Lawrence History Center

Thank you Reading Cooperative Bank for being a new sponsor of the Eartha Dengler History Award Ceremony!

L-R: Cruz, Susan Johanna Grabski, Suriel

Lawrence History Center is at the 2026 Lawrence Partnership Annual Meeting!

The Methuen Festival of Trees held its Annual Meeting at the Sweetheart Inn in Methuen this evening at which the Lawrence History Center proudly accepted the "Sharon M. Pollard Preservation Award" in recognition of our efforts to preserve the Essex Company Offices & Yard, a site built in 1883 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Our preservation efforts have been made possible, in part, through the generous support of four Methuen Festival of Trees Historic Preservation Grants. These grants have supported projects including the restoration of the Essex Company stable doors, the preservation and painting of exterior sheds and perimeter wall caps, and interior brick repointing in the Essex Company blacksmith shop and stable. A new award will help with the interior brick pointing of the Carpenter Shop. All these historic structures would be lost without this work.

LHC brought a large contingent to accept the award that included Board President Sara Morin, Collections Manager Amita Kiley, Director Susan Johanna Grabski, and volunteers Yadira Betances Muldoon, Betsy Brien, and Marie Herbert Boyd.

Susan Grabski, when accepting the award, said that she "couldn’t accept a Preservation Award without crediting the people who have carried out the work with incredible skill and heart." She then highlighted the following people who were present in the room:

Richard C. Wright, a blacksmith from Troy, New Hampshire, first came to us in 2012 to assess conditions and organize the tools in the Essex Company Blacksmith Shop. Since then, he has demonstrated traditional blacksmithing methods every year, helping bring this historic craft to life for our visitors.

Mason Brian Freeman, along with his assistant Steve Day, has assisted us with numerous projects throughout the complex. From chimney restoration to brick repointing in the blacksmith shop, stable, and warehouse, their craftsmanship has been essential to preserving these historic structures.

Uriel Matos first came onsite about two years ago to assist with a major HVAC project, but he has since become an invaluable part of virtually every preservation effort we undertake. Whether wrapping archival collections to protect them during construction, relocating materials between buildings, or lending his expertise as a professional painter, Uriel approaches every task with great care.

Finally, Buddy Latham of Sylvan Property Management has overseen virtually every aspect of our facility in recent years. When he is not personally carrying out high-level work himself, he brings us trusted professionals—including Brian and Uriel—who care about these buildings as much as we do. From roofing and masonry to electrical, lighting, insulation, structural repairs, and integrating modern HVAC systems into a 19th-century complex in an aesthetically quiet way, there is no project that Buddy cannot manage with excellence. Quite simply, without Buddy, there would be no Preservation Award.

Thank you to the Methuen Festival of Trees for this wonderful recognition and for your continued commitment to historic preservation!

Abdulla's Bakery, 1970s, 173 Lawrence St., photo by Tom Delisle; Lawrence History Center Collection.

Happy Flag Day from the Lawrence History Center!

Flag Day, observed annually on June 14th, celebrates the adoption of the American flag by the Continental Congress in 1777.

Locally, we hope you'll take a moment to read about Lawrence's very own flag and the symbolism behind its design. The article was written by YADIRA BETANCES MULDOON for the Eagle Tribune in 2013.

LAWRENCE — The city’s official flag is a blue banner with three white prongs representing the Merrimack, Spicket and Shawsheen rivers that flow through Lawrence.

Over the years, flag manufacturers changed the position of the white trident and the sky blue color on the banner had darkened. This was something that Jonas Stundzia of the Lawrence Historical Commission could not bear to see.

Stundzia enlisted the help of Larry Silva, owner of Farley and Cross Flag Co., to correct the flag. The re-positioning of the meeting point of the three rivers was computer generated. A white line down the middle of the banner represents the Merrimack River while the Spicket River is on the left and the Shawsheen River is on the right.

“I’m a stickler when it comes to historical facts,” he said as his reason for the makeover.

“Through its simplicity, it’s a gorgeous flag. If you look at a topographic map, the rivers come at the same spot as on the flag. We’re an industrial city based on hydro power of the river and if it had not been there, the city had never established,” Stundzia said. “The river is the basic foundation of the city.” The Striker’s Monument Committee, which Stundzia and retired Lawrence High arts teacher David Meehan co-chaired are paying for the restoration.

The Lawrence flag was designed by Daniel W. Hoff and it flew for the first time on June 1, 1903 for the 50th anniversary of the city’s founding. Hoff was supervisor of penmanship in the city.

Hoff was born in Iowa in 1857 and moved to Lawrence in 1900 after his marriage to Josephine Randall. They lived at 6 Hillside Ave. and had two boys and a girl who died at a young age.

Hoff left Lawrence in 1911 and from 1912 to 1929 he taught at Meadville Commerce School.

The original flag was made out of worsted wool, which was produced in the city mills. The new flag is being fashioned out of nylon and will have the new proportion and sport a soft blue color.

The flag has been altered through the years, including placing drawings of mills, smokestacks billowing smoke inside a gear in the middle of the flag.
“That took away from its original beauty,” Meehan said. “Our flag is a simple, strong symbol of Lawrence and as a textile industrial city we should take pride in it because the rivers harness the powers of the mills.”

The city’s flag was prominently display during all festivities during the 150th anniversary of Lawrence.

“I’m glad it’s been revised because it’s an important symbol for the city,” said James Beauchesne, Visitor Service supervisor at Heritage State Park. “It’s unique and it’s our own.”

Lawrence History Center board member Mary Guerrero met today with our summer middle school program writing leaders, writing leaders-in- training, and artists to prepare for students participating in The Rising Loaves: June 29 - July 17, 2026.

Here they are brainstorming ideas around our theme: Water. Grow. Write!

This summer represents our 12th year of collaboration with Andover Bread Loaf.

It is official: Steve Kelley — El Viejo — accepted the Lawrence History Center 2026 Eartha Dengler History Award in a room filled with more than 225 people gathered in his honor on Thursday evening.

Our deepest gratitude to EVERYONE who attended and helped celebrate Steve for the legend he is to so many young people in Lawrence and through his work for over 5 decades at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence.

On behalf of the Lawrence History Center Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers, I would like to extend special thanks to Lawrence History Center Board President Sara Morin for graciously welcoming our guests, recognizing our sponsors and contributors, and introducing:

Jodi Linnehan Kriner, President of Central Catholic High School, who offered a warm welcome and expressed appreciation for the partnership between Central Catholic and the Lawrence History Center.

Fr. Paul O'Brien of St. Patrick's Parish, who shared personal reflections and offered the evening's blessing.

We are also grateful to our award ceremony speakers, who did an outstanding job capturing Steve's impact through a variety of perspectives and sharing heartfelt personal reflections on the difference he has made in the lives of so many young people and families in Lawrence:

Bill Perocchi
Briyith Betances-Hidalgo
Sonya Kelley
Joanna de Peña
Socrates De La Cruz

In addition, Lawrence History Center Board member Mike Morris, Jr., Esq. presented the award on behalf of the Board of Directors.

We will be posting a formal event recap, along with photos and a recording of the program, early next week. Until then, if you have a message you would like to share with Steve, or photos and videos from the event that you would like included in the archival record, please visit our Tribute Form (https://lawrencehistory.org/dengler/2026/tribute) to submit your materials. If uploading photos, please identify individuals whenever possible for the historical record.

Our heartfelt thanks also go to everyone who sponsored the event or contributed their time and talents to make the evening possible (listed here: https://lawrencehistory.org/dengler/2026/sponsors). The Lawrence History Center is all the richer because of your generosity and support.

Enjoy this beautiful summer day!

Warmly,
Susan Johanna Grabski
Executive Director
Lawrence History Center

Photo credit:
Steve Kelley being honored at the 2026 Eartha Dengler History Award Ceremony, June 11, 2026.
Captured by Robert Lussier, Lussier Photography

Lawrence History Center was thrilled to welcome nearly 75 Bruce School students over two days last week as part of a field trip developed by their teacher and LHC board member Mary Guerrero.

Mary explained, "Right now, my students are working on independent projects about a Mesoamerican city of their choice to explore the conscious creativity used to create innovative artwork, writing, and technology. I'd like them to continue thinking about the importance of imagination on these field trips - by looking closely at artifacts, structures and the environments people chose to settle in and develop. I imagine that students will write and draw about multiple objects and environments."

The students explored original Essex Company records and land surveying tools, as well as saw pick axes that were used in the creation of the North Canal and a slide rule used by the Essex Company engineers. They also worked with cotton samples printed at Pacific Print Works and wool samples produced in various mills in Lawrence.

THANK YOU, Bruce School!

The Lawrence History Center is CLOSED TODAY, June 11, 2026, as we prepare for our 2026 Eartha Dengler History Award Ceremony to honor Steve Kelley tonight.

The Event is Full!
NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR.