Lowell Mill Girls

Introduction

During the first half of the 19th century, Lowell, Massachusetts quickly transformed itself from a farm town to a bustling industrial city. In time, Lowell became a model of industry, gaining global recognition for its state of the art technology, innovative canal and dam system, mill architecture, boardinghouses, churches, and ethnic neighborhoods. Young Yankee women, immigrant families, and European tourists all flocked to Lowell to find work at one of the many textile mills, or visit the industrious city that was becoming a popular tourist destination.

Discussion

The Boston merchants who founded Lowell in 1821 and named it after Francis Cabot Lowell chose to locate the town along Massachusetts's Merrimack River to take advantage of the kinetic energy offered by the Pawtucket waterfalls. Over six miles of canals powered the waterwheels of Lowell's mills, whose massive five and six story brick buildings dominated the city's landscape. All part of the Locks and Canal Historic District, the most recognized of these buildings are the Lowell Manufacturing Company chartered in 1821, the Suffolk or Wannalancit Mill completed around the 1880s, the Boott Mill Company established in 1835, and the Boott Mill Boardinghouse that opened in 1838. By the 1850s, 40 textile mills employing over 10,000 workers stretched for about a mile along the river.

Beyond the Locks and Canals Historic District, the City Hall Historic District is also part of Lowell National Historical Park. The City Hall Historic District includes the Old City Hall, the Kirk Street Agent's House, and the Moody Street Feeder Gatehouse or Merrimack Gatehouse. Erected in 1830, the Old City Hall is the first municipal building constructed in Lowell. It was the town's principal meeting hall, where presidential hopeful Abraham Lincoln delivered his stump speech during his 1848 campaign trip to Massachusetts.

Built between 1845 and 1847, the ...