Notable Events:
- "Lawrence City" Named (October 6, 1854)
- Herald of Freedom Published (October 21, 1854)
- "Sand Bank Convention" (July 17, 1855)
- Wakarusa War (November 21, 1855)
- Sacking of Lawrence (May 21, 1856)
- Attack on Fort Saunders, nearby (August 15, 1856)
- Siege of Lawrence (September 14-15, 1856)
- Declared in Rebellion by Governor Walker (July 15, 1857)
- Jim Lane shot Gaius Jenkins (June 3, 1858)
- Quantrill's Raid (August 21, 1863)
- Underground Railroad Site
The town of Lawrence, Kansas was founded by settlers associated with the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society (later renamed the New England Emigrant Aid Company) along the banks of the Kansas River. The town quickly became a bastion for the Free-State movement, which sought to stop the westward expansion of slavery at the Missouri-Kansas border and support the entrance of Kansas Territory into the Union as a free state. Its prominence as a Free-Stater community made it the target of several uprisings and raids, culminating with the infamous Quantrill's Raid. Today, visitors to Lawrence can take walking tours of the raiders' routes, see the graves of some of the victims, and view several of the surviving homes.