Take a Twitter Tour of Lawrence, Kansas
Destination & Tourism David Cogswell February 12, 2015

Many people imagine the great middle of the U.S. between the coasts to be a homogeneous mass, but in fact the towns and cities that dot the map across America actually differ from each other greatly. Lawrence, Kansas, is a particularly rich cultural oasis at the opening of the Great Plains.
Though 50 miles may seem like a short distance today, 100 years ago it was a long trip, and towns 50 miles apart developed independently with their own local cultures and characteristics. Each had its own collection of immigrants bringing their cultural roots from the Old World. Each had its own economic drivers and geographical characteristics as well. All of these things combine to determine the individual culture and personality of each town.
Lawrence, Kansas, is about midway between Kansas City, the big metropolis that sits on the border of Kansas and Missouri, and Topeka, the capital city of Kansas, the head of state government. But Lawrence’s biggest economic driver and cultural determinant is Kansas University, which was founded in 1866.
The city’s population is about 90,000, about 23,000 of which is the student body of KU. It’s a small town with a large university that dominates its personality. Lawrence is also the home to Haskell Indian Nations University.
Lawrence is close to the actual center of the 48 states of the continental U.S. The exact geological center of the lower 48 states is in Lebanon, Kansas, about 225 miles west of Lawrence. Lawrence is on the eastern side of the wide open spaces of Kansas.
If you are driving west across the U.S., Lawrence is at the tail end of the hilly country characterized by Missouri’s Ozarks, before the topography flattens out onto Western Kansas and what was once called The Great American Desert.
Lawrence, Kansas, is a town bursting with creativity and a sense of fun. pic.twitter.com/qjTfkQd3HW
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Bleeding Kansas
Lawrence was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery settlers, and immediately became a target for pro-slavery forces coming into the state to ensure Kansas would become a slave state.
The settlement was central to what was called Bleeding Kansas, the term coined by Horace Greeley to refer to the violence and bloodshed over slavery in Kansas, which later erupted across the nation in the Civil War.
The violence came after the Kansas-Nebraska Act mandated that the question of whether the territories would enter the Union as either free or slave states would be decided by elections. The rush to populate the states with free or slave factions led to out-and-out war.
Lawrence, less than 50 miles from the slave state of Missouri’s border, was a flashpoint in that conflict. It was the site of the Wakarusa War, the Sacking of Lawrence and the Lawrence Massacre, or Quantrill’s Raid.
In 1856 one Sheriff Samuel Jones tried to arrest some free-state settlers and was shot and driven out of town. He later returned with an army of 800 southerners and a cannon, which was stationed on Mount Oread, now the site of the Kansas University campus. It was five years before the official outbreak of the Civil War, but it was war.
The troops surrounded the town to prevent escape and attacked the free state forces holed up in the Free State Hotel, which was bombed into rubble. The Free State Hotel was rebuilt by free state forces led by Colonel Shalor Eldridge, but was again destroyed during Quantrill’s Raid in 1863, when pro-slavery terrorist William Quantrill launched a guerrilla attack that killed 180 people and left the town in ruins.
The town was rebuilt again and adopted the slogan “from ashes to immortality,” which Lawrence still celebrates. Today what was the Free State Hotel still stands as the Eldridge House, one of the best hotels in the area.
Eldrige House hotel in #Lawrence, photo by Bayliss Harsh pic.twitter.com/HdY0SR2Wft
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 10, 2015
Instead of the standard franchise businesses, #Lawrence has lots of funky local businesses, full of personality. pic.twitter.com/kvhWLREDSW
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Today in Lawrence
Today Lawrence’s violent political history is deeply submerged and the atmosphere of the city is dominated by the university, with its traditions of education and open inquiry and the cultural diversity that comes from being home to students from around the world. Lawrence’s main commercial street is Massachusetts Street, the site of the Eldridge House, and a thriving strip of shops, restaurants and bars.
There are surprisingly few of the standard corporate franchises, and instead the area is dominated by ideosyncratic local businesses with hand painted signs and colorful, humorous and personal designs.
Instead of McDonald's, KFC and Burger King, #Lawrence offers establishments such as the Bourgeois Pig. pic.twitter.com/AHG3TpfNNG
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Beautiful, creative storefronts in #Lawrence, Kansas. Jewelry by Julie. pic.twitter.com/xKI7ZZFHZ0
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Breads at Wheatfields Bakery in #Lawrence, Kansas pic.twitter.com/Xc21x08qi4
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Musicians like to play on Massachusetts Street.
Music on Massachusetts St in #Lawrence, Kansas pic.twitter.com/7Aa1xfMZH2
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
A major part of what gives #Lawrence its charm is that its population is about half college students at Kansas U. pic.twitter.com/JUzCsmk5T5
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Upstairs at Henry's in #Lawrence, Kansas. pic.twitter.com/tSVmzzlaLC
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Upstairs at Henry's in #Lawrence, Kansas pic.twitter.com/6Va9Y4fqCm
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
The Oread Hotel in #Lawrence on Mount Oread at the edge of the KU Campus where the Rock Chalk Cafe used to be. pic.twitter.com/pze7YomxTL
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Dyche Hall, KU, Natural History Museum, where the horse Commanche from Custer's Last Stand is preserved. #lawrence pic.twitter.com/w69JQOv28I
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Potter's Lake on the campus of Kansas University at #Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/7t2j2rGcz1
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
The Robert Dole Institute of Politics is a combination museum, events venue and memorial to Kansas’ conservative senator and presidential candidate.
The Bob Dole Institute of Politics in #Lawrence, Kansas. pic.twitter.com/XVXRYk62Ey
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
"Makin' love in the green grass behind the stadium and you, a brown-eyed girl" in #Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/akklGUjlwa
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
"Barack Chalk Jayhawk" is a play on the cheer used at football and basketball games: Rock Chalk Jayhawk. The city turned out to see Obama recently when he visited.
Barack Chalk Jayhawk! Obama's visit to #Lawrence will not soon be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/kUqrshbiwu
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
The Granada Theater on Mass St in #Lawrence is a relic from another era. pic.twitter.com/aSP7Rp5ytE
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
What college town would not have peace demonstrators?
#Lawrence still has some people who believe in giving peace a chance. Imagine! pic.twitter.com/g6fzerOXqv
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) February 8, 2015
Sponsored Content
For more information on Kansas
For more Destination & Tourism News
Comments
You may use your Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook information, including your name, photo & any other personal data you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on TravelPulse.com. Click here to learn more.
LOAD FACEBOOK COMMENTS