Here are some historic maps of the area of the tragic fire at the corner of Market and Parker Streets. The fire took place in Lawrence in the early morning hours of January 21, 2008.

These maps are from Atlases (1875 - 1926). They show the development of the neighborhood over time. The names written by the structures are those of building owners, not necessarily the occupants of the structures. The yellow color indicates that buildings were of wood construction. The pink color indicates brick construction and the blue or gray indicates stone. One can also track the Essex Company land as it was sold off for commercial development and housing during that period.

We are looking for photographs of the houses that existed at that location prior to the fires, and as far back as 1875. A photographic component to the maps would help preserve the history of the neighborhood. We would be happy to post them on the web site with the pertinent information. You can send them to research@lawrencehistory.org

Here is the link for the Habitat for Humanity website. This link shows the fire as well as a link to the Eagle Tribune coverage of the area of the fire.

See the March 21 Eagle Tribune article on the Turn Hall, Market Street fires and the LHC website in the Eagle Tribune.

From a 1926 street atlas: Richards Map Co., Lawrence, MA. Publisher.

Click to see hi-resolution image
The same map, but smaller scale:

From 1906: L.J. Richards and Co., Boston, MA. Publisher

From 1896: L.J.Richards, Springfield, MA. Publisher

From 1875: C.M. Hopkins, Philadelphia,PA. Publisher

For reference, Here is the current Google Map of this area.