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We have a new poem from Tom Sexton today, which he sent from his home in Alaska. In this new composition Tom recreates an extended moment in his Lowell youth, reflecting on a kind of confusion most of us have experienced. The details are just right in this self-portrait of…
Read More »This is the third batch of those who contributed works to History as It Happens: Community Bloggers in Lowell, Mass. our forthcoming book of community writing by more than 40 contributors to this website over the past ten years. (See the first group of contributors here and the second group…
Read More »I’m pinch-hitting for Dick this week while he is otherwise occupied. Instead of his usual round-up of major happenings and ongoing issues, I will share some observations about life in the city. It’s helpful to step back and look at the big picture. I had an opportunity to walk through…
Read More »I have a 15-year-old white T-shirt with teal blue lettering on the back that reads “Partners in Progress, UMass Lowell & the Community.” The Hanes Beefy-T has been washed maybe 700 times, but the fabric has not frayed and the words are not faded. There’s a slight tear under the…
Read More »Happy Independence Day! To commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War One, each week I’ve been posting a summary of that week’s newspaper headlines from the corresponding dates in 1917. This week’s post included July 4, 1917. I noticed that there was little mention of Independence Day celebrations that year.…
Read More »Tomorrow’s Lowell walk will be led by Dave McKean and Rosemary Noon. The topic will be churches of Lowell. We will visit St. Anne’s and St. Patrick’s, inside and out and also learn about the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, The First Congregational Church (now known as Smith Baker Center)…
Read More »Today is Bunker Hill Day, the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill which was fought on June 17, 1775. The anniversary used to have much more significance than it does now, which I suppose becomes the fate of most such anniversaries over time. That’s unfortunate, because history has so…
Read More »The topic of this Saturday’s Lowell Walk will be the Underground Railroad and Abolitionism in Lowell. It will be led by UMass Lowell history professor Bob Forrant and UMass Lowell graduate student Emily Yunes. It begins at 10 am at Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center at 246 Market Street.…
Read More »Dick Howe asked me to be the guest host for this important weekly ritual.—PM Garrison Keillor was known to start his regular report about local doings on his radio show A Prairie Home Companion by saying, “Well, it’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon . . .” I can’t remember…
Read More »To understand the story of the city of Lowell over the past half century, you must also understand the impact of Urban Renewal. So several months ago when Daniel McDermott, a student at Assumption College, contacted me (and others) for information about Urban Renewal in Lowell for a paper he…
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