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As newly appointed Curator Ryan Owens delves more into the Lowell Historical Society’s old and diverse collection, he will be reporting about the oddities and curiosities that abound. This is a cross-post from the LHS blog site about the Curator’s latest find. http://www.lowellhistoricalsociety.org/blog/ From the Curator’s Desk: Odd Old Things –…
Read More »One of the master mechanics of the Lowell revitalization, a visionary in his own right when we talk about the extensive Canalway development and the Lowell Summer Music Series—and a real humanitarian when it comes to helping city causes—will receive the 2014 Thomas G. Kelakos Community Spirit Award of the…
Read More »One of Esther Howland’s valentine designs “Truly Thine” (Courtesy of AAS / American Antiquarian Society in Worcester ) The first American valentine cards were sold in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were designed and made by Mt. Holyoke College graduate Esther Howland, the daughter of a local stationer. Ms. Howland is known of the…
Read More »Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. . My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse…
Read More »An excerpt from History of Dracut by Silas R. Coburn (Courier Citizen, 1922), retrieved from archive.org. The first paragraph below is a quote from a chapter by Mary E. Wight in The Lowell Book (George H. Ellis, 1899). The postcard of the Central Bridge is from 1908.—PM . . .…
Read More »Snow and icy rain are coming tomorrow. On Friday everyone will want to get out, and there’s a great option for Friday night. If you attended the JFK Memorial Concert in Durgin Hall last November, you know how well these musicians play. On top of an impressive program to be…
Read More »February is Black History Month. Gray Fitzsimons in 2011 created a downtown walking tour of sites associated with the anti-slavery history in Lowell. Gray, a former Historian at Lowell National Historical Park, offers extensive commentary on the twelve highlighted sites. He got an assist on this project from Martha Mayo,…
Read More »The Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust in partnership with Mass. Audubon’s Drumlin Farm is offering a wildlife tracking experience for adventurers of all ages on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 9 to 10.30 am, at the historic Hawk Valley Farm at 520 Varnum Ave. in Pawtucketville. Learn how to identify tracks…
Read More »On the Lowell Memorial Auditorium website, I found this fascinating nugget in Ed Harley’s history of the building—PM “After its dedication in 1922, the Lowell Memorial Auditorium hosted a variety of conventions, civic and religious affairs, and programs of purely recreational or educational values. Liberty Hall became the home of…
Read More »My brother Richard recently came across a 1930s promotional flier for an event in Lowell that I had never heard about: Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd appeared in the Moses Greeley Parker Lecture Series on Dec. 13, 1935. His topic was the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition, whose duration was from…
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