Emma Gertrude Lawrence is reputed to be the first female African-American businessperson in Erie. I used the word “reputed” because there could had been others before her, yet to be discovered. She owned the Lawrence Dyeing & Cleaning, which was located at 402 West 3rd Street on the northwest corner of 3rd and Chestnut streets.
She begun her business when her husband, John Lawrence, passed away in 1889. She was left with four young children to care for when she started the business from scratch, taking in laundry in her own home. As word spread, her business began to increase. By 1906, she was well known throughout all of Erie when she moved her business from her home and opened Lawrence Dyeing and Cleaning on West 3rd Street. When Gertrude passed away in 1934, her son Charles Lawrence took over and the operated the business until 1963, working with his sister Effie Lucas.
Gertrude made time in her busy life to maintain membership in several civic organizations. Her son, Earl Lawrence, was a well-known musician and popular teacher in the Erie area.
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| Lawrence Cleaning and Dyeing, 3rd and Chestnut Streets. |
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Lawrence Cleaning and Dyeing, 3rd and Chestnut Streets (1924)
Back row center: Charles "Chick" Lawrence with his mother, Gertrude Lawrence, standing beside him — She founded the business in 1906, one of the first operated by an African American woman in the city of Erie. Seated in the front row extreme right is Gladys Pearson, their bookkeeper. |
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| Lawrence Dyeing and Cleaning, 402 West 3rd Street. |
