Author Archive

Lowell Town Charter: March 1, 1826

Here is the legislative measure that created the town of Lowell in 1826. The language and punctuation is true to the original document. **** CHAP. CXII An Act to incorporate the town of Lowell. Sec. 1. BE it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and…

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Malcolm Sharps 1954-2024

Malcolm Sharps: an appreciation By Peter Bendall Malcolm Sharps, a frequent contributor to the Richard Howe site, died recently at the age of seventy after suffering symptoms of long Covid, though the exact cause of death is not yet known. I knew him for nearly forty years and he was…

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Helpful hints from La ménagère

Helpful hints from La ménagère (1) – (PIP #21) By Louise Peloquin Among L’Etoile’s briefs were helpful hints for the homemaker – tips on cleaning, sorting, sewing, anything to facilitate household management. These appeared regularly for an all-inclusive target readership – from the Maman of a large family to the immigrant who crossed…

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Lowell Politics Newsletter: Feb 25, 2024

The continued existence of the Smith Baker Center was back before the Lowell City Council on Tuesday night. For several years, the demolition of this former church has seemed inevitable, but the Council struggles with making the formal decision to tear it down. As I wrote on this same topic back in…

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One Man’s Trash Is A Young Boy’s Treat

One Man’s Trash Is A Young Boy’s Treat By Ed DeJesus It’s funny how certain things can trigger a series of memories. We live in a thirty-three-story high-rise in Florida and place our garbage down a trash chute—but haul recyclables down to our dumpsters on level one’s covered garage. I…

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Notre Dame of Paris: Spire Update

Notre Dame of Paris: Spire Update By Louise Peloquin     Two months ago, Notre Dame offered the best perch in Paris to a golden rooster. The brief Gift-wrapped in steel, posted here on December 18th, provides details on the topic. On February 12th, the dismantling of le Coq’s (1) 48-level,…

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Indifferent to the War

“Indifferent to the war” – (PIP #20) By Louise Peloquin      The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022 and the war is about to enter its third year. The Hamas attack on Israel occurred over four months ago, on October 7, 2023, and the fighting continues. Conflicts…

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Lowell Politics Newsletter: Feb 18, 2024

The Lowell Senior Center came up at Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting. Councilor Erik Gitschier raised the topic and the discussion covered inadequate maintenance, slow repairs, responsibilities under the lease, and the longer-term ownership status of the facility. Because the Council meeting was otherwise brief, I decided to focus today’s…

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Living Madly: Small Things

Living Madly: Small Things By Emilie-Noelle Provost Love and kindness are never wasted. It’s the sort of cliché you might find on a greeting card or in a self-help book. Most people I know tend to scoff at this type of sentimentality. It sounds sappy, too simplistic to have much…

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Kisses (PIP 19)

Kisses – (PIP #19) By Louise Peloquin      Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, bouquets of roses, colorful cards and the year’s gadgets are all exchanged on Valentine’s Day. So are kisses. L’Etoile published the following photo 80 years ago. Pure joy emanates from the low-definition image. A guitarist strums a tune.…

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