Lawrence 175th

It was on January 15, 1847, that Lawrence Institute was granted a charter, one year before Wisconsin became a state and six years before Appleton would be incorporated as a municipality. The private college took its name from Amos A. Lawrence, the Boston merchant who pledged $10,000 to endow the school.

The campus was built on land purchased from the Menominee tribe, the ancestral homelands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk people. It became one of the first co-educational colleges in the country. In 1874, the Conservatory of Music was established. In 1913, the institution adopted the name Lawrence College to underscore its commitment to undergraduate liberal education. And in 1964, Lawrence again assumed the name Lawrence University when it was consolidated with Milwaukee-Downer College for Women.

Now marking its 175th year, with an enrollment of nearly 1,500 students, Lawrence continues to honor the vision of its founders and build on the heritage of excellence in undergraduate education.

President Inauguration Ceremony & Celebration

A light-filled ceremony in Memorial Chapel, followed by a celebration under the stars on Main Hall Green on Friday, May 13th.

On Saturday, may 14th, Lawrence celebrated the 175th anniversary of its founding. We honored the shared history of Lawrence and the Fox Cities with a curated collection of presentations, performances, and gatherings across campus open to the community.

View Inauguration Highlights

Celebrate on Social Media

Let all of your friends know why Lawrence is such a special place. Share a photo of your time at Lawrence or wearing Lawrence gear on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and use #Lawrence175 when you post!

Social Media Kit

Travel Through Time

Explore Lawrence’s history in these photos from the University Archives.

Lawrence University Academy Building in 1849

1849 | Lawrence University Academy building, also known as the Lawrence Institute, was built in 1849 and was the first building of Lawrence University. The Academy was destroyed by fire in 1857.

Three women from the first graduating class in 1857

1857 | Women of the first graduating class

Four men posing for the camera, two are seated and two are standing

1857 | Men of the first graduating class

Aerial of Main Hall on Lawrence University campus in 1860

1860 | Main Hall and surrounding community of Appleton

Amos Adams Lawrence, seated, looking at a piece of paper at his desk

1860 | Amos Adams Lawrence, the founder of Lawrence University

Pencil sketch of Milwaukee Female College with its name and "1861" written across bottom

1861 | Milwaukee Female College, founded in 1851, was a predecessor of Milwaukee-Downer College

Men and women seated and standing for a class photo

circa 1886 | Class of 1886

Women standing playing trumpets and other brass instruments

circa 1895 | Downer College band

Men lined up and around campus in front of Main Hall

1898 | Soldiers training for the Spanish-American War on the grounds around Main Hall

Women standing in a row with their bicycles

1894 | Bicycle club

Men in old-fashioned swimsuits stand on dock near the Fox River with a bridge in the background

circa 1901-1910 | Students swim in the Fox River

Women wearing white dresses holding white cloth tied to a tall pole while walking around it.

circa 1911-1915 | May Day maypole dance

Men standing in a row holding both hands behind their head

1921 | Freshmen in front of the Rock

circa 1930 | Conservatory of Music

Students gather in large crowd across campus with protest signs

1936 | Peace parade

Two student in football uniforms, the placekicker is kneeling on the grass, while the kicker has just kicked the ball

1946 | Football placekicker

Women standing on long row boat as it hangs over the Fox River

1949 | Milwaukee-Downer College rowers

Women sitting in a row on a long table in the Viking Room

1955 | Students in Viking Room

Professor standing playing the flute while three students sit with their flutes in hand, listening

circa 1955 | Professor Fred Schroeder with woodwind trio

Two students sit on a lounge sofa in front of a window while two others sit on the ground, chatting

1961 | Students lounging in Sage Hall room

Students stand around a freshly planted hawthorn tree with shovels and a small pile of dirt in the background

1965 | Students plant a hawthorn tree

Crowd of students gather in front of Main Hall to protest. A sign that says, "peace now" hands in between two pillars of the building.

1971 | Vietnam protest

Illustration of an aerial of campus with a black bird flying across pulling a sign that says "lawrence university"

circa 1978-1988 | Illustration of birds-eye view of campus

Maya Angelou standing behind a podium giving a speech

1997 | Maya Angelou Convocation

A large crowd of students gather on campus. The Fox River and bridge can be seen in the background

1990 | Celebrate! was a spring festival of the arts held annually at Lawrence from 1975 through 2003

Row of saxophone players during a concert

2008 | Band performance

Two students with small brooms holding a ball during a broomball game

2011 | Broomball on Ormsby Lake

Two students seated at a table speaking into hand-held phones

2018 | Great Midwest Trivia Contest

Illuminating the Past

Discover key moments in Lawrence’s history in this collection of stories, articles, archival documents, and more. Keep checking back for more history to discover throughout our anniversary year!

Lawrence University Charter

Lawrence University Land Acknowledgement

175th Anniversary Board Resolution

Overview of Lawrence History

Light! More Light!: Our Early Traditions

Love Letter to (Sarah) Appleton: An Early Description of Campus & Appleton from Amos Lawrence to His Wife

Birch Forest by the Water: A History of Björklunden

A Leader in Women’s Education: Milwaukee-Downer College History

Historical Film Collection from the Archives

Forgotten History: A Student Documentary on Black History at Lawrence

The Viking Room at 50

From Plato to Trethewey: First-Year Studies Lecture Archives