Mission Statement

The Local History Room at the Lawrence Public Library collects, organizes, preserves and provides access to a non-circulating collection of primary and secondary sources that document the history of the City of Lawrence, its residents, government, environment, businesses, institutions, and organizations.

Scope of Collection

The collection includes, but is not limited to, personal manuscript and photograph collections; records of
local churches, businesses, and nonprofit organizations such as the Robert Frost Foundation and the
White Fund, and numerous papers and published products of city government agencies including
engineering plans, maps, and photographs, school department records and high school yearbooks;
police logs, and fire alarm logs. Highlights include a small selection of primary records and a
comprehensive collection of published works by the poet Robert Frost. Secondary sources such as books and journals published about the city, religion, immigration, and especially the 19th and 20th century mill and factory industries are also included, along with a broader scope of textiles. Also included is a robust vertical file collection of newspaper clippings covering hundreds of topics and highlights of Lawrence residents, as well as a collection of local newspapers on microfilm from the 19th and 20th century.

Criteria for Inclusion

● Relevance to Lawrence

● Authenticity of record

● Non-duplication of material within the collection

● Quality of physical form of material

● Cost to preserve, store and process

● Restrictions by donor

Formats Items may be accepted in any format, including manuscript, printed, or digital. Photographs and documents may be removed from their frames if accepted into the collection. Three-dimensional artifacts will not be accepted by the Library unless they can be properly housed and are deemed
appropriate to the collection.

Donating to the Collection

Because history is created daily, materials that enhance the mission of the Local History Collection and meet the selection criteria will be accepted by the library. The Local History Room staff will not create any new historical documents, only collect, preserve, and make accessible those created by other people and/or organizations. In order to establish the transfer of ownership, the Library requests that a deed of gift be completed by the donor/representative and the Local History Librarian/Archivist. The deed of gift documents the donation of property and transfer of copyright (if applicable) to the Library, and is signed by the donor. It also includes a complete description of the donated item and information regarding past ownership of that item. The deed of gift also establishes conditions (if any) governing the transfer of the title from the donor to the Library. Once the deed of gift is signed by the donor, the donated item becomes the property of the Library. Loans for exhibits may be asked for from time to time, but no permanent material loans will be accepted by the Local History Room.
The Library reserves the right to refuse an offered donation. The Library will not accept material that can harm other material in the collection, such as anything that shows damage from mold, mildew, water, insects, smoke, or dirt.

The Library may also decide not to accept items which it cannot properly store, display, or otherwise care for. The Library will only accept material with access-limiting restrictions when the restrictions are reasonable and necessary to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the donor. Any restrictions will be recorded on the deed of gift, and will be adhered to by the Library. All restrictions will specify a date when full access will be granted.
The Library reserves the right to decide how the donated material will be displayed or stored, how the item may be used by the public, and how long the item will be retained. Materials in the local history collection (especially photographs and negatives) may be scanned and placed on the Internet for viewing, may be moved from the local history collection to other sections of the library, may be sold, or may be transferred to another library (See Reappraisal and Deaccession).

Birth Records Index

The Library and its dedicated volunteers have indexed the 8,000 or so proof of birth records. These documents include:

Baptismal records
Birth certificates
Other forms of identification that were taken from parents to prove the ages of their children
Passports

Index List

Children between the ages of 14 and 16 could only work with supervision by the Lawrence Public Schools. The index (PDF) is now available. The list on this post includes only the names and birthdates when available. It is a wonderful collection and the Library very much wants to share its rich details with the public.

Contact Us

Should you find a name of a relative, please contact us. As a hint of what is in the collection, we have displayed some images. About 2% of the documents contain photos of the children, sometimes with their families, who came to Lawrence from about 1910 to 1930. For more information about the list you may call our archivist, Lindsey Gazlay at 978-620-3615 or send her an email.

Irish Collection

The AOH Division 8 Irish collection is on permanent loan from the Lawrence chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians to the Lawrence Public Library. The collection is made up of several thousand titles of books, records, videos, and serials about Ireland and the Irish. The collection is housed in the David R. Burke Memorial Room. The room is named in honor of the late David R. Burke, our good friend and dedicated member of the Library's Board of Trustees. Located in the lower level of the South Branch Library, the room is home to the Ancient Order of Hibernian's Irish Collection.

Genealogical Resources

View genealogical resources:

37 titles of newspapers on microfilm (PDF)
Atlases 1875, 1895, 1896, 1906, 1926

City directories from 1847 to the present (1847-1960 on microfilm)
Federal Census for Lawrence, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 (on microfilm)
Index of Obituary and Biographical Scrapbooks (1880-1916) Lawrence, MA (PDF)
Lawrence Street lists from 1886 – present
Several hundred published family histories

Monographs non-fiction

Baxandall, Rosalyn. Words on Fire: The life and writing of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1987.

Bedford, Henry F.

Socialism and the workers in Massachusetts, 1886-1912 Amherst, MA U. of Mass. Press, 1966

Cahn, William. 1912:

The Bread & Roses Strike. NY: Pilgrim Press, 1980 (original title, Mill Town; 1954)

Pictorial History of American Labor: The Contributions of the Working Man and Woman to America’s Growth, from Colonial Times to the Present. NY: Crow Publishers. Mill town: a dramatic, pictorial narrative of the century-old fight to unionize an industrial town ... New York Cameron & Kahn 1954.

Cameron, Ardis.

Radicals of the Worst Sort: Laboring Women in Lawrence, MA, 1860-1912. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1993.

The Chronicles of America series Allen Johnson, editor, Gerhard R. Lomer, Charles W. Jefferys, assistant editors v.40 - Armies of labor

Citizens’ Association,

Lawrence as it really is: Not as syndicalists, anarchists, socialists, suffragists pseudo philanthropists & muckraking yellow journalists have painted it. Lawrence, MA: A Reign of Terror in an American City: Some of the Ways in Which Lawrence was held in Subjection by a Gang of Out of Town Agitators. Lawrence, MA 1912. What City after Lawrence! In what other American community will the combination that lied about Lawrence encamp and pursue the same tactics? Lawrence MA, 1912.

Cole, Donald.

Immigrant City. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1963, 1980.

Dengler, Eartha.

Lawrence, Massachusetts: The Strike of 1912: We want bread and roses too. Lawrence, MA: Immigrant City Archives & Lawrence Heritage State Park, nd.

Dubofsky, Melvyn.

We shall be all: A history of the Industrial Workers of the World. NY: NY Times Book Co., 1969. Big Bill Haywood. NY: St Martin’s Press, 1987.

Ebert, Justus.

The trial of new society, Cleveland, Ohio IWW

Flynn, Elizabeth Gurley.

The Rebel Girl: An autobiography, my first life (1906-1926) NY: International Publishers, 1955, 1973.

Garrison, Dee.

Mary Heaton Vorse: The life of an American Insurgent. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1989.

Hamm, Alice.

1 of 6 Exploring the dangerous trades; the autobiography of Alice Hamilton, M.D. Boston, 1943.

Haywood, William Bill

Haywood’s Book: The Autobiography of Big Bill Haywood. NY, 1929. Holland, Ruth Mill Child: The story of child labor in America.NY: Crowell Collier Press, 1970.

Kornbluh, Joyce L., ed.

Rebel Voice: An IWW Anthology. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, 1964.

World War II

Boxes of 5 by 10 inch index cards with newspaper clippings of Lawrence World War II veterans.

Grace Church

Newsletters
Pamphlets

Civil War

Records of the Needham and Lawton chapters of the GAR.

Society of Natural History & Archaeology

Records of the local organization from 1886 to1928.

Badger & Nash Grocers

Account Book for the years 1855 and 1856.

Lawrence Public Library

Both the records and photographs.

Lawrence Opera House, Lawrence City Hall, Entertainments

Programs

Lawrence Churches

Mostly ephemera from a variety of Lawrence churches.

John R. Rollins

Letters written to Rollins when he was writing his book about the Rollins family.

Lawrence Bridge Company

Account book when it was a toll bridge

Lawrence Public Schools

Records including School Committee Reports

Committee on the Lawrence Common

Minutes, 1849 to 1852.

Lawrence Police Department

Police Log 1865 to 1868

Textile Strike 1912

A collection of scrapbooks and 2 small broadsides

Lawrence City Mission

Annual reports

Pemberton Mill Disaster

Scrapbooks

Lawrence Treasurer Office

Account Book 1847 to 1853

United Textile Workers of America

Collective bargaining records

Lawrence Family

Small collection of letters to and from members of the city’s namesake’s founder

Old Residents’ Association

Scrapbook

Robert Frost Collection

Books written by or about the Lawrence poet, and a small collection of memorabilia.

Images

Collections include:

Postcards and stereo slides of Greater Lawrence
Photographs of Semana Hispana, the NRA parade of 1933
The Jennings family
The God and Country Parade of 1962
Flood of 1936
Lawrence Cyclone (1890)
Before urban renewal (1958)
Fr. O’Reilly’s Golden Jubilee Parade
Cabinet cards of the Lawrence High School graduating classes of 1897, 1908, and 1909
Many miscellaneous images that help to document life in the Merrimack valley

Special Collections Rules & Procedures

No food, gum, candy, or drink is permitted while viewing non circulating and/or special collections materials.
Materials used at tables in the local history area are under the supervision of library staff.
Silence all electronic devices.
All hands must be clean and dry before handling materials.
Photographs and especially fragile paper records may require the use of nitrile gloves in handling these items. The librarian on duty can offer these to researchers.
Pencils only.
Materials may not be transferred from one researcher to another.
Materials may not be leaned on, written on top of, or have objects placed on top of them.
Supports and weights are available as necessary.
All bound material must be used with a book cradle.
Some manuscript materials may be governed by special restrictions, including the physical condition of the manuscripts, and whether microfilm or printed copies are available.
Researchers will be limited to one folder from an archival collection at a time. 5 books will be permitted at a time.
Manuscripts must be maintained by the reader in the order in which they are received. If errors of arrangement or identification are noted, please inform the librarian on duty.
Materials will not be retrieved within thirty minutes of closing time. It is the researcher's responsibility to satisfy copyright requirements for any re-use of material.

15. Photography of library materials is allowed. Restrictions may apply. Please refer to a librarian for details.

16. Photocopies and personal photography are for the reader's personal use only, and may not be published, recopied, or deposited in another library.
17. Pre-booked appointments are highly encouraged for microfilm usage. If the machine is utilized on a first come, first served basis, 1.5-hour time slots will be given to the researcher.
18. Staff members will pull the desired microfilm reels one at a time for researchers.