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U.S. Navy image The USS Constitution was one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, commissioned by the Naval Act of 1794. “Old Ironsides” was the nickname given to this 18th century frigate during the War of 1812 after its naval battle with the HMS Guerriere. In 1830…
Read More »Web photo courtesy of catseye-marble.zip I was out early with Ringo the dog this morning, before 6 a.m., and the thick grass on the South Common and flawless sky over Lowell were of such pure color that I began thinking about the bright cat’s-eye glassies that I collected and played…
Read More »Following is an excerpt from my manuscript for the book “Mill Power: Reclaiming Lowell’s Place and Story,” which I wrote for the National Park Service in 2011-12. The book covers the years 1966 to 2012, documenting the origin and impact of the national park in Lowell in the context of…
Read More »This past Saturday, my wife and I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Alice Louise Hubbell and Samir Mahesh Shah at the West Parish Church in Andover, Mass. We’ve known Alice for many years because she is the daughter of my friend and colleague Mary Lou Hubbell of…
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Read More »MassMoments reminds us that on this day – May 26, 1647 – the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned those “devils” – all Jesuit priests – from entering the Colony. The Puritans were particularly hostile to Roman Catholics. Puritans had originally separated from the Church of England because they believed…
Read More »When I was growing up a lame riddle often repeated was: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.” Looking back on it, I can see the question and answer are just kind of daffy, but also hear a little bit of a Merrimack…
Read More »Having to attend last night’s city council meeting for other reasons, I got to City Hall early to catch some of the Neighborhood Subcommittee Meeting on the proposed ordinance that would allow ownership of chickens within the city. There were 30 people in the crowd (I couldn’t see if any…
Read More »Ray Manzarek, one of the giants of 1960s rock and roll, died yesterday at the age of 74. The co-founder of The Doors performed in Lowell once with The Doors, at the Commodore Ballroom in 1967, and twice with poet Michael McClure at the Smith Baker Center for the annual…
Read More »Tonight at 5:30 at City Hall the City Council’s Neighborhood Subcommittee which consists of Councilors Leahy (chair), Lorrey and Mercier will meet to discuss a proposed ordinance amendment that would permit the “keeping of farm animals and fowl” for personal use. It should be a contentious hour because many on…
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