The memories of the Kennedys are touched today on this anniversary of the wedding of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The couple was married in 1953 in historic St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island in a ceremony presided over by Richard Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston. The…
September 11, 2001 seems so recent to me but fourteen years is a long time. For instance, someone just four years old on that day is now a freshman in college. Through the years, we’ve written a number of blog posts about 9/11. I’ve compiled links to some of them…
With all the walking and talking about walking going on in the city, I thought I’d share this poem from 1984, which originally appeared in my book STRONG PLACE: POEMS ’74-’84 and was reprinted in WHAT IS THE CITY? in 2006. In the ’80s, I had a Sunday routine of…
At the New Bedford Whaling Museum yesterday, Rosemary and I found in the gift shop a collectible mug whose design features about 20 memorable first lines of books, including Melville’s “Call me Ishmael.” from MOBY DICK, which is why they had it on sale, but the mug also had “I…
Here we go again. Labor Day is near, and the four-year presidential election cycle will shift into high gear. For months, we had media reports of candidates tromping through the hills and valleys of our neighbor state New Hampshire. I’ve written about this before, but I have to repeat that…
For anyone who needs a reminder about the distinctive region around us, just check the new issue of the New Yorker magazine with two major articles about historical happenings and people from our general area. Our local history keeps making news. Pulitzer Prize-winner Stacy Shiff writes about “The Witches of Salem:…
Frequent contributor Jim Peters shares another essay on the history of the Lowell public schools. By the year, 1862, there were 47 primary schools, most were one room schoolhouses. There was 1 junior high school which was considered intermediate and was not well liked, 8 grammar schools, and 1 High…
Here’s a throwback thing to the pioneer days of festival-making in Renaissance Lowell. This was “Expo ’79, Art/Music” at Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Lowell CityFair was part of the federal jobs program (imagine that) called C.E.T.A. (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) wherein a dozen or so Lowell artists were hired to…
Good news for those researching or just interested in the St. Patrick’s Cemetery burial and other information for the Irish individuals and families who came to Lowell in the 19th century. Access to this information is an important addition to Lowell’s cultural/historical resources. Thanks and kudos to Dave McKean and…
Lowell is a city of Monuments. Some are prominent, like the Ladd & Whitney Monument in front of City Hall. Many others just blend into the background, their meaning and symbolism lost to time. This Saturday’s Lowell Walk will scrutinize the many monuments on the grounds and in the vicinity…