RichardHowe.com – Voices from Lowell & Beyond

L’Etoile – A Star on Prince Street, Chapter 7

Two years ago, Louise Peloquin began sharing excerpts from L’Etoile, a French-language newspaper published in Lowell from 1886 to 1957. At my urging, she has agreed to compile some of her previous posts with added contextual information into a book manuscript to be called, L’Etoile: A Star on Prince Street. Starting this week, Louise will present draft chapters from the book in serial form here on the blog. Today, we have another installment.

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L’Etoile – A Star on Prince Street, Chapter 7

The Star Highlights Lowell Stories

By Louise Peloquin

This chapter presents 6 examples of how L’Etoile cast its light on local news.

The first two articles demonstrate how “The Spindle City” has always known how to manage large crowds as the unfailing success of the Lowell Folk Festival attests. Started in 1990, and after two years as the National Folk Festival, it is the longest-running, second-largest free folk festival in the United States. Every July, thousands flock to Lowell. Only Seattle’s Northwest Folklife is larger.

These century-old excerpts bear witness to the Lowellians’ long-standing reputation for extending warm welcomes:

L’Etoile, October 30, 1917

Le Congrès de l’industrie textile

Grande parade ouvrière hier soir. L’établissement d’une échelle uniforme de salaires dans les filatures sera à l’ordre du jour à une prochaine séance.

La convention des United Textile Workers of America se continue aujourd’hui à la salle des Elks, rue Middle. Il y a plus de 150 délégués présents.

La parade qui a eu lieu hier soir a obtenu un bon succès. Il y avait environ mille membres de nos unions textiles dans les rangs. Le départ a eu lieu à 7h et l’on a suivi un itinéraire dans rues principales de la ville, illuminées en divers endroits par des feux de Bengale.

A l’hôtel de ville, le défilé a été passé en revue par le maire et les échevins, à l’exception bien entendu de l’échevin Francis A. Warnock, qui est président honoraire de l’union textile locale et qui était en tête de la parade.

Les femmes qui sont délégués à la convention ont paradé en automobile.

Les réparateurs de métiers étaient les plus nombreux dans les rangs. Ils étaient au nombre de six cents probablement. Les ‘dresser tenders’ avaient environ cent membres dans les rangs et les fileurs de laine étaient au nombre de 150.

Après la parade, il y eut réceptions dans les diverses salles des unions ouvrières et l’on y a servi des rafraîchissements. Nombre de discours ont été prononcés.

La convention s’est ouverte de nouveau à 9h ce matin et le président de l’union internationale, John Golden, a donné lecture de son rapport annuel qui est des plus encourageants, indiquant que l’union se propage rapidement par tout le pays, ainsi qu’au Canada.

Le secrétaire-trésorier a aussi présenté son rapport annuel, qui est aussi des plus satisfaisants.

Ces deux rapports et les quelques discours qui les ont accompagnés ont pris toute la session de l’avant-midi.

Interviewé sur la question des salaires, le président Golden, qui est un des chefs ouvriers les plus conservateurs du pays, a déclaré que la question des salaires serait ajoutée à la convention ces jours-ci, mais il ne pouvait dire d’avance quelles seraient les décisions qui seraient prises. Divers rapports seront soumis sur la situation dans les diverses parties du pays et comme on ne connaît pas encore la nature de ces rapports, il est difficile de dire quelle décision sera prise. M. Golden croit cependant que l’on essaiera d’établir une échelle plus uniforme de salaires. On se basera néanmoins sur les conditions différentes qui existent en certains endroits.”

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Textile Industry Congress

     Large workers’ parade last night. Establishing a uniform wage scale in textile mills will be on the agenda of an upcoming session.

     The convention of the United Textile Workers of America continues today in the Elks room on Middle Street with more than 150 delegates in attendance.

     Last night’s parade was a huge success. Approximately 1000 members of our textile unions were among the ranks. Departure was at 7 o’clock. Then the parade followed an itinerary in the city’s principal streets, illuminated here and there by Bengal light sparklers and flares.

     At City Hall, the parade was ceremoniously inspected by the mayor and aldermen, with the exception, naturally, of alderman Francis A. Warnock, honorary president of the local textile union at the head of the cortège.

     Woman delegates to the convention filed in automobiles.

     Most numerous in our ranks were the 600-odd loom repairers. In addition, about 100 dresser tenders and 150 wool spinners paraded.

     Afterwards, refreshments were served at receptions in various worker union rooms. Numerous speeches were pronounced.

     The convention opened again at 9 this morning and the president of the International Union, John Golden, read his annual report. It was quite encouraging and indicated that the union is rapidly growing in the whole country as well as in Canada.

     The secretary-treasurer also presented a most satisfactory annual report.

     These two reports and the few accompanying speeches filled the entire morning session.

     Interviewed on wages, president Golden, one of the country’s most conservative worker leaders, declared that the wage question would be discussed in the coming days but that he could not say in advance what decisions would be taken. Different reports will be submitted on the situation of the different parties in the country. Since we do not yet know the nature of these reports, it is difficult to say what will be determined. However, Mr. Golden believes that an attempt at establishing a more uniform wage scale, based on the various conditions in diverse locations, will materialize.”

L’Etoile, November 5, 1917

Clôture de la convention textile.

Des mesures sont prises pour empêcher la baisse des salaires après la guerre actuelle. La moralité de la population de Lowell est reconnue.

La convention des unions textiles s’est terminée samedi soir.

On a pris quelques décisions importantes. La principale est celle qui pourvoit à ce que les officiers internationaux envoient un délégué à chacune des unions locales pour donner à celles-ci des instructions touchant la création d’un fonds, pour se préparer contre la baisse des salaires par les manufacturiers pendant et après la guerre. On vise à ce que les salaires ne soient jamais diminués.

On a décidé de déclarer une grève générale dans les filatures de Philadelphia si celles-ci ne révoquent pas sans retard l’avis qu’elles ont affiché ces jours-ci à l’effet qu’un employé devra donner 15 jours d’avis avant d’abandonner l’ouvrage, sinon son nom sera inscrit sur un tableau noir et aucune autre filature ne devra l’engager.

1. Stevenson de Toronto a fait adopter une résolution pourvoyant à ce que les unions textiles du Canada s’affilient au Trade and Labor Congress d’Ottawa.

Avant de clore la convention, on a présenté des coupes ou autres cadeaux à l’échevin Francis A. Warnock; à John Hanley; à Frank T. Mullin de cette ville; à Jesse Walker, de Cohoes N.Y. et à Mme. Sara A. Conboy, de Roxbury.

On a voté des remerciements à la presse et au public de Lowell et on a déclaré que la convention de Lowell est la plus belle que l’on ait encore eue. Les délégués sont d’avis que Lowell est une ville des plus morales,  si l’on considère sa population.”

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Textile Convention Closing

Some measures were taken to prevent wage decreases after the present war. The morality of the Lowell population is recognized.

     The textile union convention closed on Saturday night.

     Several important decisions were taken. The main one provides that the international officers send a delegate to each local union to facilitate the creation of a fund to prepare for a manufacturer-imposed wage decrease during and after the war.

     A general strike in the Philadelphia textile mills was decided if an immediate revocation of a recently-posted notice did not occur. This notice states that an employee must give a 15-day notice before leaving his job if he does not want his name listed on a blackboard and be prevented from working in any other textile mill.

     Mr. Stevenson of Toronto had a resolution adopted stating that each textile union in Canada must join the Ottawa Trade and Labor Congress.

     Before closing the convention, trophies, awards and other gifts were presented to alderman Francis A. Warnoch; John Hanley; Frank T. Mullen of Lowell; Louis Walker of Cohoes, N.Y. and to Madam Sara A. Convoy of Roxbury.

     A vote of thanks was extended to the press and to the public of Lowell along with a declaration that the convention of Lowell was, up to the present time, the best that the delegates had ever had. They expressed the opinion that Lowell is a city among the most moral, if one takes into consideration its population.”

L’Etoile was a powerful vehicle of the “buy local” rallying cry. Since the time Lowell was called “The Venice of America,” the city has prided itself on promoting its products. The following two articles show how long-ago Lowell touted its products.

L’Etoile – September 2, 1924

Les Produits de nos filatures

Le comité des marchands au détail de la Chambre de Commerce est à tirer des plans pour l’observation de la ‘Semaine de la Nouvelle-Angleterre.’

Les marchands de la ville veulent célébrer l’observation de la ‘Semaine de la Nouvelle-Angleterre’ en ville et c’est à cet effet que leur comité de la Chambre de Commerce eut une réunion hier pour faire des préparatifs. Il n’y a pas encore de plan définitif mais on poussa l’affaire de l’avant, et on songe sérieusement à donner une belle démonstration pour le public de Lowell.

Les marchands vont demander aux industriels locaux et à ceux des villes voisines de leur fournir des matériaux fabriqués dans nos filatures pour les exhiber dans leurs vitrines. Des arrangements ont déjà été faits de ce côté-là et sur ce point-là, on est prêt à observer cette semaine-là.

Les marchands ont étiqueté leur marchandise venant de divers endroits dans la Nouvelle-Angleterre de sorte que les clients pourront se rendre compte de la bonté des étoffes fabriquées en ville ou ailleurs dans notre voisinage.

Le plan définitif sera annoncé dans les journaux et les gens de Lowell pourront ainsi prendre part à la célébration.”

Les directeurs de l’affaire disent qu’en se servant nous-mêmes de nos produits et en les vantant, on attirera le commerce d’ailleurs.”

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The Products of Our Mills

The Chamber of Commerce retail merchant committee is about to set up a plan to observe ‘New England Week.’

     City merchants want to celebrate ‘New England Week’ downtown. Yesterday, their committee at the Chamber of Commerce held a meeting to make preparations. Committee members have not yet come up with a final plan. However, things are progressing and they are seriously working on putting together a beautiful public demonstration for the community.

     The merchants have asked industries from Lowell and vicinity to furnish them with products manufactured in our mills in order to exhibit them in shop windows. In this regard, arrangements have already been made and everything is ready to observe ‘New England Week.’

     Merchants have labeled their merchandise from various places in New England in order that customers recognize the quality of the fabrics made in Lowell and vicinity.

     Newspapers will announce the final plan thus allowing Lowellians to participate in the celebration.

     Business leaders maintain that by using and promoting our own products, we will attract customers from outside Lowell.”

L’Etoile, September 16, 1924

L’Etalage de produits de la Nouvelle-Angleterre

Plusieurs des marchands de Lowell se sont mobilisés, anxieux d’observer la ‘Semaine de la Nouvelle-Angleterre’ car hier ils ont changé leurs vitrines et se sont empressés d’étaler à la vue du public des produits de la Nouvelle-Angleterre.

Des centaines de gens ont été surpris de voir dans les vitrines de nos marchands que tant de produits sont manufacturés dans les filatures de Lowell.

Les plus fameuses exhibitions sont celles chez A.G. Pollard Co., Bon Marché Dry Goods Co., le 2o0th Century Shoe Store, le Walk Over Shoe Store, L’Alberton Furniture Co., la Robertson Furniture Co., et A.E.O’Heir. Dickerman and McQuade ont des bas Shawmut, des sous-vêtements de Lowell et des appareils de jeux de la Nouvelle-Angleterre.

Toutes les filatures de la ville sont représentées dans les divers magasins de Lowell. Les modèles de 1925 de certaines de nos manufactures sont vus dans les vitrines en ville. Les filatures Booth, Merrimack, Appleton, Hamilton, Massachusetts, Tremont, Suffolk, Lawrence et autres ont des produits chez A.G. Pollard Co.

Tous ces produits resteront dans les vitrines de nos marchands toute cette semaine. Ils donneront une idée de l’excellence des produits de la Nouvelle-Angleterre. Certains des magasins ont des articles de divers endroits de la Nouvelle-Angleterre.

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New England Products on Display

Many Lowell merchants are eager to observe ‘New England Week’ because yesterday they changed their shop window displays and lost no time laying out New England products for the public to view.

     Hundreds of people were surprised to see so many products made in Lowell mills.

     The most famous exhibits are at A. G. Pollard Co., Bon Marché Dry Goods Co., the 20th Century Shoe Store, the Walk Over Shoe Store, the Alberton Furniture Co., the Robertson Furniture Co., and A.E. O’Heir. Dickerman and McQuade carry Shawmut stockings, undergarments from Lowell and game machines from New England.

     All of the city’s mills are represented in the various Lowell stores. Certain 1925 models are displayed in downtown shop windows. A.G. Pollard Co. carries products from Booth, Merrimack, Appleton, Hamilton, Massachusetts, Tremont, Suffolk, Lawrence and other mills.

     All of these products will remain on display all week. They will give an idea of the excellence of New England products. Certain stores carry items from different places in New England.”

On April 15th 2019, the following headline appeared in the New York Times: “Fire Mauls Beloved Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.” What Jack Kerouac called, in his novel Maggie Cassidy, Lowell’s “ponderous Chartres Cathedral of the slums” would have suffered a similar fate 95 years earlier were it not for a young woman’s acuity and responsiveness.

Here is L’Etoile’s front-page coverage of this breaking news.

L’Etoile, October 31, 1924

On tente d’incendier l’église

Est-ce folie ou est-ce un crime?

     Un inconnu tente d’incendier l’église Saint-Jean-Baptiste mais son geste incendiaire est perçu par une jeune fille faisant ses dévotions. Une allumette enflammée sur du pétrole répandu sur le plancher.

C’est la deuxième tentative depuis quelques jours.

La magnifique église Saint-Jean-Baptiste qui, le 21 novembre 1912 fut pratiquement détruite par un incendie, faillit subir le même sort ce matin lorsqu’un incendiaire que l’on croit être un pyromaniaque, tente de mettre le feu après avoir arrosé d’une quantité de pétrole le plancher et le bas des murs.

La nouvelle de cette tentative odieuse s’est répandue avec rapidité dans la ville et a causé un émoi considérable parmi toute la population. Il est fort probable que si l’incendiaire eut le temps d’accomplir son oeuvre, nous aurions encore une fois à raconter les tristes détails d’une conflagration semblable à celle de 1912.

D’après les détails que nous avons appris ce matin, il semble que l’incendiaire pénétra dans l’église entre 9h30 et 10 heures et qu’il demeura pendant quelque temps agenouillé ou assis dans le choeur de chant du soubassement de l’église. Il y avait à ce temps quelques personnes dans l’église.

Un peu après 10 heures, une demoiselle qui faisait les dévotions du Chemin de la Croix, regarda dans la direction du choeur et vit l’étranger allumer une allumette et la jeter sur le plancher.

La demoiselle en question eut la présence d’esprit de courir au presbytère St-Joseph et d’avertir les pères. Lorsque ces derniers arrivèrent à l’église, l’incendiaire était disparu. Les pères virent de suite qu’une quantité de pétrole avait été versée sur le plancher et le long des murs près des confessionnaux derrière l’église.

Les autorités policières furent immédiatement avertis, et quelques minutes plus tard, le sergent Phillip Dyer et les agents Joseph L. Lamoureux et Daniel M. Lynch arrivaient sur les lieux. Ils firent des recherches partout dans les environs, mais comme ils n’avaient aucun signalement de l’inconnu, leurs recherches furent inutiles.

Les policiers ont constaté que des allumettes avaient été allumées et jetées sur le plancher mais, chose remarquable, le pétrole n’avait pas pris feu.

L’on rapporte que cette tentative d’incendiarisme est la deuxième qui ait eu lieu en moins d’une semaine. Il y a quelques jours, des guenilles imbibées de pétrole furent trouvées dans l’escalier qui conduit au choeur de chant de l’église supérieure.

Les autorités policières ont commencé une enquête et feront tous les efforts possibles pour opérer l’arrestation du coupable. D’après les indications, il semble que les deux tentatives ont été accomplies par le même homme.”

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Someone tries to set fire to the church

Is it insanity or is it a crime?

     An unknown individual tries to set fire to Saint-Jean-Baptiste church but the act of arson is perceived by a young woman performing her devotions. A lit match on gasoline poured on the floor.

     This is the second attempt in several days.

     The magnificent Saint-Jean-Baptiste church which, on November 1912, was almost devastated by fire, nearly met the same fate this morning when an arsonist believed to be a pyromaniac, tried to set fire after having doused the floor and lower walls with a quantity of gasoline.

     The news of this heinous attempt spread rapidly across the city and caused considerable emotion within the entire population. It is highly likely that, had the arsonist had the time to accomplish his work, we would once again have to recount the sad details of a blaze similar to that of 1912.

     According to the details we have gathered this morning, it seems that the arsonist penetrated into the church between 9:30 and 10 and stayed there for a while kneeling or sitting in the choir area of the church basement. There were a few people in the church at the time.

     Shortly after 10, a young lady doing the Way of the Cross devotions looked in the direction of the choir and saw the stranger light a match and throw it on the floor.

     The young woman in question had the presence of mind to run to St.-Joseph rectory to warn the priests. When they arrived, the arsonist had disappeared. The priests immediately saw that gasoline had been poured onto the floor and along the walls close to the confessionals in the back of the church.

     The police authorities were immediately notified and, a few minutes later, Sargent Phillip Dart and agents Joseph L. Lamoureux and Daniel M. Lynch arrived on the scene. They investigated everywhere in the surroundings but, since they had received no reports on the unknown person, their research was useless.

     The police officers noticed that matches had been lit and thrown onto the floor but, remarkably, the gasoline had not caught fire.

     It is reported that this attempted arson is the second to take place in less than a week. A few days ago, rags soaked in gasoline were found in the staircase leading to the choir loft of the upper church.

     Police authorities have begun an investigation and will make all possible efforts to arrest the culprit. According to indications, it seems that the two attempts were executed by the same individual.”

L’Etoile largely covered Lowell’s centennial celebrations with articles on planning the schedule, establishing budgets, organizing events, entertaining guest personalities, ensuring safety and celebrating in style. Here is one of the many articles the paper published to wish a happy 100th birthday to the town become a city:

L’Etoile, March 1, 1926 front page

Lowell est en liesse

On estime que le quart de la population prend part aujourd’hui, d’une manière ou d’une autre, aux trois diverses phases de la grande fête du 100ème anniversaire de l’incorporation de la ‘town’ de Lowell. Grandiose cérémonie à l’Auditorium cet après-midi transmise par WEEI.

Bal à l’auditorium magnifiquement décoré ce soir.

On compte qu’un grand total d’environ 30,000 personnes prendront part aujourd’hui aux trois diverses phases de la célébration du centenaire de l’incorporation de la ‘town’ de Lowell.

Ce matin, des milliers d’enfants assistaient aux cérémonies commémoratives qui se déroulaient, à 9h30, à l’Auditorium Memorial, à l’Auditorium Cyrus W. Irish de la High School et dans les diverses salles et classes des autres écoles de la ville.

Cet après-midi, à l’heure où nous allions sous presse, c’est-à-dire à 2 heures, un auditoire compact s’était rassemblé à l’Auditorium Memorial pour assister au plus grandiose programme de chant, de musique et de discours que l’on ait jamais vu à Lowell. Le programme est transmis à un auditoire incalculable par tout l’Est du pays par le poste de radio WEEI de Boston. C’est la première fois qu’un événement quelconque se déroulant à l’Auditorium est transmis par radio par un poste de première importance.

Ce soir, à 8h15, il y aura un grand bal à l’Auditorium Memorial. L’un des plus curieux décors de la soirée sera l’énorme gâteau d’anniversaire illuminé de 100 chandelles. Le gâteau sera sur la scène. Il est si grand qu’un homme peut se cacher complètement derrière sans être vu. Ce gâteau est relativement peu cher, considérant sa grosseur, et surtout le fait que la crème qui l’orne est de la crème véritable. Un pâtissier expert a travaillé toute la journée d’hier à ce gâteau.

Les directeurs prient le public de bien remarquer que c’est la première fois que Lowell est honoré, à son Auditorium, d’une émission par un poste du calibre de WEEI. Cette station, pour bien exécuter sa tâche, a dû apporter à Lowell un outillage de $2,000 qu’elle a installé dans l’un des appartements de la promenade du balcon. C’est de cet appartement que l’annonceur A.F. Edes, l’un des meilleurs d’Edison Light, transmettra le programme à Worcester, d’où il sera relayé à Boston au poste central.

1. Edes aura un récepteur à l’oreille et un transmetteur devant la bouche. Il parlera à voix basse à un moniteur assis, et, pareillement outillé, dans un fauteuil en arrière du parquet. Le moniteur relayera le programme à M. Edes et ce dernier, par un seul tour de bouton, fera entendre tout le programme au vaste auditoire.

Au bal de ce soir, les personnes détenant des billets seront admises à la porte de la rue East Merrimack de 8h15 à 8h45. A cette dernière heure, les portes principales seront ouvertes à la masse ne possédant pas de billets, et tout le public sera admis jusqu’a l’heure où le chef des pompiers M. Saunders, qui a la responsabilité légale en la matière, annoncera à la police que la salle est remplie à sa capacité.

Même après ça, la police tiendra un compte soigné de tous les sortants, car on s’attend à ce que beaucoup de personnes quittent la salle après le concert, ou après les exhibitions de danse, et la police permettra ensuite aux retardataires d’entrer dans la salle proportionnellement au nombre des sortants.

L’Auditorium offre un aspect tout-à fait différent depuis la construction des deux estrades temporaires. Beaucoup de personnes commencent même à demander maintenant que l’on conserve en disponibilité ces deux estrades pour s’en servir de nouveau plus tard lorsque l’occasion s’en présentera, pour des graduations par exemple.

C’est au département des Edifices et Terrains de la Ville de Lowell que l’on doit attribuer la construction de ces estrades. Elles sont très bien faites, avec crochets et boulons pour les consolider. On n’a qu’à déboulonner les estrades pour les démonter et les mettre en entrepôt pour tout besoin futur. Les deux estrades auront été enlevées en temps pour le bal de ce soir.

Carl B. Wenigman du Bon Marché, président du comité sur les décors, avait la direction des décors de la salle, et c’est Sam Lemieux, l’artiste décorateur de vitrines du Bon Marché qui, avec ses assistants, a fait le travail des décors. M. Lemieux a travaillé toute la journée hier.

Il y a tout juste ce qu’il faut de décors pour ajouter à la beauté de l’Auditorium, et rien qui lui enlève la beauté de ses lignes simples. Il y a au-dessus de la scène un gros lampadaire électrique, tandis que tout autour des balcons se trouvent des banderoles: ‘1826 – Centenaire de Lowell – 1926.’ Des fleurs, des drapeau et d’énormes vases complètent le décor.

Plusieurs rumeurs ont circulé sur la façon dont on entretiendrait les hôtes de la ville entre les cérémonies de l’après-midi et le grand bal de ce soir. Les directeurs annoncent officiellement qu’il y aura seulement un simple dîner aux quartiers généraux de la Légion après les cérémonies de cet après-midi et que les membres du Comité exécutif seront présents pour entretenir leurs hôtes.”

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Lowell is jubilant

     It is estimated that one fourth of the population is participating today, one way or another, in the three different phases of the big 100th anniversary celebration of the incorporation of the town of Lowell.

     Grandiose ceremony at the Auditorium this afternoon broadcast by WEEI.

     Ball at the magnificently decorated auditorium this evening.

     We count a total of approximately 30,000 people expected to participate today in the various centennial events to celebrate Lowell’s incorporation as a town.

     This morning at 9:30, thousands of children attended the commemorative ceremonies at the Cyrus W. Irish High School Memorial Auditorium and in different rooms and classes of the other city schools.

     This afternoon, as we go to press at 2, a compact audience is gathered at Memorial Auditorium for the most grandiose choral, musical and speech program Lowell has ever had. The program is broadcast by WEEI radio Boston to an innumerable audience up and down the East coast. It is the first time a Memorial Auditorium event is transmitted by a major station.

     This evening, at 8:15, a grand ball will be held at Memorial Auditorium. One of the evening’s most unusual decorations will be an enormous birthday cake, lit by 100 candles and displayed on stage. It is so big that a man can hide behind it without being seen. This cake is relatively inexpensive considering its size and its decoration made of real cream. An expert pastry chef worked on it all day yesterday.

     The directors ask the public to take special note of the fact that this is the first time Lowell is honored in its own auditorium by a radio station as reputable as WEEI. To properly fulfil its task, WEEI had to bring $2,000 worth of equipment to Lowell and install it in one of the apartments off of the balcony. From this location, newscaster A.F. Edes will transmit the program to Worcester where it will be relayed to the central station in Boston.

      Mr. Edes, seated in the rear, will have a headset, a microphone and, with one press of a button, will broadcast the entire program to a vast audience.

      At the ball tonight, ticket holders will be admitted at the East Merrimack street entrance from 8:15 to 8:45. Afterwards, the main doors will open to those without tickets. The public will be admitted until Fire Chief Saunders informs the police that the room is filled to capacity.

     Even afterwards, the police will carefully take into account all of the people leaving because it is expected that many will exit the room after the concert or after the dance demonstrations. Then, the police will allow latecomers to enter proportionately to the number having left.

     The Auditorium has a different look since the construction of two temporary stages. Many people are even beginning to request that the two stages be kept available for later use when the opportunity comes up, for graduations for instance.

     The city’s Buildings and Grounds Department constructed these stages. They are very well-built, with hooks and bolts to consolidate them. Unbolting suffices to disassemble the stages and store them for future use. The two stages will have been removed in time for this evening’s ball.

     Carl B. Wenigman of Bon Marché, president of the decoration committee, directed the hall decorating. Bon Marché decorator-artist Sam Lemieux and his assistants worked on the decor. Mr. Lemieux worked all day yesterday.

     There are just enough decorations to add beauty to the Auditorium and nothing takes away from the elegance of its simple lines. Above the stage there is a large electric lamp while around the balconies float banners with ‘1826 – Lowell Centennial – 1926.’ Flowers, flags and enormous vases complete the decor.

     Many rumours circulated about how the city’s guests would be entertained between the afternoon ceremonies and the grand evening ball. The directors officially announced that only a simple dinner would be held in the Legion headquarters after the afternoon ceremonies and that the Executive committee members present would entertain their guests.

Lowell Politics: September 27, 2026

We’ll start with a housekeeping announcement: Due to the ongoing storm, I postponed this weekend’s tours of Lowell Cemetery. They will now be held next weekend, Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 2026, both starting at 10 a.m. from the Lawrence Street Gate (same tour both days).

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The Lowell City Council met on Tuesday night. The biggest news to emerge from the meeting was the resignation of Councilor Dan Rourke, who announced his departure from the council at the end of the meeting. With the help of YouTube, I’ve transcribed Rourke’s remarks here. (They can be seen and heard in full starting at 3:52:50 of the YouTube recording of the meeting.)

I’m here with great humility and a heavy heart and a deep sense of gratitude, but this evening I announced my resignation from the Lowell City Council effective immediately. I will submit my letter to the clerk tomorrow morning.

Serving the people of Lowell has been the greatest privilege of my life. When I took the oath of office, my goal was simple. It was to listen to our neighborhoods, fight for the families, and help our historic city move forward. Whether we’re debating neighborhood revitalization, working to improve local schools, navigating through tough budgets, or even a very difficult high school location battle, I truly believe that my decisions were right and were best for the city. I think we have accomplished a lot together over the past number of years. We’ve worked to support small businesses, invest in our parks, infrastructure, and keep our community very connected through challenging times.

I’m very respectful of all the councilors who I’ve served with, and this council as well. I understand that we have differences of opinion, but passion remains constant with everybody. It took me a while to respect that, but I’m glad that I was able to.

But I do want to make a special mention of what I feel was the most important vote that I have taken as my time as a city councilor and that was the vote to make Tom Golden our city manager. I still feel today as I did on that day in March of 2022 that he was, has been, and remains the right person for the job.

The accomplishments of this council in the city of Lowell working together alongside the administration have been unprecedented. Over the past five to six years, we have done things here in the city that have not been done before. We’re talking roads, 311, traffic improvements, finally getting over the high school debate. It’s all been for the betterment of the city and a positive. The team that the manager has put in place I believe is second to none in the state. You are all extremely talented and dedicated professionals that I’m sorry to leave.

The city of Lowell obviously succeeds when we all work together as a council, as an administration, and along with the public. I’m not hopeful that this will continue, but I know it will.

Public service does require an incredible amount of energy and time from elected officials but also from our family and friends behind us. I could not serve the city as a councilor and as a mayor for a single day without the sacrifices of our close friends but also of my family behind me. I’m very fortunate to have a wonderful family, parents, brothers, extended cousins, so forth that have been here every step of the way that still remain close to me today.

And I’d be remiss not to mention my wife, April. She is the rock not just of me, but of the family, my sounding board, the constant support for everything that I’ve gone through. and just very, very lucky to have her, Haley and Zachary, to be supportive. Having kids at a young age and being fortunate to have them grow up with a father that’s a city councilor or public official I think is a benefit to them because they get to know what the city is all about. They get to go to different events. They get to meet different people, different ethnic backgrounds. They’re not stuck in the same place. I’m very proud of them too for expanding their horizons and being part of the city at a very young age and hopefully they stay involved as well. But, you know, I’m not here today without April, Haley, and Zach to keep me grounded most of the time, but also to be there when I need their attention and just to listen to me.

At this point in time, it wouldn’t be fair to the city to continue while not being all in, so I wanted to give someone an opportunity through the election process to consider a run to take a seat over for the course of a year and then decide going forward what that person wants to do but obviously Pawtucketville deserves someone as soon as possible. I hope through the mayor and the administration they can get that process started.

A special thanks to this particular council that I’ve served with for the past couple of terms and in the new council since January. The spirit of the debates, just a few minutes ago, the shared late nights in the collective dedication that we do all have and share that is something that I’ll always take with me going forward, and believe it or not, I am thankful for that.

The dedicated city employees, not just the city administration but the people that work at city hall, our first responders, those at DPW, I’ve gotten to know a lot of them personally over the years and a lot of them have become very close friends of mine. People that I wouldn’t trade those friendships with for anybody for any reason. They keep Lowell running every day and they make us what we are. We are the greatest city in the Commonwealth and I’m just very fortunate and happy to be a very small, small part of that. You all, going forward, continue to do what you do best and that’s push Lowell forward. I am just very thankful to be a part of these teams over the past years and this team here as well.

I do leave with no regrets but a very deep appreciation for the city that I was born in, that I grew up, in that I raised my family in. There’s no other place I’d rather live, work and raise a family than Lowell, Massachusetts. I know Lowell’s future is bright with the mayor and the city manager’s leadership and with this council. I wish nothing but the best: wisdom, courage and all the success in the world to keep it going.

It’s just time, Mr. Mayor. So, thank you for the opportunity for point of privilege. God bless all of you. God bless the city of Lowell and all the best going forward.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Rourke was elected to the council as a first-time candidate in 2013 and was easily reelected in 2015. During that term he became perhaps the leading council supporter of building a new high school at Cawley Stadium, however, a majority of voters felt otherwise and in the 2017 election, they replaced Rourke and other Cawley-supporters with candidates who favored renovating the downtown high school. However, Rourke won back a council seat in 2019 and has been there ever since, being reelected to represent the Pawtucketville District last fall without opposition. In January 2024, Rourke was elected by his council colleagues to serve a two-year term as mayor.

Under the city’s current election rules, since the council vacancy occurred in the first year of the term, a special election must be held within 120 days of the vacancy, but I’ll write more about that in next Sunday’s newsletter.

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Earlier on Tuesday evening, the council revisited the city’s Flock surveillance cameras in a pair of motions. The first, by Councilors Kim Scott and Vesna Nuon, would have the city suspend its use of the Flock system “while the city completes a thorough policy review of its usage, the company’s use of data and the audit process of the data.” The second motion, by Mayor Erik Gitschier and Councilor Corey Robinson, asked for a list of “suitable alternatives to Flock that don’t share information to any kind of database.”

The Scott/Nuon motion to suspend usage dominated the discussion and eventually passed on a six to five vote. Supporting the suspension of Flock were Councilors Nuon, Scott, Belinda Juran, Sidney Liang, Sean McDonough and Mayor Erik Gitschier. Voting to continue using Flock without interruption were Councilors Sokhary Chau, John Descoteaux, Rita Mercier, Corey Robinson and Dan Rourke.

The Lowell Telecommunications Corporation recording of the meeting captured all of its 4 hours and15 minutes EXCEPT for a seven-minute stretch that included the roll call vote on this motion. (LTC later posted a statement that attributed the gap to a technical glitch with their equipment.)

Despite the seven-minute video outage, much of the council discussion was recorded. I’ll try to summarize the various viewpoints here but if you want to listen to each councilor who spoke (and who wasn’t cut off by the gap), it begins at 2:09:13 of the YouTube recording.

Most of the councilors who voted to suspend the system were not opposed to these types of cameras in general but had concerns about how the company (Flock) was using the data. Council Kim Scott cited the utility of the cameras in solving some crimes and curtailing illegal dumping, but she said that the experience in Boston was troubling to her. (In Boston, it’s been reported, the city wanted to refrain from sharing its data, but the data was shared anyway.) “We have civilian privacy rights and a very vulnerable population in this city, that’s who I’m concerned about,” Scott said. Other councilors who voted to suspend voiced similar concerns about who can access the data collected.

Councilors who opposed the suspension did not dismiss that argument outright but felt that the council should wait until they are briefed by the Lowell police superintendent during an upcoming executive session of the council before shutting off the cameras even if only temporarily.

Councilor Sean McDonough expressed the strongest sentiments against the Flock system (at 2:46:15 of the recording). Here’s what he said:

I don’t like these things. I truly don’t like them.  I don’t like them for a lot of the reasons that people who spoke tonight expressed. I do understand that they are a tool. They are a valuable tool. There are a lot of tools. It doesn’t always mean that we should use them. I’m not going to argue for the outright ban. I’m not, because I would be me by myself and I can read a room.

I do think that this is a sensible motion. I think listening to my colleagues tonight on both sides of this motion, it does seem like we do all agree that we don’t fully understand what the use policy is, that we acknowledge that there are some risks. I think where those risks are seems to start getting a little wishy-washy, but everybody so far has acknowledged that there’s a risk around data sharing, that there’s a risk around potential harm depending on where that data is shared.

Some have expressed that this particular company does seem to be doing exactly, Mr. Mayor, what you stated, which is they are the cheapest game in town. And in – there was a speaker tonight who wants to talk about smart TVs and social media, all of which is a personal choice. But often times, when we’re talking about tech, if it’s free or cheap, there’s a reason. It’s because the thing that you’re using isn’t the product. Your data is the product.

I don’t think that anybody on this council, and this is not a knock. I looked. I went back and I looked. When was this implemented? What was the discussion? What did it look like? Nobody knew what these things were. It actually, it wasn’t – unless I missed a meeting somewhere, there was no major discussion. It was license plate readers, a fairly common policing tool. Here’s a new bid. It’s a great tool. and here they go. And now we’re seeing that there’s a number of problems with them.

We’re seeing that we don’t know where the data is going. And my colleagues have put the motion in front of us. It does use the word suspend. Yes, but it’s not time bound. If the makers of the motion wanted to time bound this thing and say a 90-day suspension, but I think what it does is it says if this is such a valuable tool to the police department, we have another meeting in 2 weeks. This is a conversation that has been ongoing actually for a number of months and we haven’t gotten there. So, I actually I think we owe it to the residents of the city who have expressed a concern here. We have been engaged in this conversation for a number of months. We hit the pause button and we say come back in two if this is if this is that valuable, you come back in two weeks and tell us what the policy is. because we don’t have answers. We seem to have gotten here by accident. It’s not a forever ban. It’s just a pause. So I would support this tonight.

This Flock issue first arose a month ago when a resident used a citizen petition to get the issue before the council. I wrote about it in the second half of my August 30, 2026, newsletter where you can reread that discussion along with background information on the Flock system.

I agreed with Tuesday’s outcome although I wish more councilors had supported the suspension of Flock. In fact, I’m probably most aligned with Councilor McDonough’s position.

Much of the discussion thus far has missed the point. We’ve read numerous reports from elsewhere in Massachusetts and around the country of rogue police officers misusing the system to stalk ex-spouses and their companions. This is clearly wrong but it’s also something that should be easily stopped or at least easily discovered with the wrongdoer being punished. I expect advocates of Flock in Lowell will promote strict limits on who can use the system locally which they will say addresses concerns about this kind of improper data access. That will be sufficient for some councilors.

The harm I’m most concerned about is misuse of Lowell’s data by the federal government. If the city’s data is hosted by Flock, which is how the system works, it is vulnerable to being accessed either directly or indirectly by other entities. The city may check a box that limits access to the data, but whether that limit is respected relies on a leap of faith. Even if the hosting company is not purposely sharing Lowell’s data against the wishes of the city, there’s a risk of inadvertent disclosure.

Perhaps a larger risk is for Lowell to unknowingly authorize access to unintended recipients. For instance, on Thursday, the Lowell Sun reported that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is among the agencies with access to Lowell’s data, and that since April 2025, that agency has been part of a Department of Homeland Security task force performing federal immigration enforcement and deportation operations. (“Lowell suspends use of Flock cameras” by Melanie Gilbert in Lowell Sun, September 24, 2026.) Is the city council OK with that?

Furthermore, the consequence of granting limited access to other entities is unclear. For example, on Tuesday night, City Manager Golden told councilors that the city has granted access to its data to other law enforcement agencies in New England and New York. Does that include federal law enforcement agencies in those regions? Does sharing the data with the New Hampshire State Police, for instance, create a portal through which others can view the data?

Presumably Flock will assure the city that none of that can happen, but in this instance, our standard should be, “trust, but verify.” However, since independent verification would likely be impossible, I don’t see how the city can assure residents their data will not be shared.

In the aftermath of 9-11, America turned to mass surveillance, purportedly to keep us safe. In some respects, the sheer enormity of the data collected allowed such practices to be dismissed as almost benign. The flood of information made it impractical for the government to use it against any one random person.

But two things have changed that calculation. The first is artificial intelligence. AI can analyze huge amounts of data in a few seconds which makes it easy to target an individual or small group. In the past couple of years, the ability for someone to misuse our data has gone from extremely remote to completely feasible.

At the same time, a regime that has repeatedly shown a willingness to use the resources of federal law enforcement to punish its political opponents and persecute immigrants has come to power in our country. All that data no longer seems benign.

We live in an age of surveillance capitalism. The cost to us of a mobile phone or a smart TV is subsidized by the value of the data those devices collect and share about us. If it were feasible to opt out of that, most of us would, but we need phones and TVs. Billion-dollar companies like Apple and Meta don’t care what we think because we’ll keep buying their products since we don’t have much of a choice.

That calculation is different when it comes to Flock cameras. Just as with data centers, Flock cameras require the concurrence of local government, and it is with local government that small groups of concerned citizens have the most power. You’re not trying to get Google to change its policies; you’re trying to get the Lowell City Council to change theirs. Whether the residents of Lowell take advantage of the opportunity to push back against this national phenomenon at the local level remains to be seen.

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This week in my Seen & Heard column, I wrote about a museum to cable TV that closed its doors due to the shrinkage of the cable television industry; noted a Boston Globe article about Flock permitted access to data from cameras in Boston despite Boston’s policy to not share the data; shared impressions on a podcast interview with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who was blackballed by the league for his social justice advocacy; and commented on a New York Times article on how the US response to 9-11 helped make Iran a potent Mideastern power.

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Here’s some info on some Lowell Walks I’ll be leading this fall:

NEW DATES – Saturday, October 3 & Sunday, October 4, 2026, both at 10am – Walking tour of Lowell Cemetery. The tour takes 90 minutes and begins at the Lawrence Street entrance to the cemetery. It is free and requires no registration. The same tour is offered on both days.

Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 10am – “Secrets of Lowell Cemetery” tour which is part of the of the Poe in Lowell Festival. Edgar Allan Poe came to Lowell at least three times to lecture but also to spend time with a female friend who is buried in Lowell Cemetery. Learn their story and the stories of others involved in their orbit. This tour is free and begins at the Knapp Avenue entrance of the cemetery (77 Knapp Avenue).

Lowell Cemetery Tours postponed

Due to the coming wind and rain storm, this weekend’s tours of Lowell Cemetery have been rescheduled to Saturday, October 3, 2026, and Sunday, October 4, 2026. Both tours begin at 10 a.m. from the Lawrence Street Gate.

‘Storrow Drive,” New Novel by Jay Atkinson

Jay Atkinson’s Novel ‘Storrow Drive’ Is Getting Pulled Over by Readers

I’m always glad to see a new book by my Merrimack Valley Conference literary comrade Jay Atkinson, in his case a former Ranger from Methuen High School who was a scholar-athlete in college in Nova Scotia. Jay is still in the area and teaches at Boston University. He has since written a gazillion words in five narrative nonfiction books and five works of fiction. Two of his books made bestseller lists, Ice Time (about hometown hockey) and Legends of Winter Hill (Boston crime tales). For his colonial-era account of Haverhill’s Hannah Duston in Massacre on the Merrimack, the intrepid author got into the river to make it more real. Movie rights operators have been sniffing around his bookshelf for a while.

In the new book, Jay returns to the dodgy corners of Boston with gritty investigative reporter Joe Dolan deciphering mysteries and chasing juicy stories and juicier characters, both cops and robbers–or worse. Chuck Hogan, author of The Town (you remember the story set in Charlestown and movie with Ben Affleck and the weird nun masks)–Chuck Hogan mentions Dolan in the same breath as Robert B. Parker’s private eye Spenser as a memorable Boston character.

Prize-winning journalist Lou Ureneck gives readers a head’s up about what to expect on the Boston scene in his review: “It’s definitely not the Freedom Trail.”

If we’ve been in Greater Boston, we’ve all negotiated the real Storrow Drive, which is still a codeword for stall-and-crawl at rush hour and rates that label from traffic helicopter jockeys on AM radio. The traffic in Jay’s Storrow Drive is more in the drug category. But even with the serious stuff there’s comic relief, so don’t worry about relentless darkness here.

If you are in Lowell, you might run into Jay at the Old Court, Brew’d Awakening, Viet-Thai and Life Alive restaurants, or at Kerouac’s marker in Edson Cemetery. Let him know you read his books, any one of them.