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There’s a great article in yesterday’s New York Times that examines efforts by those in the social sciences and especially historians to utilize GIS technology to better understand the past. GIS, or Georgraphic Information Systems, uses computerized maps as a starting point and then adds layers of other information –…
Read More »Up through the end of the 17th century, towns such as Lancaster, Groton and Haverhill were the northwestern frontier of English settlement. Often they came under attack by the Native Americans who formerly lived in those places. Such was the case in the nearby town of Groton, Massachusetts on this…
Read More »Last night’s effort wasn’t one of the greatest speeches ever given by President Obama. At the start, he tried to explain some economic history and fundamentals in a simple way, but it came across haltingly and sort of hung like a cloud over the rest of his remarks which did…
Read More »Last Thursday was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas. It was the first major engagement of the American Civil War with 28,000 soldiers on the Union side and 21,000 on the Confederate. The Union commander, General Irving McDowell, was hesitant…
Read More »This Tony Sampas photo shows an architectural detail of the Pollard Memorial Library (originally known as Memorial Hall) as seen from the Colburn Street Entrance
Read More »Be sure to read Jack Mitchell’s recent post on Left-in-Lowell about the Lowell Sun’s coverage of the City Manager and the Pollard Memorial Library. Jack prudently copied and retained some interesting Facebook postings that have since been (mysteriously) deleted. Thankfully, Jack includes them in his piece.
Read More »I’ve been fascinated by the on-going struggle to resolve the debt-ceiling crisis, both because the failure to resolve it will be economically calamitous and also because the outcome will in many ways shape next year’s federal election. Four years ago the voters threw out the Republicans; two years ago they…
Read More »A different view of the Lawrence Mills, by Tony Sampas
Read More »Back in early 1977, a double full page ad appeared in the Boston Globe announcing New England’s first mega bookstore – a Barnes and Noble at Downtown Crossing in Boston (it may not even have been called Downtown Crossing way back then). Barnes and Noble grew rapidly and soon a…
Read More »The period from the end of the Civil War up to 1900 is one of my favorite periods of US history. It was during those 35 years that America leaped into the modern age thanks to innumerable technological advancements. It was also during this period that the “Indian Wars”, so…
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