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Passaconaway and Village at Pawtucket Falls
Passaconnaway Statue at Edson Cemetery in Lowell
Jim Peters has sparked an interesting discussion with his essay on the Native American History of Lowell. Above is the statue of Passaconaway now located in the Edson Cemetery that Paul suggests should be moved closer to Pawtucket Falls. Below is another interactive map, this one showing various monuments, buildings, and features in the vicinity of Pawtucket Falls. Please suggest other landmarks that should be added to the map.
View Village at Pawtucket Falls in a larger map
Here’s the Wikipedia entry for Passaconaway. Note that the spelling of his name occurs with one s or two, but the most common is with one s. The stone memorial in Lowell has a double s. Here’s the link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passaconaway
The statue in Edson Cemetery has one s in his name.
Sorry, again. What am I talking about with the s? Always a double s. I mean one n or two at the end of his name. Passaconaway. Too early to be writing.
Why don’t we start a petition to have the idea of moving the statue considered?
Maybe it’s not that complicated; the council might respond to a written request from a few people or an organization to consider the idea.
I can imagine it floodlit by the falls, or anywhere along the walkway looking toward the
Pawtucket Falls.
This could be a good “Lowell 175” project for 2011–for the 175th anniversary of incorporation of the City of Lowell. A generous gesture to the founders of the settlement at the falls. After all, Lowell is only a name layered over the Algonkian language place names. We’d need some money to move and re-install, but that can be done.
I think relocating the statue to the vicinity of the falls is a great idea, but that corner – on the north side of the river and the west side of the O’Donnell Bridge, diagonally across the intersection from the Pawtucket Congregational Church, is physically pretty tight, is on multiple levels, and already has the Passaconaway boulder-monument and the Pawtucketville World War Two monument. Maybe we should mount a field trip some not-too-snowy weekend to survey possible sites in that vicinity.
Good idea to scout locations. Maybe the UMass Lowell Bellegarde Boathouse area or near the Charles G. Sampas Pavilion? Needs to be somewhere that is very visible and easy to get to, somewhere people can stop and take a picture. I think placing Passaconaway near the river would create an instant “photo opportunity” site and draw more people down to the riverside. What would the Greater Lowell Indian Cultural Association want to see the community do? I would be surprised if the Native Americans in the area would favor the cemetery as a permanent location. The statue, by the way, was erected by an organization whose exact name I cannot recall, but I don’t think it is a Native American group.
Natice Americans may want to remove the current plaque. It’s something like
“The Organization for the Improvement of the Red Man.”
It’s “Improved Order of Red Men of Massachusetts’
Still exists today! http://redmen.org/redmen/info/
As a resident of this part of the city, I do not agree with your proposition. We are widely overlooked and have no real “focal points” otherwise. This is something that I have seen from my home for over 30 years, and I would hate to see it go. What is the purpose of this??
At least being in the cemetery it is protected from vandalism and tagging. Have you given any thought to that? Putting it on a high traffic bridge area in Lowell is like putting a sign on it saying “Tag me, please.”
It is my understanding that the statue has been vandalized numerous times already . I think it is a great idea to relocate it and put his legacy in some sort of historic perspective, after all it is only seen by those that go to the cemetary for other purposes and it exists in relative obscurity The idea of relocating it to the bath house/ pavillion area or even the boathouse area seem to make the most sense.
Other historic sites you may want to consider adding to the Village at Pawtucket Falls map are 3 of the local cemeteries. The Woodbine on Westmeadow Road, Pawtucket Burying Ground on Mammoth Rd. and the little know Old Burying Ground Clay Pit on the land between the Lowell Drive In / Brunswick Lanes and Varnum Ave.
I know I am late to this thread. In case everyone forgot, this statue was originally at the corner of the odonnell bridge! and to there it should be returned. This would not be a move but a restoration. The WWII memorial could be moved across the street.