Lawrence, Kansas

The City of Lawrence is the seat of Douglas County, Kansas. With a population of nearly 88,000, Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the state. As home to the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence is in many ways a typical college town, with a lively cultural scene and a historic downtown area which is a popular shopping and dining destination. A number of buildings on Massachusetts Street date back to Lawrence's earliest years, including the Eldridge Hotel and the Douglas County Courthouse. The Free State Brewing Company, though founded in 1989, is the first legal brewery operated in Kansas in more than 100 years.

Lawrence was founded in 1854 by members of the New England Emigrant Aid Society from Massachusetts. Following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, territorial settlers were allowed to determine the slavery status of their area. The abolitionist Massachusetts group founded Lawrence with the goal of admitting Kansas as a free state. To that end, publishing was one of Lawrence's first industries, with three newspapers in circulation by 1855. After the Civil War, railroad transport increased, and manufacturing in Lawrence increased. By the 1870s, local wood and coal supplies for power were dwindling. After several failed attempts, a stable dam was built on the Kaw River and since 1874, the Bowersock Mills & Power Company has provided water and hydro-electric power to the city. The Lawrence Paper Company was founded in 1882 to produce corrugated paper, and is still in operation today. In 1950, the Westvaco Corporation built a new chemical plant in Lawrence, only to see it inundated by floodwaters the following year. Westvaco repaired the plant, which they continued to operate until 1958. In later years, the building has been occupied by FMC Corporation and Astaris, and is currently the home of ICL Performance Products, LP, a maker of phosphorus-based chemicals.

Lawrence's history of industry and historic preservation make asbestos exposure an ongoing concern for workers and their loved ones. Workers exposed to asbestos may be at risk for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. If you were exposed to asbestos in Lawrence and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you should also consider contacting an asbestos law firm.

Jobsites in Lawrence where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

A number of jobsites in Lawrence, KS have been identified as harboring asbestos containing materials. These sites, at one point in their history, were known to have exposed a variety of tradesmen to asbestos. We will be documenting in more detail how asbestos exposure occurred at these sites in the future on this web site.