page_title: Lawrence, Kansas
section_title: Historic places and museums
hierarchical_section_title: Lawrence, Kansas / Historic places and museums
caption_attribution_description: English: The South Park bandstand, just south of Downtown Lawrence.
context_page_description: Lawrence is a city in Douglas County in the state of Kansas in the United States. It is in the northeastern part of the state, near the Kansas City area. It is the county seat of Douglas County. In 2010, 87,643 people lived there; though in 2019, there were an estimated 98,193 people. This makes it the sixth-biggest city in Kansas. The University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University are in Lawrence.
  The New England Emigrant Aid Company created Lawrence in 1854. It is named after Amos Adams Lawrence, who gave financial support to the city. During Bleeding Kansas, Lawrence was where the Wakarusa War and the Sack of Lawrence happened. Lawrence is also the site of the Lawrence Massacre which happened during the American Civil War.
  Lawrence started as an important place for free-state politics. After that, Lawrence's economy grew to be in many industries. These industries include agriculture, manufacturing, and education. Lawrence is called a "college town" because the University of Kansas is an important part of the city. There are many places in town where students like to go.
context_section_description: South Park is a big park in Downtown Lawrence. The park was made of four different parks, but they became just one big park. South Park was created in 1854. A gazebo was built in 1910. Bands play music at the park in the summer.
  The Watkins Museum of History is one block north of South Park. It has exhibits about Lawrence and Douglas County. Next to the museum is a Japanese garden made by sister city Hiratsuka, Japan. The University of Kansas has the Natural History Museum in Dyche Hall, the Spencer Museum of Art and the Dole Institute of Politics among others.
  Centennial Park was made in 1954 for Lawrence's 100th birthday. The park has many hills, a skatepark, a disc golf area, and a Polaris missile from the Cold War.
  The Bowersock Opera House burned in 1911, so people built a new one. It is called "Liberty Hall." Liberty Hall is a small theater which often shows independent movies, and sometimes live acts. Liberty Hall also has a video rental store. The Granada Theater was built in 1928 as a vaudeville theater. In 1934, it became a movie theater. It closed in 1989, but it was reopened in 1993. Today, it shows comedy acts and concerts.
  The Eldridge Hotel is a historic hotel. It is one of the oldest buildings in Lawrence. It was built in 1854, but it was burned in 1855. It was rebuilt, but it was burned in Quantrill's Raid. It was built again. In 1925, the hotel was renovated. In 1970, the hotel became apartments. In 1985, people worked to make it a hotel again. In 2004, the building was sold. It was changed to make it look like it was from 1925 again. It is a popular rumor that the ghost of Eldridge haunts the hotel. The Eldridge Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places.
  The University of Kansas (KU) has the Memorial Stadium and the Allen Fieldhouse. They built Memorial Stadium in 1920 for American football games. It is named to remember KU students who died in World War I. They built Allen Fieldhouse in 1955 for basketball games. On November 4, 2010, ESPN's magazine said that Allen Fieldhouse was the loudest basketball stadium in the United States. Mark Whicker, a famous sports writer, said Allen Fieldhouse "...is the best place in America to watch college basketball."
  Oak Hill Cemetery is a cemetery in Lawrence for famous people from Lawrence. It was built in 1866. Memorial Park Cemetery is across the street. It has a memorial for James Naismith, the creator of basketball.
  Lawrence has many historic houses, and some of them are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Robert Miller House did not burn in Quantrill's Raid, and it was part of the Underground Railroad. Ferdinand Fuller was one of the first people to move to Lawrence. He built his house in the Hillcrest Neighborhood. The John Roberts House is used for many formal events. John G. Haskell, a famous architect (someone who designs buildings), designed the John Roberts House.
caption: South Park gazebo
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