Mary Tanner Lecture
In 2003, Lawrence Historical Society established the Mary Tanner Lecture Series in honor of one of Lawrence Township’s most active community organizers.
The lecture is normally given in mid-October. The focus of the lecture is on local history – either Lawrence Township or New Jersey.
Mary Tanner
As a member of the Society’s Board of Trustees, Mary Tanner was instrumental in the effort to raise money and public support for the restoration of the 1761 Brearley House.
A dedicated lifelong learner, Mrs. Tanner earned a Ph.D. in American History from Radcliffe College, an M.A. in American History from Mills College and a B.A. from the University of Vermont. She taught history at various locations before settling in Lawrence, where she taught at Mercer County Community College and began her lengthy term of community service.
Mrs. Tanner was the first woman elected to Lawrence Township Council, serving from 1976-1981. She was also active in many Lawrence Township charities.
Previous Lectures
2023
Speaker: Melissa Ziobro
Topic: "Hello Girls Get the Message Through"
2022
Speaker: Richard Veit, PhD
Topic: " Archaeology and the Delaware Indians, a 12,000-Year Odyssey"
2021
Not held
2020
Speaker: Brian Armstrong
Topic: "The History of US Presidential Elections and New Jersey"
2019
Speaker: Rita King, PhD
Topic: "The Influenza Pandemic of 1918: Its Story and Lasting Impact"
2018
Not held
2017
Speaker: Mary Walton
Topic: "Shaming Woodrow Wilson: Alice Paul's Battle for Democracy In A World At War"
2016
Speaker: Ian Burrow
Topic: "Three Houses, Three Thousand Years: Archaeological Discoveries at the Brearley House"
2015
Speaker: Brooke Hunter
Topic: “The Rise and Fall of Prohibition in Lawrence”
2014
Speaker: Dan Druckenbrod
Topic: “Aldo Leopold’s Big Woods: 100 Years of Environmental History in Lawrenceville”
2013
Speaker: John Fea
Topic: “New Jersey Presbyterians and the American Revolution”
2012
Speaker: Larry Kidder
Topic: “Maidenhead Patriots in the First Hunterdon Militia Regiment: 1775-1783”
2011
Speakers: Brooke Hunter and Roderick A. McDonald
Topic: “Contesting Slavery, Confronting Freedom: Slavery and Emancipation in New Jersey”
2010
Speakers: Maxine N. Lurie and Michael Siegel
Topic: “Mapping New Jersey”
2009
Speakers: Richard W. Hunter and Howard L. Green
Topic: “The Curious Career and Fateful Future of the Delaware and Raritan Canal”
2008
Speaker: Harold M. Tanner
Topic: “The United States, China, Taiwan: The Historical Background of a Potential Conflict”
2007
Speaker: Gordon Wood
Topic: “Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founding Fathers Different”
2006
Speaker: Adm. Paul Edward Tobin Jr.
Topic: “Victory from Defeat”
2005
Speaker: Tom Kindre
Topic: “The Boys from New Jersey”
2004
Speaker: James M. McPherson
Topic" “The Global Effects of the American Civil War”