LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS
From the early part of 19th century until the 1970's, New England was
known as much for its textile mills as anything else. The raw
materials weren't grown here, but the art of making cotton, wool, etc.
into fabrics spurred the industrial revolution of the Northeast. The
large, rapidly flowing rivers of New England provided the power to run
mechanical looms. Since the best sites were inland from the coastal
cities, immigrants could be brought in to work the mills making them
isolated from anything but the work at hand.
Lowell, Massachusetts was about the largest of the mill towns, but
these early 19th century factories can be found from the Berkshires
to central New Hamphire. The Connecticut River was a major
transportation route and power source, but so was the Merrimack which
flows past New Hamphire's mill towns before making a turn East at
Lowell, Mass.
This bend in the river gave Lowell a jump on the industrial
revolution. A canal was dug to bypass the rapids and an extra bend,
which meant a water supply through town as well as a transportation
artery. Soon, textile mills sprang-up along it. As water power gave
way to steam power, the waterway not only brought in the raw materials
from the ocean, it also brought in young immigrants for labor.
The mills have seen a long line of changing technology and changing
workforce. English, then Irish, then Italian, then Eastern European,
until the post-World War II period when Latin Americans were brought
in. Lowell now has one of the largest Colombian populations in the
country as they were the last to be brought in. The mills could not
survive past the 1970's. The newest technology in power looms had
bypassed most 19th century factories. Massive labor was no longer
needed.
Old mills across New England have gone quiet and unused. Some have
been converted into computer start-up offices, but there are still too
many of these old buildings. Lowell saw a chance for an unusual
National Park, carved out of its massive mill district to remember the
hardwork and sacrifice of the immigrant labor class.
It wasn't that long ago that the Mill district in downtown Lowell
was a functioning community. The National Park does not have the
place to itself. The high school is right along the canal. Many of
the factory buildings are offices with nothing to do with the
museum. Some have yet to be renovated. Art studios are being made
now. And the workers lived in apartments in the same neighborhood,
many still occupied by their families today.
The National Park Service runs an old trolley from the parking lot
to the museum as the tight configuration of the mill district was
not designed for cars. This trolley has to stop for cars, trucks,
even an occasional train along the way. There is also an old steam
locomotive on display.
Some of the old Looms have been brought back into service. These date
from the 1920's, but still run from a central drive belt as was
necessary during the age of water and steam power. Floor after floor
were filled with these looms running day and night. Workers had to
watch the machines constantly and attend to them when the thread ran
out or needed changing. Elsewhere, others spun the raw material into
thread and onto the spools and shuttles for the looms.
The brand names of the mills were world famous for their time. You can
still get Boots Mill Towels at the National Park gift shop. Most of
the other New England textile products are now lost to the ages.
There is still hope that these old mill buildings will come in handy
someday. They are substantially built because the vibrations of the
looms would have crumbled lesser buildings. They always have a clock
tower and provide a distinctive charm to New England towns. Yet,
their history was anything but charming. It was very hard work with
low pay and dominated the laborer's time.
