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This is a cross-post from the Lowell Historical Society blog. The Society is participating in the local celebration of Dickens’ 200th birthday and his 1842 visit tio Lowell in partnership with UMass Lowell, the Lowell National Historical Park and others. There will be a panel discussion on Dickens at the…
Read More »The Business of Valentine Cards: From Howland to Hallmark by Marie MassMoments tells us this morning that in 1849 – the first American-made Valentine cards were created and sold in Worcester, Massachusetts by Mt. Holyoke graduate Esther Howland. Modeled on the English-style Valentine, her fancy designs, embossed, cut and colored…
Read More »The city of Lowell seal on the Ladd and Whitney Monument. Photo by Tony Sampas.
Read More »Over on the “Forgotten New England” blog there’s another installment in the Fires of Lowell, Massachusetts series. This story of the Sacred Heart School fire in 1967 tears at my memory, my heartstrings and the fabric of my family history. My grandfather – Patrick J. Kirwin was a member of…
Read More »This 1870’s ad for the Lowell Gas Light Company is a pretty good example of how the meaning of words may change over time. In this case, the product advertized was a by-product of the coal gasification process that yielded the illuminating gas that was used to light the city’s…
Read More »Cold morning. Glove-cold. Bright clear sky. The blue-disc sun is warming if you step into its 98-million-mile-away rays, exactly, but otherwise the air is frigid. This is weather for staying in. I didn’t see any random walkers in the South Common Historic District. One man in a jacket over hooded sweatshirt…
Read More »I’m a fan of the entertainment industry award shows on TV. Tonight, we get to see the Grammy Awards. The production was revamped last year to include more music than the shows used to offer. If you are not someone who keeps up with the latest in Music, like me,…
Read More »MassMoments reminds us that on this day February 11, 1812 the infamous political creature known as the “Gerrymander” was born in the Massachusetts State House – conceived by then Governor Elbridge Gerry – a staunch Democrat-Republican. Caught in a nasty campaign for control of the government, Gerry sign a redistricting bill…
Read More »Poet and writer John Olson reviewed Joseph Donahue’s new collection of poetry, “Dissolves: Terra Lucida, IV-VIII,” on his blog called Tillalala Chronicles. Read the thoughtful, in-depth review here. I have Joe’s book on the side table in the living room and am reading it in small sections. When I have…
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