Greater Lawrence Family Health Center

The history of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center must be placed within the context of the community it serves. Located 26 miles north of Boston in the Merrimack River Valley of Massachusetts, Lawrence is unique in that it is a poor city almost by design. Once a rural farming area, Lawrence was transformed in 1847 into a major textile center supporting America’s first large scale industry. Its rich industrial history is marked by the Bread and Roses strike of 1912, which led to child labor laws in the United States. The thriving mills attracted workers from all across New England and eventually immigrants from Europe and the Middle East. By the turn of the last century, more than 100,000 immigrant workers were employed in the mills and living in company housing.