History
Lawrenceville came into being on December 15, 1821 and is the county seat of Gwinnett County. Lawrenceville was named after Captain James Lawrence who was commander of the frigate Chesapeake. During a battle with H. M. S Shannon on June 1, 1813, off the coast near Boston, Massachusetts captain Lawrence was mortally wounded. His dying words were, "Don't give up the ship."
In 1978 Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler Magazine, was gunned down on the Lawrenceville courthouse square allegedly by Joseph Paul Franklin.
Get in
By Plane
There is no regular passenger service into Lawrenceville but there is large general aviation airport that charter flights can fly into. Gwinnett County's Briscoe Field has a 6,000 foot runway with two FBOs supplying both 100LL and Jet-A fuel.
By Car
Travel north on Interstate 85 from Atlanta to State Highway 316. Travel east on 316 to Highway 20 and turn right.
See
Eat
Lawrenceville is the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the United States. The 2000 census recorded the city's population as 22,397. The Census Bureau estimates the 2005 population at 28,393. Lawrenceville has three ZIP codes (30043, 30044, 30045); it is part of the 678/770 telephone area code, which is used throughout metropolitan Atlanta.
History
Lawrenceville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on 15 December 1821. This makes Lawrenceville the second oldest city in the Metro Atlanta Area. The city is named after Captain James Lawrence, commander of the Frigate Chesapeake during the War of 1812. In 1871 a permanent site for the county courthouse was selected and purchased, the four streets bordering the square were laid out along with other streets in the village, and a public well was dug. Major Grace built the first permanent courthouse, a brick structure, in 1923-24 for a cost of $4,000. The courthouse presently on the square was constructed in 1885.
William Maltbie, the town’s first postmaster, suggested the name “Lawrenceville” in honor of Captain James Lawrence, a naval commander during the War of 1812. Lawrence, a native of New Jersey, is probably best known today for his dying command, "Don't give up the ship!"
Courtland Winn served two terms as mayor starting in 1884 when he was 21 years old.
The two most famous people born in Lawrenceville gained their fame elsewhere. Charles Henry Smith, born in 1826, left as a young man and lived most...
