Lowell’s ‘Other’River: Rediscovering the Concord
Walking Tour, Saturday, May 22
A lush garden cemetery. A dam built for the Middlesex Manufacturing Company. A gothic Catholic church. A lone smokestack. These are among the many relics of the past visible along the Concord River as it flows through Lowell. An attentive eye will also notice various natural features, like white water rapids, animal tracks, soaring hawks, and ferns & wild flowers. The history and ecology of the waterway and its banks have been long neglected. Now Lowell’s “other river" has been rediscovered.
The Concord River Greenway, the newest gem in Lowell's park system, has a rich yet little-known industrial history. For many years in Lowell, the focus has been on the Merrimack River. Still the Concord River in Lowell tells a story just as significant--one that is being played out in many places today--it is the story of how our evolving economy and changing attitudes toward nature have a profound impact on the places we live. The land along the Concord has been the home to Native Americans, colonists, traders, farmers, industrialists, mill workers, immigrants and has seen a myriad of alterations--relics left behind help tell that story.
Join a Park Ranger at 1:00 pm on Saturday, May 22 on a one-hour guided walk along the Concord River in Lowell. Meet at the point where Lawrence Street in Lowell intersects with the Concord River and Greenway. Learn about its transformation into an industrial river, the decline in its use by mills and factories, and its rebirth as a site for recreation and leisure. For more information call 978-970-5000 or visit www.nps.gov/lowe.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
