Shop Lawrence

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Lawrence was founded in 1854 by New England emigrants as a Free State town, and that free state spirit still shapes the city. Massachusetts Street, the downtown main street, gathers shops, theaters, and restaurants in historic brick buildings, and the University of Kansas rises on Mount Oread with Allen Fieldhouse, one of college basketball's most storied arenas. The Watkins Museum of History tells the county's story, including Quantrill's Raid of 1863, and the Spencer Museum of Art holds a broad collection on the KU campus. Clinton Lake, west of town, offers boating and trails.