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Lawrence, Kansas

The Douglas County Courthouse was built of native limestone in 1904. It was saved from demolition in the 1960s when a modern courthouse was built, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently in use by the county.

Lawrence financier, Mr. J.B. Watkins, owned the land south of town where he had constructed a magnificient building to house his bank and mortgage company - that building is currently the Watkins Community Museum of History. When the county courthouse location was decided in 1902, Watkins donated the land for the courthouse to help bring people towards his bank and business. There were protestations in 1902 that it was too far from the business district. Of the eight sites proposed for a courthouse seven of them were north of ninth street. However, the donated land persuaded the county officials to locate at this corner.

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Depot and Visitors Center

During its post-Civil War rebuilding, one of Lawrence's main goals was to establish itself as the railroad hub of the Midwest. In 1882, Union Pacific spent $40,000 buying lots in North Lawrence and announced that it would build a new passenger depot. The 1889

Lawrence, KS Railroad History

Carnegie Building

The Carnegie Building was built in 1904 as one of Andrew Carnegie's philanthropic contributions to the growth of cultural opportunities for rural communities. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building had housed the Lawrence Arts Center until 2002

Lawrence, KS Carnegie Libraries

Lawrence Community Theatre

Lawrence, KS Theatres

Lawrence Arts

Lawrence is proud of its artists, arts institutions, galleries, and alternative art spaces. During the 1990s, Lawrence ranked 12th in percentage of artists in the workforce, according to the National Endowment for the arts; ranked number 15 in John Villani's The 100

Lawrence, KS Arts

Haskell Cultural Center and Museum

The Haskell Cultural Center serves as a Visitor Center for the campus and features exhibits from the university's archival and artifact collections. It provides a learning center for Haskell students, faculty, and the public to understand more about Haskell'

Lawrence, KS Museums

Things to do near Lawrence, KS

Perry Lake Fishing Reports

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ACCURATE FISHING REPORTS: This is just to remind you that fishing reports are given with the bes...

Historic Walking Tour

Douglas County Courthouse

John Steuart Curry

John Steuart Curry was born in 1897 and was raised on a farm six miles north of Oskaloosa. He completed the usual farm chore...

The Historic Santa Fe Depot