Lawrence Farmstead - Texas Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Opal, Onyx and Garnet lived on the family farm their entire lives. They raised cattle and hens and sold eggs to regular customers. Opal and Garnet never married; Onyx married Fowler Summers, who joined Onyx and her sisters on the farm. Fowler passed away August 11, 1981, and Garnet passed away August 31, 1981. Opal and Onyx continued to take care of the farm until 1995, when Opal passed away September 4, and Onyx November 21.

Opal Lawrence’s last will and testament gave the City of Mesquite the house and two acres. The City then purchased an additional 11 acres to include the barn and outbuildings.

The Opal Lawrence Historical Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark, and recognized as a Century Family Farm by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998

Marker Number: 11831 Marker Text: The son of an original member of the Mercer colony, Stephen Decatur Lawrence (1853-1934) received about 640 acres of farmland on his twenty-first birthday. He began building the first structure, a small home, on this site in 1874. In 1882 contractor Charley Florrer built a T-plan house about six feet east of the original structure. The new house was of clapboard construction with square nails. In 1886, a kitchen room was added, altering the building to a cruciform floor plan. The striking central tower is an example of the Victorian features of the home, which include the steeply pitched overhanging roof and prominent porches. Other structures were added to the farmstead, on which Stephen D. Lawrence and his first wife Louisa E. Porter (1861-1891) reared three surviving children. Charley Florrer built the barn in 1887; other structures erected just north of the main house included a smokehouse, a brick-lined root cellar, and the wash house. The Lawrence Farmstead complex is representative of the evolution of domestic buildings from the 1870s to the late twentieth century on the North Texas plains and blackland prairie. S. D. Lawrence married his second wife, Louisa Hill Walker (1867-1948), and they reared their eight children here. Members of the prominent Lawrence family lived on the land until 1995, when 13.7 acres including the family complex became a city historical park according to the wishes of one of Stephen and Louisa's daughters. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998

Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   01/15/2017 Crazy4horses visited it