History

This weekend, 160 years ago, America was in the midst of its Civil War. On July 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln received word of two great victories by the United States Army. The first was the better-known battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The other the more obscure, but perhaps more strategically…

Juneteenth traces its roots to June 19, 1865, when United States Army General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. With General Order No. 3, Granger…

Today is the 248th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Dozens of volunteer soldiers from the towns in this vicinity – Lowell didn’t receive its town charter for another 50 years – took place in the battle. The Battle of Bunker Hill is largely forgotten in our popular culture,…

On June 5th, 1944, one day prior to the largest seaborne invasion in history, General Dwight D. Eisenhower penned a brief, potent letter. With great trepidation and acceptance of the burden of leadership, Eisenhower composed a note that would only see the light of day if the D-Day invasion failed.…

Remembering D-Day which took place 79 years ago today.  On June 6, 1944, a pivotal event unfolded on the shores of Normandy, France, forever altering the course of World War II. D-Day, also known as Operation Overlord, was the largest amphibious assault in history, initiated by the Allied forces to…

Earlier today I traveled to UMass Lowell’s South Campus for a program presented by the school’s Saab Center for Portuguese Studies. “North of Boston: The Portugues American Experience Beyond the Hub”, included presentations by academics and researchers from Lowell, Somerville, and Portugal. I was among the speakers. I promoted the…

While doing historical tours of downtown, I’ve often said that Lowell was the Silicon Valley of 19th century America. Back on September 16 & 17, 2017, I provided some evidence for that assertion during the Creaticity Art and Maker Festival in Downtown Lowell when I joined with Olu Ibrahim, the…

In a reversal of roles two weekends ago, I became a tour attendee rather than the tour giver when I experienced the Boston/Cambridge Innovation Trail. Inspired by the well-known Freedom Trail, the Innovation Trail is a grassroots initiative consisting of 21 stops beginning at Downtown Crossing in Boston and ending…

On Saturday, May 20, 2023, Lowell Cemetery will host a Veterans Tour of the cemetery to recognize and remember those who served in the military forces of the United States. Rather than a standard tour led by a single guide, this tour will have volunteer guides positioned at each of…

Important Life Lesson By Charles Gargiulo My Mom decided to send me to a Catholic high school after I graduated from my Catholic elementary school. I don’t know why it was such a big deal to her since she never went to church and I never did either, but it…