Lawrence was founded in 1854 by the New England Emigrant Aid Company. It was the political center of the free-staters and actually, though not legally, capital for a short time after 1857. Lawrence was an important stop on the Underground Railroad, a loosely organized system for helping fugitive slaves escape to Canada or to areas of safety in free states. It was also the base for many Abolitionist organizations. In 1856 a pro-slavery raid on the town instigated the retaliatory Pottawatamie killings by John Brown. In 1863, Lawrence town was sacked and burned a second time by William Quantrill. As a result there are not many historical sights in Lawrence. Some of the few surviving buildings include the Plymouth Congregational Church. It was the first church built by settlers in Kansas and dates from 1854.
Although agricultural trade and light manufacture are economically important, the city's major employer is the University of Kansas, as it has hundreds of administrative offices, laboratories and research facilities. The Haskell Institute was founded there in 1884. It is a large school for Native Americans.
There are several hotels and restaurants in Lawrence. The city is on the Kansas River in the northeast of Kansas, 40 km east from Topeka and 1570 km west from Washington D.C.
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