P.O. Box 1826, Lowell, MA 01853
(978) 319-4631
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LOWELL HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Summer 2023, Volume 56, Number 3
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The mission of the Lowell Historical Society is to collect, preserve, and publish materials related to Lowell and to encourage and promote the study of the city’s history.
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√: LHS volunteers help with tour of veterans’ graves at the Lowell Cemetery
√ A 1794 map - “more of a place than represented”
√ Video - Lowell streetscapes by Annie Powell, photographer
√ The Lowell Humane Society - 150 years of service
√ 50 years ago - a famous band plays in Lowell before they were famous
√ From the bookshelf - "The Original Bucky Lew"
√ Take the Lowell Cemetery Veterans Tour online or on-site
√ Event -Boston Harbor Islands Adventure:The Great Brewster Journal of 1891
√ LHS Blogs - NEW - List of Lowell Mayors with Burial Locations
√ Congratulations to LHS scholarship winner and Eagle Scout Nick Hoff
√ Summer in Lowell - September 6, 1881 - "Yellow Tuesday"
√ Lowell Firsts - Did you know . . . ?
√ Crossword Puzzle - Lowell Firsts
√ Events, past newsletters, membership, and Corporate Sponsors
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Volunteer interpreters assemble for the tour |
Participants Visit Veterans' Graves on a Self-Guided Tour
On May 20, participants received a map of some of the graves of veterans from the Civil War to the Gulf War in the Lowell Cemetery. They proceeded at their own pace to the designated graves where Cemetery volunteers were stationed to tell the stories of the veteran buried there. In addition, the LHS displayed military artifacts from its collection in the Cemetery's Talbot Chapel.
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Items from the Lowell Historical Society exhibit in the cemetery chapel |
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Countdown to the Bicentennial:
Before Lowell was Lowell
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“more of a place than represented”
A 1794 map and 1820 and 1917 books help us know about life in East Chelmsford before the day in November 1821 when Nathan Appleton, Patrick T. Jackson, Kirk Boott, Warren Dutton, Paul Moody, and John W. Boott “perambulated the grounds, and scanned the capabilities of the place.”
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Annie Powell (1859-1952) is a recently discovered street photographer. She is likely responsible for 3,000 "anonymous" photos of Lowell, MA found in books, postcards and university libraries. This is an unlikely story of her unlikely story.
At our annual meeting in May, Bernie Zeilitch presented a fascinating talk and slideshow about the photography of Annie Powell of Lowell. You can watch an updated version of this by clicking on the link below.
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This is part 3 of a series appearing in this year's newsletters honoring 150 years of service of the Lowell Humane Society. |
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50 years ago . . .
A famous rock band, now on its final tour, played at Lowell Tech 50 years ago.
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Did you know . . . ?
This band played at the Rogers School twice in 1971, two years before their first album was released.
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FROM THE BOOKSHELF
By Pauline M. Golec
The Original Bucky Lew
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Near the end of this season of professional basketball, I, coincidentally, started to read THE ORIGINAL BUCKY LEW. This novel written by Chris Boucher is a comprehensive story of Harry Haskell "Bucky Lew," a member of an illustrious Lowell Black family and an early basketball legend.
Bucky Lew, the first Black professional basketball player, joined the Pawtucketville
Athletic Club in 1902. The author, citing the Lowell Courier-Citizen and the Lowell Sun, describes many league games played by Bucky, including one in Natick, whose players were willing to forfeit the game rather than play against "a colored boy."
Later chapters inform us of Bucky's career in white leagues as the first Black coach, referee, and team owner. He also was the coach of the Lowell Textile School (now UMass Lowell) basketball team when it beat Boston College (I wish that the date of this match had been mentioned).
Serious basketball fans will enjoy the author's references to changes in the rules of the game and in the kinds of venues where these early games were played.
While I had some knowledge of Bucky Lew and his family (thanks to Martha Mayo, Lowell historian, whose help is also acknowledged by the author), I enjoyed reading about Bucky's courtship and his marriage to Florence, their move to Springfield for economic reasons, .... and his skill as a violinist.
The book's cover is striking and captures Bucky and his teammates in the uniform styles of the times.
Lowellian Chris Boucher has done a service to both Bucky Lew and to the history of basketball in writing this book.
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Asking price $14,995,000!
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What happens when four women from Lowell society decide to leave their restrictive 19th-century lives behind and escape to a remote island in Boston Harbor for 17 days? In her new book, Boston Harbor Islands Adventure: The Great Brewster Journal of 1891, Boston-based author Stephanie Schorow, brings us to the island with them, using their remarkable journal as our guide.
The lecture, sponsored jointly by the Lowell Historical Society, the Pollard Memorial Library and the Lowell Cemetery, will take place in the Talbot Chapel at the Lowell Cemetery on Sunday, September 24, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. Copies of the book will also be available at the event.
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List of Lowell Mayors with Burial Locations
Have you ever wondered where the Mayors of Lowell were buried?
Early in Lowell history, Lowell Cemetery was the popular place.
Over time as the city became more diverse other cemeteries became popular.
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We are thrilled to announce that Nick Hoff, who will be attending the University of Vermont this fall, has been awarded the Mildred E. Walgren History Award, which is given to a student who will major in history and is active in the community. We congratulate Nick on this well-deserved recognition.
In addition to his academic achievements, Nick is also an Eagle Scout and completed his Eagle Scout project at the Center for Lowell History (see the LHS newsletter, Winter 2023) . His dedication to both academics and community service is truly inspiring.
As Nick prepares to embark on this next exciting chapter of his life, we wish him all the best and are confident that he will continue to make a positive impact on the world. Congratulations Nick!
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"Yellow Tuesday" - September 6, 1881 |
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From the Lowell Sun, September 10, 1881
For more on Yellow Tuesday, follow these links -
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Lowell Firsts
Did you know . . . ?
Dr. Walter Burnham, who is buried in the Lowell Cemetery performed the first successful hysterectomy in the world on June 26, 1853, in Lowell!
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Read the past newsletters -
The 2005 - 2023 newsletters of the Lowell Historical Society are available online!
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Become a member!
We welcome all of those interested in history and Lowell to join! Membership is open to the public and all contributions are tax-deductible.
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Thank you to our Corporate Donors who help to guarantee that Lowell’s history, stories, and artifacts are maintained for future generations.
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