Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Concord Hymn” in 1836 for the dedication of the Obelisk, a battle monument in Concord, Massachusetts that commemorates the men that gave their lives at the Battle of Concord fought on April 19, 1775. It was the first battle of the American Revolution. Emerson’s poem became…
In one of those coincidences of timing that make history such a fascinating topic, volunteer soldiers from Middlesex County who just days before were farmers and mill workers were the first to be killed by enemy fire in the American Revolution (on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775) and in…
This past Sunday, a collection of photos taken by Tony Sampas of Lowell Civil War monuments and scenes opened at the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center at 40 French Street in Lowell. Information about the Mogan Center is here and the exhibit may be viewed during the operating hours of…
Around 10PM on the evening of April 18, 1775 Paul Revere and Williams Dawes set out on horse to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that British troops were moving on Concord. On April 19, positioned on Lexington Green rebel farmers fired “the shot heard around the world”.…
151 years ago tomorrow, 214 soldiers from Lowell who just days before were mill workers, lawyers and laborers, were attacked by a pro-Southern mob as they marched through Baltimore on their way to reinforce undefended Washington against an imminent Confederate attack. The northern troops were members of the Sixth Massachusetts…
Former Mayor of Methuen Bill Manzi (from the files of the Eagle Tribune) Since former State Senator Steve Baddour resigned from his seat on April 1 to join a prestigious Boston law firm, rumors have been running around the Valley about a possible successor. Would former State Senator and Baddour-mentor Jim Jajuga…
Mass Moments reminds us that on this day April 16, 1952 Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill announced his run for the 8th Congressional District seat about to be vacated by John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was elected to the U. S. Senate later in the year. The affable, lovable, Irish gentleman from Cambridge had already served as…
Sunday, April 22: Two Earth Day Events in Lowell Earth Day Family Fun Day 12 noon to 4 pm: Earth Day Family Fun Day with the National Park Service and Community Gardens Project at the Park Maintenance facility at 220 Aiken Street. Create crafts from recycled materials, tour the greenhouse…
Abraham Lincoln Memorial On this day April 14 in 1865, John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, fatally shot the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln while he was attending a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered…
Here’s another piece of lyrical writing that former Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Mississippi, quoted at the Creative Placemaking Summit on Wednesday. This sentiment pre-dates the Bread & Roses slogan of Lawrence by some centuries, but makes the same case about the need to feed soul and body. .…