On Wed., Jan. 7, at 7 pm, I will be at the Tewksbury Public Library, 300 Chandler Street, discussing my new book, Mill Power: The Origin and Impact of Lowell National Historical Park. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Robert Hayes at 978-640-4490 or rhayes@mvlc.org Here’s…
Frequent contributor Jim Peters offers the following about St Patrick’s Church in Lowell: I believed that this would be an easy assignment. I mean, a great deal has been written on St. Patrick’s Church, right? So it cannot be that difficult to catalogue it in a chronologically correct way. Was…
For those who celebrate the spiritual event and holyday that for us is Christmas – we do so without restraint on our person, our beliefs, our rituals… the secular and civic revelries of Christmas time ~ the music, gift giving, parties, food, song, symbols and salutes thrive as well…. here…
I wrote this poem on the West Coast, when I was in graduate school at the University of California in 1983-84. I had moved across country and wanted to write something about the coincidence of living in Dana Point, which had a Massachusetts and even a Lowell connection. The composition…
The recent Globe article ~ “How a Massachusetts man invented the global ice market” reminded me that Lowell with its location on the Merrimack River had it’s own ice harvesting business with talented ice cutters and ice harvesters. The name of local ice king Daniel Gage and visits from the…
A new ping today as someone referenced this post from the archive has prompted me to re-post this commentary on “candles in the window at Christmas time” ~ an Irish tradition as well as a few memories. BTW ~ I was amused to be noted as a “Bostonian with an…
A note from Henri Marchand: Like its subject, this essay has been around, appearing first as a Sunrise radio essay on WUML-FM at UMass Lowell, re-wrapped as a “Guest Column” piece in the Sun, and showing up on this blog for the first time in 2009—and then returning here annually as…
Thirty-seven years ago today a fire broke out in a dormitory at Providence College. Ten students perished. Back in 2010 I wrote a blog post about the fire. Each year it gains a few more comments. It now has 42. Many of those who have contributed were there that night. …
From the archive ~ a reminder about the massive, destructive and very painful fire at Malden Mills in Lawrence ~ December 11, 1995. In the Merrimack Valley: Remembering the 1995 Malden Mills Fire December 11, 2012 by Marie Posted in Greater Lowell 1Comment Mass Moments reminds today us that on the evening of December 11,…
Here are some photos from today’s Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony held by the Greater Lowell Veteran’s Council this morning at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Mayor Rodney Elliott and State Representative Colleen Garry offered remarks during the ceremony in the Hall of Flags. Also in attendance were State Representative Dave Nangle…