
FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
|
|
| |
|
|
|
fa4
Levitra 10 mg propecia online viagra canada free cialis canadian oharmacy viagra how it works pronounce Aciclovir cialis online viagra buy india viagra for sale online cialis 5 mg generic viagra canada cialis daily cialis generic vicodine propecia guaranteed online viagra propecia without prescription ACCOMPLIA(BUY) viagra onlinge buy viagra online no prescription what is the best online pharmacy for viagra cialis 5 mg cialis cheap prices Levitra 10 mg cheap online viagra buy tramadol cialis 5 mg cialis generic buy sildenafil online viagra online without prescription levitra online 25mg
0
|
Lowell Heritage State Park
|
|
|
|
Written by GOseacoast Tours
|
|
Page 1 of 2
HISTORIC TOURS
Lowell, MA
Lowell is the nation's only urban state park. Built on the backs of immigrant
labor, the great brick mills still dominate the city. Lowel'''s network of museums,
unlike most, tell the tales of working class Americans. Restored and working machinery,
exhibits and live presentations remind many of us how our families first experienced
"the American dream",
Lowell Heritage State Park
500 Pawtucket Blvd
Lowell, MA
(978) 369-6312
Visit the official web site
For those millions of Americans descended from immigrant factory workers, Lowell
can be a moving experience. Many New England towns are still dominated by red
brick factories, but it all started here. Lowell was the dream city, designed
in the 1820s to be the perfect high-tech experiment. Women from local farms were
the original skilled weavers in what became the largest textile mills in the world.
But the experiment went awry. Owners pushed for faster machines, then more machines
per worker. Women textile workers were replaced by unskilled immigrant laborers
who worked for tiny wages over long hours six days a week. The Irish were first,
then Rusians, Prussians, Italians, French Candaians, Greeks, Poles, Turkish and
Bulgarian refugees and more. Children 14 and younger worked in the loud and dangerous
mills, side by side with their parents, and lived in crowded tenaments rented
to workers by factory owners. It was a pattern repeated throughout New England.
Today Lowell is a state park in the middle of a city. We visited recently during
the excitement of the annual ethnic folk festival. Arriving at the visitors center
we watched the long-surviving orientation slide show -- still impressive. Visitors
can take an electric trolley to a number of downtown museums. Step inside the
boarding houses where thousands of mill girls, then immigrants, got their start.
One complete section of the mill is still standing, transformed into a museum.
The looms still hum amid well-designed displays.
Upstairs in the museum haunting wax figures, including a man in thick glasses
and a red sweater, show how the mills have been adapted to moden companies. Outside
ethnic dancers pose along the canal that once powered the massive mills. Nearby
visitors lounged before a massive steel stage as musicians from a dozen nations
played. Policeman on horses monitored the crowds of guests.
Working to re-invent itself, Lowell has become a memorial to the people who struggled
through the harsh life the city once fostered. It is an amazing rebirth in a fascinatingly
diverse new city with a very American past and a million stories to tell. -- JDR.
ALSO IN LOWELL a Passaconaway Memorial



All photos (c) SeacoastNH.com/ J. Dennis Robinson
CONTINUE THE TOUR
Click for more images from Lowell Heritage State Park
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.
Portsmouth Herald
|
Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
|
| Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com |
-
UNH hockey powers past Terriers
DURHAM — The play of the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team special teams looked, well, special, Friday night against Boston University.
-
NFL's premier corner Revis mans up on Moss again
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Darrelle Revis has heard enough about his last matchup with Randy Moss. The New York Jets cornerback just wants to move on to the next one.
-
Father-son coaches creating legacy with Winnacunnet football
HAMPTON — If nothing else, Winnacunnet High School has proven that two Steve Magris are better than one when it comes to coaching football.
-
Bergeron wins it for B's in OT
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored with 47 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
-
Emotional home finale for UNH football
DURHAM — One year ago this week, University of New Hampshire strong safety Terrence Klein intercepted two late passes to preserve a snowy 28-24 win at Maine, more proof that...
-
Carter, Magic drop Celtics
BOSTON — Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78 on Friday night.
-
Portsmouth says stimulus jobs overstated by White House
PORTSMOUTH — While federal stimulus dollars flowing into the city may help both causes and the economy, at least one local project echoes concerns expressed nationwide about the accuracy of...
-
Joseph Popluhar
TAMPA, Fla. — Mr. Joseph Popluhar, 71, of Tampa, formerly of Portsmouth, N.H., beloved husband of Marjorie (Hunt) Popluhar, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Florida.
-
Turkey Trot 5K in Portsmouth on Thanksgiving morning
PORTSMOUTH — Thanksgiving is one of the most charitable times of the year. If you're in the giving mood, why not get a little exercise, too?
-
Marshwood Middle School parents told 58 of 60 kids accepted unknown Facebook friend
ELIOT, Maine — Marshwood Middle School parents were shocked to learn from Internet expert Jayne Hitchcock Thursday evening that 58 of 60 middle school honors students accepted her as a...
-
Newington tax rate drops, but selectman chides state lawmakers
NEWINGTON — Town taxpayers will pay a lower tax rate for 2009, but the chairman of the Board of Selectmen announced the good news with some concerns for state politicians.
-
Memorial Bridge re-opens
PORTSMOUTH — The Memorial Bridge reopened ahead of schedule on Friday following a month of repairs that forced motorists to seek alternative routes between the city and Kittery, Maine.
-
Bakers bustling for Sunday's pie festival
GREENLAND — Judy Alix laughed excitedly. "Thirty made, only 470 more to go!" she exclaimed.
-
3-car crash on Woodbury Ave.
PORTSMOUTH — A three-car, chain-reaction crash snarled lunch hour traffic Friday on Woodbury Avenue and sent a Maine man to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
-
Thumbs up to preservation, determination
Thumbs up to the heirs of Mary McIntire Davis for selling a 239-acre parcel of salt marsh and forest along the York River to the York Land Trust ,and to...
-
John R. Genthner
HAMPTON FALLS — John Richard Genthner, born Jan. 28, 1943, in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, died peacefully Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, after a long illness. He was surrounded by...
-
Runner's Alley helps racer achieve her goals
I would like to thank Janine and the staff at Runner's Alley for their great work in this community. Their contribution, enthusiasm and encouragement are a shining example of what...
-
New Generation raises $10,000 with golf tourney
The New Generation Golf tournament was held at Breakfast Hill Golf Club. With the help of all those who supported it, we made more than $10,000.
-
Memorial is a N.H. bridge; Herald must act to save it
Sitting a couple of hundred miles up the Maine coast, there isn't anyone who knows or cares about our bridge. They've got their own big-time problems that aren't getting fixed.
-
Robert F. Pucciarelli
WELLS, Maine — Robert Francis "Bob" Pucciarelli, 83, of Wells, formerly of Medway, Mass., died early Thursday morning, Nov. 19, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
|
|