Lawrence Public Schools
While Lawrence is now home to two 6A high schools, its first high school started off small. In 1857, Mr. C.L. Edwards founded the school in the basement of the Unitarian Church on the 900 block of Ohio Street. In its first few years, the school served students ranging from age five to late-teens. The high school, as we think of them today, was officially organized in 1870. As the students outgrew their building, the Manual Training School was opened in 1908 as an addition. The student population would continue to grow, forcing Lawrence to build the Liberty Memorial High School building at 14th and Massachusetts in 1923. This building would also become too small and in 1954 a new high school was once again built at 19th and Louisiana and the middle school took over the old high school building. In 1997, Lawrence Free State High School was built to provide even more space for Lawrence's growing population.
![Postcard of McAllaster Elementary School Postcard of McAllaster Elementary School](https://history.lplks.org/files/thumbnails/13d4647b281c518a14c35ffd5d430cfb.jpg)
Built in 1915, McAllaster Elementary School was around for 55 years. In 1970 not only had the school be shut down, but the building was demolished. Misspelled "McAllister" on the back, the postcard informs us that the school once existed on the 1400 block of Rhode Island.
![Postcard of Cordley School Postcard of Cordley School](https://history.lplks.org/files/thumbnails/93b992f8400d0aaab2a547be93e37132.jpg)
Like McAllaster, Cordley School was built in 1915. However unlike McAllaster, Cordley is still around today and is the oldest elementary school still operating in Lawrence. Sally Postma has a special relationship to this school. Postma (then Fitzpatrick) attend school here from 1929 through 1936. After graduating from college, Postma taught at Cordley from 1952 through 1955.
There are currently 14 public elementary schools within Lawrence's school district. While they are numerous, the amount of postcards on them are not. The majority of postcards available focus on Lawrence High School and its many changes, but the two in the collection on elementary schools are worth noting.