The historic Turn Verein Hall was devastated by a fire on Sunday, January 13, 2008. On these pages we document the history of the hall, the German immigrants who built it and its uses over the years. It is a sad loss of an historic building which was used and loved by thousands over its history.

Here are some historic maps of the area of the tragic fire at the corner of Market and Parker Streets. The fire took place in Lawrence in the early morning hours of January 21, 2008.

Lawrence in 1845... nothing but farmland...

Here is a Panorama of Lawrence from the North , looking South, but it is a 180 degree perspective. On the left, it's looking down Essex St to the East and on the right, looking to the West.

Here is a Panorama of Lawrence from the South looking North over the Merrimack river.

The current exhibit at the Essex Art Center's Beland Gallery showcases Joyce Audy Zarins sculptural work of tree footprints and drip lines. One of the trees she documents stands on the South Common. Joyce chose this tree because her grandmother came from Canada in 1912 at the age of 13 to work in the Lawrence textile mills, the year of the great labor strike. She researched the trees on the Common to determine which one was closest to the place where the strikers gathered. Her chosen tree serves today as a “witness” to her grandmother’s presence and the strike of 1912.

Lawrence History Center, Immigrant City Archives and Museum held an exhibit at the Lawrence Heritage State Park this past summer.
Wish You Were Here - A Written Art Form ~ Lawrence Post Cards

This 1942 WWII postcard to Finno's Pool Room on Common St. reads: "Hello Tony, The reason I addressed this card to the pool hall is that I don't want to let the folks know I'm broke so see if you can scrape five bucks and send it to me and I'll see you on pay day. Johnnie"

Lawrence and the History of Public Health in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health, Dr. Howard Koh, officially opened the exhibit at 6:00pm on May 25th at the Heritage State Park in Lawrence where it remained until August 31st. The exhibit featured a number of the important developments in the history of public health in Lawrence and Massachusetts including:

The development and impact of the Lawrence Experiment Station in 1893.

Other recent events have included:

The World War II exhibit during the summer of 2000, which drew 200 people on its opening night and was extended from three to four months due to popular demand. The World War II exhibit was the first exhibit in which we combined oral histories with other artifacts. The 71 oral histories, collected over two years, cover all branches of the military and the home front based upon the experiences of Lawrence residents.