Lawn, Newfoundland Labrador, a town with a population of 583 as of 2021, is nestled at the tip of the Burin Peninsula on Newfoundland's South coast. This community is spread around a small harbour in a relatively lush valley, a feature that is believed to have inspired Captain James Cook to name the place Lawn Harbour. Another speculation is that a Frenchman named the community after spotting a doe caribou there.
Lawn, Newfoundland Labrador, is a community whose survival over the past two centuries has depended entirely on the fishery. The abundance of fish in the waters surrounding Lawn, formerly known as Laun, attracted seasonal fishermen from France, Portugal, Spain, and England. These fishermen would arrive in large fishing ships and return to their homelands in the fall. This type of migratory fishery continued to exist on the Burin Peninsula well into the eighteen hundreds. However, in 1763, an important event occurred which had a tremendous impact on the development of permanent settlements on the Burin Peninsula. The town of Lawn was formed as a Community Council in 1952 and was changed to a Town Council in 1968.
One of Newfoundland's first hydroelectric generators was commissioned in Lawn in 1930, marking a significant milestone in the town's history.
In the pre-dawn hours of February 18, 1942, a naval disaster occurred near Lawn, Newfoundland Labrador. Three United States Navy ships, the USS Pollux, USS Truxtun, and USS Wilkes, ran aground on the shore of the Burin Peninsula between Lawn and the nearby community of St. Lawrence. It was determined that the ships made a navigation error while en route to Naval Station Argentia. Despite exceptionally difficult storm and ice conditions, eight residents of Lawn assisted in the rescue of survivors. Unfortunately, 203 sailors died, while 185 survived the disaster.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lawn, Newfoundland Labrador, had a population of 583 living in 253 of its 291 total private dwellings. This represented a change of -6.6% from its 2016 population of 624. With a land area of 3.52 km2 (1.36 sq mi), it had a population density of 165.6/km2 (429.0/sq mi) in 2021.
