Lawrence had a stormy history in the territorial years. It was founded by the New England Emigrant Aid Company and named for one of its prominent members. The center of Free State activities, the town was close to a state of war from 1855 until the Free Staters triumphed in 1859. The Confederate guerrilla leader, William Quantrill, made one of his most spectacular raids on Lawrence in 1863, burning the town and killing 150 citizens. After the Civil War, the town experienced a gradual and peaceful growth as an educational, cultural, trading, and shipping point, and developed a variety of industries.