That Harvard Brewery building stares at you, like it has a secret. Because it does. When you pull in to park at Lowell's Target, those twelve little windows peer forward, each covered with corrugated sheet metal that's been painted the color of pistachio ice cream. (Why?) That Harvard Brewery building has ghosts like anything that…Read more Harvard Brewery – A Lowell Tale of Fires, Wartime Enemy Sympathizers, and Prohibition Raids
City Life
Another First in Lowell History: The Soda Fountain
Whether you call it pop, tonic, soda, or just plain Coke, the soda fountain owes its modern form to one Gustavus D. Dows who ran a drugstore with his brother at 213 Central Street in Lowell in the mid 1850s.
Behind the White Fence: Lowell’s Poor Farm
It's no secret that Lowell of long ago was more rural, especially in its outskirts - which included the land where Cross Point, Showcase Cinema and Route 3 now sit today. As you drive along Lowell's Route 110 East today (also known as Chelmsford Street), you'll cross into Lowell just before you pass under Route…Read more Behind the White Fence: Lowell’s Poor Farm
The Birth of a Chelmsford Landmark
Over 80 years ago, a blacksmith at Lowell's Boott Mills wanted a career change. He saved his money, bought a dairy farm on Stevens Street, and a plot of swampy land no one wanted not too far away in Chelmsford. He started his dairy farm, and used his revenues to cart in tons of dirt…Read more The Birth of a Chelmsford Landmark
Like Lazarus, the Rialto Rises from the Verge of Oblivion
How you know Lowell's Rialto Building is largely determined by when you grew up. To the oldest among us, the Victorian-era building that has dominated Towers Corner for 140 years is the Rialto Theatre - famous for first trips to the movies, to movies that have long since become classics.
How would you redesign Lowell’s Flag?
In November 2014, the inspiration came to Mark. He was listening to the 99% Invisible podcast, which was running a story on how the city of Portland, Oregon wanted to redesign its municipal flag. Proponents of the change complained that the city’s flag was, basically, a city seal on a bed sheet. Mark thought about that, and wondered what Lowell’s flag looked like.
From the Curator’s Desk: Old Timepieces – The Pocketwatch
At the Lowell Historical Society, we run across some interesting items in our collection of historical artifacts. Recently, we came across this pocketwatch, dated 1900, with its old-timey reference tag still attached.
