History

The Village of Lawrence has experienced many transformations down through the years. What was once vast farmlands, and originally developed by brothers Alfred, Newbold and George Lawrence as a summer resort, is now a thriving community of over 6500 residents.

In the 1850's, the Lawrence brothers started acquiring land to accommodate the wealthy and famous from New York City who enjoyed summers in the country. They built the present Train Station at Lawrence Avenue together with connecting roadways. The Rockaway Hunt Club was located at its present site in 1884, a hotel was built in this same year in the area known as the Isle of Wight adjacent to Reynolds Channel and the great boom in summer residents began. Within 5 years, the need for public improvements such as surfaced roadways with drainage and curbing led to the incorporation of the Village of Lawrence on September 13, 1897.

Many of the big homes originally built as summer residences still stand in what is referred to as "Back Lawrence". Other large estates have given way to smaller developments bringing Lawrence to where it is today.

With over 100 years of history, the Village of Lawrence has experienced many milestones. Two of the more noteworthy events were the acquisition of the Village Golf Course in 1938 and the decision to preserve the wetlands adjacent to Reynolds Channel thru the purchase of Hicks Beach in 1952.

These two decisions have had a profound effect upon the character of the Village and have enabled Lawrence to retain the countrified atmosphere the original settlers sought so many years ago.

During our Centennial Year, the Village published an extensive history, copies of which are available in the Lawrence Village Hall.