Saturday, July 29, 2024, was a day the village of Lawrence lost a couple of dwellings to fire. Not “bad” fires, but these are called “controlled burns.” (That is they were intentional burns, controlled by the Lawrence Volunteer Fire Department.)
A little bit of Lawrence history was lost with one of the burns.
The first fire of the day was located just a block southeast of Main Street. The house was the former home of John Buescher whose estate sold the house to Gene Schendt several years ago. The history of the home comes from the Lawrence Centennial book printed in 1984.
“The first frame building was built in 1880 and used for a bank with Frank Krammer as banker. In December, 1904, this building was moved to Block 15 on 2nd and Phillips St. and used for a residence. The Glenwood Telephone Co. of Webster County came in to Lawrence with a telephone line and their switchboard was in this building. As the Lawrence Telephone Co. had already established themselves in this area, the Glenwood Co. was unable to get many subscribers and after a few years, withdrew from town. The building has been moved and remodeled and is, at present, the home of John Buescher.”
The second home located two blocks west of Main Street was damaged in a fire several years ago and not lived in since that time.
‘Controlled Burns’ have been conducted over the years and provide two benefits. First off, they provide the fastest and probably the cheapest way to clear buildings. Secondly, they provide the volunteer fire department the opportunity to train the personnel with equipment that is not often used for building fires.
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