At our 8/7 meeting local architectural historian Brenna Young spoke about the 1863 Commemorate Lawrence activities and her exploration and interesting findings of the historic buildings in downtown Lawrence. Working on her PhD at KU she’s been the project manager for the 1863 Commemorate Lawrence Project and has researched older buildings in downtown Lawrence and found that several more survived Quantrill’s Raid than originally thought. She’s quick to point out that Lawrence wasn’t burned down entirely – the main downtown district that was burned during the raid.
She also gave us a preview of the events planned for the 150th anniversary that she’s been working on including the website www.1863lawrence.com.
The date of the raid is 8/21 (check out the event we have planned that day during our normal meeting) which is on a Wednesday. So the city’s has planned a special City Band performance in historic South Park on Sunday 8/18 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
During the program, Jonathan Earle, Associate Professor of History from the University of Kansas, will provide a brief presentation of the history and significance of Quantrill’s Raid to the Lawrence Community.
A special reading of the victims’ names of Quantrill’s Raid will also occur. After the evening’s speakers, the City Band will perform specially selected works that are representative of the music of the 1860’s and have significance to the Lawrence community.
The city will provide cold refreshments to enjoy during the performance.
