Lowell National Historical Park Official Map

Lowell National Historical Park is a

National Historical Park National Historic Site (NHS) and National Historical Park (NHP) are designations for officially recognized areas of nationally historic significance in the United States. They are usually owned and managed by the federal government. An NHS usually ...

of the United States located in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

. Established in 1978 a few years after

Lowell Heritage State Park Lowell Heritage State Park is a public recreation area and historical preserve located in Lowell, Massachusetts, that protects and promotes the city's seminal role in the American Industrial Revolution. The state park was established in 1974 as ...

, it is operated by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

and comprises a group of different sites in and around the city of Lowell related to the era of

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

manufacturing in the city during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

. In 2019, the park was included as Massachusetts' representative in the America the Beautiful Quarters series.

History

:''See the

History of Lowell, Massachusetts The history of Lowell, Massachusetts, is closely tied to its location along the Pawtucket Falls (Massachusetts), Pawtucket Falls of the Merrimack River, from being an important fishing ground for the Pennacook tribe to providing water power for the ...

article for a detailed history of the city'' First settled by Europeans in the 17th century, East Chelmsford (later renamed Lowell in honor of the founders' deceased business partner) became an important manufacturing center along the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

in the early 1820s. It was seen as an attractive site for the construction of a planned industrial city, with the

Middlesex Canal The Middlesex Canal was a 27-mile (44-kilometer) barge canal connecting the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. When operational it was 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, and 3 feet (0.9 m) deep, with 20 locks, each 80 feet (24 m) long and between 10 ...

(completed in 1803) linking the Merrimack to the

Charles River The Charles River (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ), sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles, is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Hopkinton to Boston along a highly me ...

, which flows through

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and with the powerful 32' Pawtucket Falls. The already existent

Pawtucket Canal Completed in 1796, the Pawtucket Canal was originally built as a transportation canal to circumvent the Pawtucket Falls of the Merrimack River in East Chelmsford, Massachusetts. In the early 1820s it became a major component of the Lowell p ...

, designed for transportation around the Pawtucket Falls on the Merrimack, became the feeder canal for a 5.6-mile long system of power canals based around the falls. Unlike many other mill towns, however, Lowell's manufacturing facilities were built based on a ''planned community'' design. Specifically Lowell was planned as reaction to the mill communities in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, which were perceived as cramped and inhumane. Some called it the "Lowell Experiment", which was an attempt at creating a manufacturing center with a combination of production efficiency with democratic morals and social structure. Initially the factories of Lowell were built with ample green space and accompanying clean dormitories, in a style that anticipated such later

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

trends as the

City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of th ...

in the 1890s. Lowell attracted both

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

from abroad and migrants from within

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

(including a large proportion of young women, known as

Lowell mill girls The Lowell mill girls were young female workers who came to work in textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts during the Industrial Revolution in the United States. The workers initially recruited by the corporations were daughters of New England fa ...

) who lived in the dormitories and worked in the mills. The textile industry in New England experienced a sharp decline after World War II and by the 1960s, many of the Lowell's

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

buildings were abandoned. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, several important forces came together from which emerged the Lowell National Historical Park. Congressman F. Bradford Morse assisted in the city's selection for "Model Cities" status; Brendan Fleming, UMass Lowell (UML) Math Department faculty member, after his election to the Lowell City Council proposed the first Historic District "The Mill and Canal District" which was approved in 1972; Gordon Marker, executive director of Model Cities and an urban planner, was instrumental in designing the concept for an Urban Park based on Historic Preservation and Economic Revitalization; Patrick Mogan, Education Administrator and later Superintendent of Schools, was primarily interested in Lowell's children and strongly advocated the preservation and sharing of their cultural experiences; and the Lowell Historical Society which opened the Lowell Museum in 1976. Together these circles of interest became a collaborating force led by

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

and Lowell native

Paul Tsongas Paul Efthemios Tsongas ( ; February 14, 1941 – January 18, 1997) was an American politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1979 until 1985 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 until 1 ...

to enact legislation for a national park. In 1978, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

established the Lowell National Historical Park, the Lowell Historic Preservation District, and the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission. In 1990,

The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

assisted the National Park Service in acquiring 3 acres for the purpose of housing the headquarters for the Lowell National Historical Park.

Legislative history of Lowell

Lowell National Historic Park was established by the Lowell Establishment Act in 1978. Lowell National Historical Park was established due to its significant cultural and historical sites and structures. This significance of these cultural and historical sites and structures symbolized aspects of the Industrial Revolution. Lowell is also represented to be the most significant planned industrialized city in the United States, which is a very important historical aspect in United States history. Another factor is that the immigration of different ethnic groups during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was represented in Lowell's neighborhoods. Preserving this area of land would allow for these representations to still be preserved in Lowell's neighborhoods. Even though the city of Lowell had a large budget for cultural and historical preservation, they would still need the assistance of the federal government to ensure that all necessary early buildings and structures were preserved. The extra protection and funding by the federal government will allow for the preservation of these lands. By establishing Lowell as a National Park that is protected by the federal government, the history and significance of the Industrial Revolution, as well as cultural aspects would be preserved and shared with present and future generations. In 2012, The Lowell National Historical Park Land Exchange Act of 2012 was added to the original legislation to allow for land within park boundaries to be exchanged with land owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the city of Lowell, or the University of Massachusetts building authority. Lowell National Historic Park is an originally established park and did not replace a previously established site.

Administrative history of Lowell

Chronological order of superintendents: * Lewis S. Albert: 1978–1980 * James L. Brown: 1980–1981 * John J. Burchill: 1981–1984 * Lawrence D. Gall: 1984-1984 * Chrysandra "Sandy" L. Walter: 1984–1992 * Rich Rambur: 1993–1999 * Patrick McCrary: 1999–2005 * Michael Creasey: 2005–2012 * Peter Aucella: 2012–2012 * Celeste Bernardo: 2012–present Regional affiliation in chronological order * North Atlantic Region: 1978–1995 * Northeast Region: 1995–2018 * Northeast Atlantic-Appalachian Region: 2018–present

Park information

Among the notable features of the park are: * Boott Cotton Mill and Museum * The Francis Gate * Pawtucket Dam and Gatehouse * Suffolk Mill Turbine and Powerhouse * Kirk Street Agents House * Mill Girls and Immigrants Boardinghouse * The Lowell Canal System * Swamp Locks, Lower Locks, Guard Locks * Merrimack River and Northern Canal Walkway * The Worthen House *

National Streetcar Museum The National Streetcar Museum is a streetcar museum and heritage railway located in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is owned by the New England Electric Railway Historical Society, which also operates the Seashore Trolley Museum, and is operated as pa ...

and the associated trolley service, which runs through the park * Boarding House Park, which hosts the

Lowell Folk Festival The Lowell Folk Festival is the longest-running, and second-largest, free folk festival in the United States. Only Seattle's Northwest Folklife is larger, both in attendance and number of performance stages. It is made up of three days of tradition ...

and the Lowell Summer Music Series. The park includes a visitor center, as well as many restored and unrestored sites from the 19th century. The visitor center provides a free self-guided tour of the history of Lowell, including display exhibits such as the

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

model of a

loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

by local inventor S. Thomas. A footpath along the

Merrimack Canal The Merrimack Canal is a power canal in Lowell, Massachusetts. The canal, dug in the 1820s, begins at the Pawtucket Canal just above Swamp Locks, and empties into the Merrimack River near the Boott Cotton Mills. The Merrimack Canal was the f ...

from the visitor center is lined with plaques describing the importance of various existing and former sites along the canal. The

Boott Mills The Boott Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts were a part of an extensive group of cotton mills, built in 1835 alongside a power canal system in this important cotton town. Its incorporators were Abbott Lawrence, Nathan Appleton, and John Amory Low ...

along the Merrimack River, on the Eastern Canal, is the most fully restored manufacturing site in the district, and one of the oldest. The Boott Mill provides a walk-through museum with living recreations of the textile manufacturing process in the 19th century. The walking tour includes a detour to a memorial to local author

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...

, who described the mid-20th century declined state of Lowell in several of his books. A walkway along the river leads to several additional unrestored mill sites, providing views of restored and unrestored canal raceways once used by the mills. Additionally, the park includes the Patrick J Mogan Cultural Center, which focuses on the lives of Lowell's many generations of immigrants. Other exhibits include a working

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

line, canal boat tours exploring some of the city's

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the most ...

s and locks, and the River Transformed / Suffolk Mill Turbine Exhibit, which shows how water power, the

Francis Turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...

, ran Lowell's textile factories.

Photo gallery

File:U.S. President Carter signs creation of Lowell National Historical Park (1978).jpg, U.S. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

(center) with

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...

(left) and

signs the creation of Lowell National Historical Park, 1978 File:Boott_cotton_mill_looms.jpg, Authentic Looms in the Boott Cotton Mill and Museum File:Front_of_boott_mill.jpg, The Boott Cotton Mill and Museum and Park Trolley File:Lowell_boat_tour.jpg, The Park offers boat tours of the historic Lowell Canal System File:suffolk mill turbine exhibit.jpg, The River Transformed Exhibit at the Wannalancit Mill File:Lowell Park HQ.jpg, Park Headquarters, Paige Street File:From Turbine to Line Shaft.webm, From turbine to line shaft at Suffolk Mills, part of the River Transformed Exhibit File:From line shaft to power looms.ogv, From line shaft to power looms at Boott Mills

References

External links

Official Lowell National Historical Park website

Lowell National Historical Park 2009 Annual Report

Heritage Preservation and Development White Paper: A 30 Year Assessment of Lowell National Historical Park

Presentation of Lowell Stories White Paper: A 30 Year Assessment of Interpretation and Education at Lowell National Historical Park

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110418053603/http://www.cathystanton.net/lowell-exp.html ''The Lowell Experiment: Public History in a Postindustrial City'' by Cathy Stanton (ethnographic study of the work of Lowell NHP)]
''Mill Power: The Origin and Impact of Lowell National Historical Park'' by Paul Marion 2014
{{authority control National Historical Parks in Massachusetts Parks in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Museums in Lowell, Massachusetts Industry museums in Massachusetts Textile museums in the United States Buildings and structures in Lowell, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Lowell, Massachusetts Protected areas established in 1978 Tourist attractions in Lowell, Massachusetts Cotton mills in the United States 1978 establishments in Massachusetts Articles containing video clips National historical parks of the United States