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Mass Moments reminds us this morning that on this day – August 21 in 1909 – the iconic Pilgrim Monument on the highest hill in Provincetown was completed clearly declaring that the Mayflower’s first landing was in fact here at the tip of Cape Cape . On this day – …in 1909, two young…
Read More »John Collins of the Sun today reported on the start of the UMass Lowell/Queens University archaeological dig on the grounds of St. Patrick Church in the Acre neighborhood. Read the article here, and buy a copy of the Sun or consider subscribing if you appreciate the reporting.
Read More »In Lowell, there’s a debate about the future of the Pawtucket Falls Dam. There’s another debate about allowing alcohol to be served at a business adjacent to a temple. Behind the discussion are people’s feelings about the power of place, the meaning of certain special places. The concept of place is all…
Read More »Read this Toronto Star report about this month’s celebration of The Beatles in their hometown of Liverpool, England. The events include a special version of the annual Mathew Street Music Festival (Aug. 29-30), which is billed as “Europe’s largest free music festival.” That description should sound familiar to Lowell Folk Festival people,…
Read More »We sometimes forget that the Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region with deep historical roots. The flow of the mighty Merrimack River has been a unifying force for the culture, heritage and livelihood of its residents since time of the Pentacook tribes through the Industrial Revolution to this modern era of highway,…
Read More »Five of the twelve top colleges in the most recent rankings by Forbes Magazine – including the highest ranking – are located in Massachusetts. These institutions are: Williams College (1), Amherst College (3), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (5), Harvard University (8) and Wellesley College (12). Here are the top twelve: Rank…
Read More »An apple a day is the right thing. An apple plus a carrot is even better. Writing in the NYTimes, Natasha Singer looks into “prescription produce” and the sickness prevention benefits of real food, i.e., fruit and vegetables. Massachusetts public policy gets high praise in this article. Lowell and the surrounding towns offer farmers’…
Read More »Mass Moments reminds us that on this today – August 12th – in 1834 the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown lay in ruins. The night before a Protestant mob sacked it and burned it to the ground. The rioters were mostly poor Yankee laborers who feared and hated Irish Catholic immigrants. While…
Read More »UMass Lowell’s Frank Talty provided the following details about the archaeological project in the Acre. Frank is director of academic programs in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. He’s been instrumental in shaping the project in collaboration with administrators and faculty at Queens College in Belfast. Following is an excerpt from…
Read More »Lowell native Dr. Brian C. Mitchell wrote of the Irish in Lowell 1821-1861 and the Lowell Acre’s “Paddy Camps”. The wire story the other day was just a teaser. A story in today’s Globe tells the fuller story of the teaming-up of students from UMass Lowell with researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast for…
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