Author Archive

My newsletter of last Sunday focused exclusively on the city’s 1989 settlement of the civil rights lawsuit brought against it by parents of minority students in the Lowell Public Schools, so this week’s edition has two Lowell City Council meetings to cover. Both were concise with no major controversies. Here’s…

In 1831, brothers John and Thomas Nesmith purchased 150 acres in Tewksbury from Judge Edward Livermore for $25,000. The following year, the brothers hired Alexander Wadsworth, a landscape architect from Boston who was the cousin of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and also the designer of Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, to…

We need you! – (PIP #31) By Louise Peloquin      We’ve met three young locals – Raymond Marcouillier, Aimé Martin and Paul Blanchette – who served in the armed forces during World War II. (1) On the home front, where were civilians working? The following advertisements give us examples of job…

Two weeks ago the Lowell City Council rebuffed an effort to revisit the 1989 court order that continues to control how students are assigned to the Lowell Public Schools. In my coverage of that meeting, I suggested some historical context of that court order might be of interest to readers.…

Charlie Gargiulo’s memoir, Legends of Little Canada, captures life in Lowell’s “Little Canada” and the trauma experienced by its residents when their homes were demolished by Urban Renewal. Legends is available from Loom Press. In a serialized sequel to Legends, Charlie is sharing some stories about his beloved Uncle Arthur.…

“Over there in the Pacific” – (PIP #30) By Louise Peloquin After the World War II reports on soldier Raymond Marcouillier (1) and seaman first class Aimé Martin (2), here is one on seaman first class Paul Blanchette. After the war, Paul Blanchette worked as civil agent in the City of Lowell postal…

No single issue dominated Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting although several items deserve mention. The Lowell Public Schools came up several times, most notably when Superintendent of Schools Liam Skinner appeared to answer questions about a batch of “bad bills” the Council was being asked to ratify. For several years…

Medal of Honor Citation: George Charrette – Spanish American War – US Navy. In connection with the sinking of the U.S.S. Merrimac at the entrance to the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, 2 June 1898. Despite heavy fire from the Spanish batteries, Charette displayed extraordinary heroism throughout this operation. The…

A Rescue at Sea – (PIP #29) By Louise Peloquin A young seaman from Lowell shares one of his World War II experiences. L’Etoile – December 1, 1944 Description of a rescue at sea by a Lowellian _________ Seaman first class Aimé Martin witnesses an unforgettable scene. –  The English…