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Following is an excerpt of a 1994 interview (oral history) of M. Brendan Fleming, professor emeritus of UMass Lowell and former mayor and city councilor of Lowell. The interviewer was Maryrose Lane. The full transcription of the oral history is available on the website of the UMass Lowell Center for…
Read More »Martha Norkunas is a scholar, a folklorist, who was the director of cultural affairs at the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission in the early 1990s. Her book “Monuments and Memory: History and Representation in Lowell, Massachusetts” was published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 2002. In it she catalogues the various…
Read More »Following is an excerpt from an interview with Fred Faust, who has worn a lot of hats and coats in Lowell since he came to town as a radio reporter at WCAP. In 2003, historian Mehmed Ali, then on the staff of Lowell National Historical Park, sat down with Fred to…
Read More »In 1988, the National Park Service and Center for Archaeological Studies at Boston University were asked by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission to investigate the grounds of the former Boott Mills boarding houses off French Street (one remains today, known as the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center), and the Kirk…
Read More »Patrick J. Mogan (Photo (c) by James Higgins) We learned earlier today about the passing of Dr. Patrick J. Mogan—teacher, planner, dreamer, and tireless enthusiast for Lowell. I had the privilege of working for him and with him. He was a mentor and guide to me. His purposeful and joyful commitment…
Read More »Following is one writer’s highlights in cultural experiences in Lowell and the Merrimack Valley this past year. These are events I attended, so this list is not an attempt to rate the best in the arts and culture for 2012. That’s for another post. Send in your favorite and unforgettable moments,…
Read More »Spin the time machine and what comes up spurs recollections. Here’s an excerpt from the Fall 1978 issue of “Millstream,” the newsletter of the Lowell Museum, which operated out of the Wannalancit Mills complex on Suffolk Street in the 1970s. My co-blogger Marie Sweeney was president of the Lowell Museum…
Read More »Some of the readers of this blog know that for the past year I have been writing a book about the origin and impact of Lowell’s national park. Below is a “sidebar” piece that will appear in the “Making the Park” chapter. The manuscript is nearly complete, and Lowell National Historical Park will…
Read More »Here is the lead editorial from the September 7, 1992 edition of the New York Times – A Labor Day piece about the recently opened Boott Cotton Mills Museum: Youngsters who are made to troop through America’s historic landmarks might reasonably conclude that in the past, rich was typical. Ordinary…
Read More »Today’s Boston Globe Magazine traces the upward trajectory of UMass Lowell in the five years since Marty Meehan was named Chancellor. The positive results are evident every day in the city and state, but the impact will be long range for the growing number of students enrolled, the research and scholarly contributions,…
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