We are pleased to announce a new book for sale here at LHC. "Through Carmela's Eyes" by Frank Palumbo Jr. tells the story of story of Carmela Teoli, a young Italian immigrant, who was brought to America in hopes of a better life. "Times were hard and her parents were forced to take her out of school, at age twelve and send her to work in one of the woolen mills in Lawrence Massachusetts. While there, she endured a devastating accident that would forever alter her life and that of her family.
Volunteer Meghan Bailey, with the help of archivist Jennifer Williams, has just recently completed processing the "John S. Harrison Civil War Letters, 1860-1865." This collection is composed of eighty-one letters written mostly by John S. Harrison concerning his time spent as an operative in Company F of the 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers. Both Harrison and the recipient, John H. Freeman, were residents of Lawrence. This important collection gives a glimpse into the daily lives of soldiers in the Civil War. Subjects include living/working conditions; love interests; the weather; a description of the barracks; experiences on the front; homesickness; reports of fort artillery; brigade drills; the draft riots; and references to friends living in Lawrence. Some of the people mentioned are Lieutenant-General Grant, President Lincoln, General McClellan, General Burnsides, and Governor Seymour. The finding aid can be found 
This week we are saying goodbye to two volunteers who have been working at the LHC this summer. Audrey Borus (shown on the right) has been cataloguing a large backlog of books that have been accumulating over the past several years. This was an extremely important job, because the only way for our books to be accessible to the public is for them to be searchable in our database. Audrey was meticulous in her work, always doing her best to make quality records that would be of the most use to our patrons. Thanks so much, Audrey!
Meghan Bailey (shown on the left) has been working on our backlog of collections. She worked on three collections: The Bruce Family Papers, The Moulton Batchelder Papers, and the John S. Harrison Civil War Letters. These were three very important collections that desperately needed to be processed, which Meghan did expertly. She researched the people and places mentioned in the collections and wrote excellent finding aids that will allow people to explore these materials more fully. Without her help people would still not know that we have these marvelous collections. We greatly appreciate all your hard work, Meghan!
Today is LHC founder, Eartha Dengler's 90th birthday! Many of the staff and volunteers here spoke with Eartha today to wish her a happy birthday and share what a great year LHC is having. Though Eartha lives in Minnesota, a little piece of her will always be here in Lawrence! If anyone wishes to share a memory or pass along a birthday message to Eartha, please e-mail it to 
Thanks to the hard work of volunteer Meghan Bailey we have another new collection available to researchers. "The Moulton Batchelder Papers, 1863-1929" detail the adult life of Moulton Batchelder, who worked as both a district policeman and a corporation officer for the Lawrence mills. The collection contains information about crimes committed in Lawrence, accidents that occurred in the mills, the history of the Batchelder family, the Bread and Roses Strike, the trial of Arturo Giovannitti and Joseph Ettor, as well as the details of the daily life of Moulton Batchelder. Records include letters, photographs, objects, and diaries. If you are interested in the history of Lawrence, policework, labor, or crimes, you should definitely take a look at this collection. You can view the finding aid 
Small Planet Communications, Inc., in partnership with the Lawrence History Center, has developed a comprehensive curriculum for teachers and students on the historic textile strike that took place in Lawrence in 1912. 
August 15, 2012
The Lawrence History Center has continued its efforts to reach out to the residents of Lawrence by attending the Groundworks Lawrence Farmers' Market today. Archivist Jennifer Williams, board member Francina Victoria, and volunteer Yessica Gonzalez attended the event for approximately 4.5 hours. During this time they spoke to over seventy families and individuals about researching the history of Lawrence, donating materials, and visiting the exhibits at the Everett Mill.
This week nine students participating in the Community Day Charter School summer camp are visiting the Lawrence History Center. They are using the LHC's records to study the life of Hiram Mills (chief engineer of the Essex Company in the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century) and the Experiment Station/Water Filtration System he established in Lawrence.
Two weeks ago the Lawrence History Center began a series of outreach events when archivist Jennifer Williams and board member Francina Victoria set up a table on the Common to speak to the residents of Lawrence about the LHC. It was very successful, and in over two hours they spoke to about twenty people. Today, LHC staff members Jennifer Williams and Amita Kiley were welcomed by the owners of 
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS TO AND/OR SPONSOR the 2013 Eartha Dengler History Award Ceremony!
Please help us continue our mission to collect, preserve, share, and interpret the history and heritage of Lawrence and its people by making a tax-deductible donation to the Lawrence History Center today!
