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Artist Richard Marion at his Gallery 21, Hurd St, Lowell, c. 1979 (photo by Kevin Harkins) I’m posting this 2008 essay (later reprinted in 2018) for the benefit of visual artists and other folks in Lowell who have come to the city since the 1980s or later and may not…
Read More »The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. The Story of Russia by Orlando Figes is an amazing and accessible book on the history of Russia, the central theme of which traces Russia’s mythologies as a key to the Russian character, leadership and major events. There are lots…
Read More »Web photo courtesy of LIFE magazine, 1965 The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 On November 9, 1965, when the lights went out from Lake Ontario east to Boston and south to New York City, sinking thirty million people at home or work into darkness, my family was ready to sit…
Read More »The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons Barron’s own blog. Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe by historians John Guy and Julia Fox (husband and wife team)is a deeply researched tome larded with the tumultuous history of the reigns of Henry VIII,…
Read More »Masters of the Air Review by Richard Howe Masters of the Air is a World War II miniseries on the Apple TV streaming service. There are nine episodes in all, released weekly beginning on January 26, 2024. If you’re into binge watching, all are now available. The show follows pilots…
Read More »Food Conservation in Lowell (PIP #13) By Louise Peloquin As we gobble the holiday goodies filling our refrigerators, cupboards, cookie platters and candy dishes, let’s peek at a throwback on food management during World War I. The recommendations below, published without commentary, made L’Etoile’s front page on November 14, 1917.…
Read More »This was originally posted on this site on December 31, 2010. Plaque erected in Quebec City marking the spot of American General Richard Montgomery’s death. “Here stood the Undaunted Fifty safeguarding Canada, defeating Montgomery at the Pres de Ville Barricade on the last day of 1775, Guy Carleton commanding at…
Read More »A version of this post appeared here on Pearl Harbor Day 2017. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, several thousand people attended that day’s Moses Greeley Parker lecture at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Admission was free, the doors opened at 2:15 pm, and the event began at 3 pm. The performers…
Read More »Franco Patriotism (PIP #10) By Louise Peloquin “The Patriotism of the Franco-Americans” (1) Miss Yvonne Lemaître, distinguished woman of letters, published a very interesting piece in Boston’s “Transcript” the other day. “Why François fails to fight” is an analysis, or rather a review, of the recent events, in Canada…
Read More »Ben Butler was born in Deerfield, New Hampshire on November 5, 1818, but his widowed mother brought her children to Lowell when Ben was just ten years old. He graduated from Lowell High and began studying for the ministry at his mother’s urging but he returned to Lowell and began…
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