1. National Park Service Northeast Region – History Program
Dania Jordan

2. Lawrence, MASSACHUSETTS
Middle left: North Canal District and the Spicket River
Bottom Left: Island Street Mill

3. About groundwork Lawrence:
Groundwork Lawrence is a nonprofit organization that is built on partnership and dedicated to renewing and restoring distressed neighborhoods through environmental projects and programs that bring local residents, government, youth, and businesses together.
For more information:

4. GROUNDWORK LAWRENCE URBAN ARCHAEOLOGY CORPS:
This summer, Groundwork Lawrence partnered with the National Park Service to develop a new program: Urban Archaeology Corps. The program was designed to engage eight students, ages in:
Urban cultural heritage and archaeology within the National Park Service and the Greater Lawrence community.
Provide hands-on professional training and exploration of archaeology as a career.
Work on archaeological tasks related to the history of Lawrence, the Essex National Heritage Area, and local National Park sites
Investigate local archaeology through site visits, park improvement projects and historical research in local archives and museum collections.
For more information:

5. Urban Archaeology Corps
What did I do?
History Program
Attended staff meetings
Attended tribal teacher workshop
Attended Office of Relevancy, Diversity Inclusion meetings
Discussed how the National Park Service can respond to current social issues
Conducted research on African American archaeological sites that are associated with the Park Service
Took trips to Park Service sites (i.e., Boston Harbor Islands & BOAF)
Urban Archaeology Corps
Developed an archaeology curriculum
Taught students archaeological methods and processes (i.e., sand box dig, decomposition activity, artifact analysis, etc.)
Provided support (i.e., oral history forms and curriculum) to GWL (UAC)
Attended field trips with students (i.e., Lowell NHP, Saugus Ironworks, Historic New England, & BOAF)
Engaged students to think critically about historical documentations
Helped enhanced students observation skills
Assisted students with their final projects and I helped them conduct research

6. UAC Research question:
How can we use the history of Lawrence to prevent judgement upon the city? (How did urban redevelopment shape and change Lawrence?)

7. Lawrence, Massachusetts facts:
Lawrence is best known as the Immigrant City and an industrial complex.
The Essex Company founded Lawrence in They selected Lawrence for their industrial site because of its favorable topography for a canal.
The city is built around the canal (see image on slide 2)
The “Bread and Roses” Strike of 1912 and the Lawrence Strike of 1919 were seminal events in industrial labor history and in the women’s rights movement.
Women and children made up a substantial amount of the labor force during the 19th century.
Lawrence made a crucial contribution to the field of public health.
Typhoid fever spread through the water killing people. Therefore, the Lawrence Experimental Sanitation Station made strides towards ending the worldwide scourge of typhoid fever. It was the first research center of its kind in American and it began operation in 1886.
1940s – 1950s: Majority of the mills leave the city.
1950s – 1970s: Lawrence went under urban renewal, pushing out immigrants.
2000s: Remainder of the mills are being renovated and repurposed for luxury apartments, businesses, and warehouses.
Lawrence is now known as the “City of the Dam” and for its drugs and violence.
Note: It is these historical facts that contributed to UAC’s research question and final projects. They wanted to remind local community members of what Lawrence was and what it can be in order to change peoples’ negative perspectives into positive ones.

8. Final projects:
A picture chapter book/ scrapbook of the history of Lawrence
An interpretative drawing of Lawrence, MA through time (i.e., farm land, mills, theater, barbershop
UAC interpretative dancers. They performed an interpretative dance, which symbolized the “rising up” of Lawrence.
Interactive Poster board(s) of the past, present, and Future of Lawrence. Dianny collected peoples opinions and thoughts on Lawrence’s future.
There was also slam poetry, which the students wrote and performed.

9. Thank You!