region's international airport.

The program currently provides English-language training to 530 students and 45 teachers. Through a partnership with the Colombo Americano, it also supports public schools through weekly mentoring and co-teaching sessions, helping educators integrate English into different subjects and create bilingual learning environments.

The goal is for participating teachers to bring new knowledge, perspectives, and teaching strategies back to their classrooms and share their experiences with colleagues, extending the benefits of the exchange to their broader school communities.

Lawrence History Center volunteer Yadira Betances Muldoon (pictured 1st on right in the group photo) spoke to the delegation about her immigration experience and growing up in Lawrence, career as a reporter, and her role in documenting the Hispanic community over the last several decades for our archives. Photo credits also go to Yadira Betances Muldoon.

10/09/2026

Building on "From VHS to Digital—A Preview of Newly Digitized Lawrence Memories" launched on September 26, 2026, here is another one of nearly 175 newly digitized pieces from our collections:

September 2006: The Lawrence Heritage State Park's 20th Birthday Celebration!
https://vimeo.com/1234428378?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

So may familiar faces in the crowd. Do you see yourself or someone you know?

00:30 - Footage begins
01:30 - Friends of the Lawrence Heritage State Park Board President Joe Bella opens the speaking program
02:07 - Dave O’Neill, the Park’s Founding Supervisor
03:20 - Senator Sue Tucker
08:14 - Mary Girouard, LHSP Historian
18:51 - Dave O’Neill
25:59 - John Faro, Park Supervisor
26:34 - Mary Girouard
31:40 - Richard Scott, DCR Metro District Manager
36:00 - Joe Bella closes program

Produced by Lawrence Community Access TV (LCAT)

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2026 Digitization Project funded, in part, by the Mass Cultural Council/Lawrence Cultural Council, the Catherine McCarthy Memorial Trust Fund, the Charles G. Pringle Foundation, and The White Fund of Lawrence, Massachusetts.

So may familiar faces in the crowd. Do you see yourself or someone you know? 00:30 - Footage begins 01:30 - Friends of LHSP Board President Joe Bella opens the speaking program 02:07 - Dave O’Neill, the Park’s Founding Supervisor 03:20 - Senator Sue Tucker 08:14 - Mary Girouard, LHSP Historian 1...