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72-852: The Offering was initially organized in 1840 by the Reverend Abel Charles Thomas (1807–1880) pastor of the Second Universalist Church. From October 1840 to March 1841, it consisted of articles from many of the local improvement circles or literary societies. Later, it became broader in scope and received more spontaneous contributions from Lowell's female textile workers. The Offering had hundreds of subscribers and supporters from throughout New England, United States, and among foreign visitors. As its popularity grew, workers contributed poems, ballads, essays and fiction – often using their characters to report on conditions and situations in their lives. The contents of

144-703: A mill town , Lowell was named after Francis Cabot Lowell , a local figure in the Industrial Revolution . The city became known as the cradle of the American Industrial Revolution because of its textile mills and factories. Many of Lowell's historic manufacturing sites were later preserved by the National Park Service to create Lowell National Historical Park . During the Cambodian genocide (1975–1979),

216-537: A day, and living in a crowded company boardinghouse, she felt a sense of freedom to “read, think and write…without restraint.” She was soon contributing articles to the newly formed Lowell Offering, and in 1842 along with Harriot Curtis became its co-editor. The magazine was revived in 1848 as the New England Offering (1848–1850), publishing contributions from working women throughout New England. The University of Massachusetts Lowell currently uses

288-536: A household in the city was $ 51,714, according to the American Community Survey 5-year estimate ending in 2012. The median income for a family was $ 55,852. Males had a median income of $ 44,739 versus $ 35,472 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 22,730. About 15.2% of families and 17.5% of individuals were below the poverty line , including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over. Racial Makeup: In 2010,

360-531: A northeasterly turn there before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport, Massachusetts , approximately 40 miles (64 km) downriver from Lowell. It is believed that in prior ages, the Merrimack continued south from Lowell to empty into the ocean somewhere near Boston . The glacial deposits that redirected the flow of the river left the drumlins that dot the city, most notably, Fort Hill in

432-643: A part of the University of Massachusetts Lowell system, established in 1971 to assure the safekeeping, preservation, and availability for study and research of materials in unique subject areas, particularly those related to the Greater Lowell Area and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Located downtown in the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center at 40 French Street, the center is committed to

504-610: A reemergence of their use. Downtown Lowell includes the UMass Lowell East Campus which consists of university housing, recreation facilities, research and the university's sports arena , as well as the Middlesex Community College . Pawtucketville , the University of Massachusetts Lowell , North Campus; and the Acre make up the 01854 ZIP Code. The northwestern portion of the city includes

576-544: A significant increase in the number of residents between the ages of 50-69 while the percentages of residents under the age of 15 and over the age of 70 decreased. In 2010 the city's population had a median age of 32.6. The age distribution was 23.7% of the population under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males; while for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. Median Income: for

648-591: A woman's viewpoint, in which she shows great powers of observation, bringing her characters vividly to life. Harriet Hanson Robinson said of her "Mrs. Chamberlain was the most original, the most prolific, and the most noted of all the early story-writers. Her writings were characterized, as Mr. Thomas says, 'by humorous incidents and sound common sense,' and is shown by her setting forth of certain utopian schemes of right living." Lowell Mill Girls Lowell Offering Timeline of Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell ( / ˈ l oʊ ə l / )

720-689: Is a city in Massachusetts , United States. Alongside Cambridge , it is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County . With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020 , it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of the last census, and the third most populous in the Boston metropolitan statistical area . The city is also part of a smaller Massachusetts statistical area , called Greater Lowell , and of New England 's Merrimack Valley region. Incorporated in 1826 to serve as

792-801: Is a part of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium . Currently, circulation of materials averages around 250,000 annually, with approximately one-third deriving from the children's collection. In fiscal year 2009, Lowell spent 0.35% ($ 885,377) of its budget on the library—approximately $ 8 per person, per year ($ 9.83 adjusted for inflation in 2021). As of 2012, the Pollard Library purchases access for its patrons to databases owned by: EBSCO Industries ; Gale , of Cengage Learning ; Heritage Archives, Inc. ; New England Historic Genealogical Society ; OverDrive, Inc. ; ProQuest ; and World Trade Press. The Lydon Library

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864-461: Is a part of the University of Massachusetts Lowell system, and is located on the North Campus. The building is named in honor of President Martin J. Lydon, whose vision expanded and renamed the college during his tenure in the 1950s and 1960s. Its current collection concentrates on the sciences, engineering, business management, social sciences, humanities, and health. The O'Leary Library

936-513: Is a part of the University of Massachusetts Lowell system, and is located on the South Campus. The building is named in honor of former History Professor and then President O'Leary, whose vision helped merge the Lowell colleges during his tenure in the 1970s and 1980s. Its current collection concentrates on music and art. The Center for Lowell History [special collections and archives] is

1008-554: Is a point in the middle of the Concord River where Lowell and Billerica meet Tewksbury and Chelmsford. The ten communities designated part of the Lowell Metropolitan area by the 2000 US Census are Billerica , Chelmsford , Dracut , Dunstable , Groton , Lowell, Pepperell , Tewksbury , Tyngsborough , and Westford , and Pelham, New Hampshire . See Greater Lowell . Lowell has eight distinct neighborhoods:

1080-488: Is an urban area south of downtown, toward the mouth of River Meadow Brook. South Lowell is the area south of the railroad and east of the Concord River. Other minor neighborhoods within this ZIP Code are Ayers City, Bleachery, Chapel Hill, the Grove, Oaklands, Riverside Park, Swede Village, and Wigginville. Although the use of the names of these smaller neighborhoods has been in decline in the past decades, there has been recently

1152-487: Is elected every two years and is composed of eight district seats and three at-large seats. The School Committee is elected for two-year terms and is composed of four district seats, two at-large seats, and the mayor. City Council and School Committee elections are non-partisan. In 1957, Lowell voters repealed a single-transferable-vote system, which had been in place since 1943. The City Council chooses one of its members as mayor , and another as vice-mayor. The role of

1224-555: Is little identifiable evidence to support the claim. Some of her writing in the Lowell Offering protests the treatment of Native people by the U.S. government. According to some sources, Guppy was of mixed Flemish/English and Algonquian descent. Judith Ranta argues that Guppy's "Native ancestry almost certainly derives from a tribe of the Algonkian Confederacy," based on the specific geographic area where

1296-622: Is located at 42°38′22″N 71°18′53″W  /  42.63944°N 71.31472°W  / 42.63944; -71.31472 (42.639444, −71.314722). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 14.5 square miles (38 km ) of which 13.8 square miles (36 km ) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km ) (5.23%) is water. Lowell features a four-season Humid continental climate , with long and very cold winters, which typically experience an average 56 in (1,400 mm) of snowfall, with

1368-779: Is the official entrance to the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest , the site of an historic Native American tribe, and in the age of the Industrial Revolution was a prominent source of granite used in canals and factory foundations. Population Density: According to the 2010 Census , there were 106,519 people living in the city. The population density was 7,842.1 inhabitants per square mile (3,027.9/km ). There were 41,431 housing units at an average density of 2,865.5/sq mi (1,106.4/km ). Household Size : 2010, there were 38,470 households, and 23,707 families living in Lowell;

1440-670: Is the section of Centralville east of Bridge Street. The Highlands , ZIP Code 01851, is the most populated neighborhood, with almost a quarter of the city residing here. It is located in the southwestern section of the city, bordered to the east by the Lowell Connector and to the north by the railroad. Lowellians further distinguish the sections of the Highlands as the Upper Highlands and the Lower Highlands,

1512-498: The Boston Manufacturing Company , named the new mill town after their visionary leader, Francis Cabot Lowell , who had died five years before its 1823 incorporation. As Lowell's population grew, it acquired land from neighboring towns, and diversified into a full-fledged urban center. Many of the men who composed the labor force for constructing the canals and factories had immigrated from Ireland , escaping

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1584-546: The Catholic Germans , followed by a large influx of French Canadians during the 1870s and 1880s. Later waves of immigrants came to work in Lowell and settled in ethnic neighborhoods, with the city's population reaching almost 50% foreign-born by 1900. By the time World War I broke out in Europe, the city had reached its economic peak. In 1922, it was affected by the 1922 New England Textile Strike , shutting down

1656-535: The Confederate States of America . Many of the coarse cottons produced in Lowell eventually returned to the South to clothe enslaved people, and, according to historian Sven Beckert, "'Lowell' became the generic term slaves used to describe coarse cottons." The city continued to thrive as a major industrial center during the 19th century, attracting more migrant workers and immigrants to its mills. Next were

1728-677: The National Register of Historic Places including many buildings and structures as part of the Lowell National Historical Park . In the early years of the 1840s when the population quickly exceeded 20,000, Lowell became very active as a cultural center, with the construction of the Lowell Museum , the Mechanics Hall , as well as the new City Hall used for art exhibits, lectures , and for

1800-661: The genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge . The city continued to rebound, but this time, focusing more on culture. The former mill district along the river was partially restored and became part of the Lowell National Historical Park , founded in the late 1970s. Although Wang went bankrupt in 1992, the city continued its cultural focus by hosting the nation's largest free folk festival, the Lowell Folk Festival , as well as many other cultural events. This effort began to attract other companies and families back to

1872-440: The performing arts . The Lowell Museum was lost in a devastating fire in the early morning of January 31, 1856, but was quickly rehoused in a new location. The Lowell Art Association was founded in 1876, and the new Opera House was built in 1889. Continuing to inspire and entertain, Lowell currently has a plethora of artistic exhibitions and performances throughout a wide range of venues in the city: The first Lowell public library

1944-523: The 139th most dangerous city of over 75,000 residents in the United States, out of 393 communities. Out of Massachusetts cities, nine are larger than 75,000 residents, and Lowell was fifth. For comparison Lowell was still rated safer than Boston (104 of 393), Providence, RI (123), Springfield (51), Lynn (120), Fall River (103), and New Bedford (85), but rated more dangerous than Cambridge (303), Newton (388), Quincy (312), and Worcester (175). Lowell

2016-474: The 1842 The Indian Pledge and A Fire-Side Scene , are among the earliest protests against the persecution of Native Peoples to be published by a woman identified by some as having a Native American background. The satirical A Fire-Side Scene is highly critical of the way the government was treating native people, implying that their actions were far from following Christian morality. Most of her published pieces are sketches of village life and legends told from

2088-454: The 1990s, Lowell had been locally notorious for being a place of high drug trafficking and gang activity, and was the setting for a real life documentary, High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell . In the years from 1994 to 1999, crime dropped 50 percent, the highest rate of decrease for any city in America with over 100,000 residents. Within one generation, by 2009, Lowell was ranked as

2160-413: The 1990s, and while the likelihood of becoming a victim of violent crime in Massachusetts are 1 in 265, the odds in Lowell are 1 in 289, making Lowell (approximately) 10% safer than the rest of the state, on average. Lowell's violent crime rate is comparable to Honolulu, HI and is less than one-quarter that of Washington, D.C. Among the many tourist attractions, Lowell also currently has 39 places on

2232-468: The Acre, Back Central, Belvidere, Centralville, Downtown, Highlands, Pawtucketville, and South Lowell. The city also has five ZIP codes : four are geographically distinct general ZIP codes, and one (01853) is for post-office boxes only. The Centralville neighborhood, ZIP Code 01850, is the northeastern section of the city, north of the Merrimack River and east of Beaver Brook . Christian Hill

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2304-771: The American Civil War. In 1981, the library was renamed the Pollard Memorial Library in memory of the late Mayor Samuel S. Pollard. And, in the mid-2000s the century-old National Historic building underwent a major $ 8.5m renovation. The city also expanded the library system to include the Senior Center Branch, located in the City of Lowell Senior Center. In fiscal year 2008, the city of Lowell spent 0.36% ($ 975,845) of its budget on its public libraries, which houses 236,000 volumes, and

2376-566: The Belvidere neighborhood. Other large hills in Lowell include Lynde Hill, also in Belvidere, and Christian Hill, in the easternmost part of Centralville at the Dracut town line. The Concord, or Musketaquid (its original name), forms from the confluence of the Assabet and Sudbury rivers at Concord, Massachusetts . This river flows north into the city, and the area around the confluence with

2448-504: The Comprehensive Master Plan, more broad changes were recommended so that the land use and development would be consistent with the current master plan. The most significant revision to the 1966 zoning code is the adoption of an inclusion of a transect-based zoning code and some aspects of a form-based code style of zoning that emphasizes urban design elements as a means to ensure that infill development will respect

2520-620: The HCD Master Plan. The HCD is a major redevelopment project that comprises 13 acres of vacant, underutilized land in downtown Lowell abutting former industrial mills. Trinity Financial was elected as the Master Developer to recreate this district with a vision of making a mixed-use neighborhood. Development plans included establishing the HCD as a gateway to downtown Lowell and enhanced connectivity to Gallagher Terminal . In

2592-633: The Lowell High School Red Raiders, also played host to the Boston Patriots during their first season. The Pawtucket Falls , which provided the hydropower for Lowell's industry in the 1800s, also served as an important seasonal fishing site for native people at the time of European colonization in the 1600s. The Pawtucket people are named for this location, literally meaning "at the falls" in Massachusett . In

2664-507: The Merrimack was known as Wamesit. Like the Merrimack, the Concord, although a much smaller river, has many waterfalls and rapids that served as power sources for early industrial purposes, some well before the founding of Lowell. Immediately after the Concord joins the Merrimack, the Merrimack descends another ten feet in Hunt's Falls. There is a ninety-degree bend in the Merrimack partway down

2736-724: The Pawtucket Falls. At this point, the river briefly widens and shallows. Here, Beaver Brook enters from the north, separating the city's two northern neighborhoods, Pawtucketville and Centralville. Entering the Concord River from the southwest is River Meadow, or Hale's Brook. This brook flows largely in a man-made channel, as the Lowell Connector was built along it. Both of these minor streams have limited industrial histories as well. The bordering towns (clockwise from north) are Dracut , Tewksbury , Billerica , Chelmsford , and Tyngsborough . The border with Billerica

2808-569: The abandonment of many praying towns. By the 1800s, the area that would become Lowell was part of the farming community of East Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Founded in the 1820s as a planned manufacturing center for textiles , Lowell is located along the rapids of the Merrimack River , 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Boston in what was once the farming community of East Chelmsford, Massachusetts . The so-called Boston Associates , including Nathan Appleton and Patrick Tracy Jackson of

2880-567: The annual New England Golden Gloves tournament, which featured fighters such as Rocky Marciano , Sugar Ray Leonard , and Marvin Hagler . Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund both began their careers in Lowell, the subject of the 2010 film The Fighter . Arthur Ramalho's West End Gym is where many of the city's boxers train. * =current mayor **=former mayor Lowell has a Plan-E council-manager government . There are eleven city councilors and seven school committee members. The City Council

2952-466: The appeal of education and self-sufficiency drew many young women in, and they used the opportunities they received at the Lowell Mills to learn. They learned to read and write, as well as practicing music and foreign languages. Harriet Farley , against her family and friends wishes, left Atkinson, New Hampshire in 1838 to work in Lowell's textile mills . In Lowell, although working 11 to 13 hours

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3024-451: The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.31. Of those households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Age Distributions: Lowell has also experienced

3096-545: The character of the neighborhood or district in question. By 2004, the recommended zoning changes were unanimously adopted by the City Council and despite numerous changes to the 2004 Zoning Code, it remains the basic framework for resolving zoning issues in Lowell to this day. The Hamilton Canal District (HCD) is the first district in Lowell in which regulation and development is defined by Form-Based Code (HCD-FBC) and legislated by its own guiding framework consistent to

3168-526: The city (south of the Merrimack River and southeast of the Lowell Connector). Belvidere is the mostly residential area south of the Merrimack River, east of the Concord River, and north of the Lowell and Lawrence railroad. Belvidere Hill Historic District runs along Fairmount Street. Lower Belvidere is the section west of Nesmith Street. Rogers Fort Hill Park Historic District , Lowell Cemetery , and Shedd Park are this side of town. Back Central

3240-786: The city include the Whistler House Museum of Art , the Merrimack Repertory Theatre , the Lowell Memorial Auditorium , and Sampas Pavilion . In sports, the city has a long tradition of boxing, hosting the annual New England Golden Gloves boxing tournament. The city has a baseball stadium, Edward A. LeLacheur Park , and a multipurpose indoor sports arena, the Tsongas Center , both of which have hosted collegiate and minor-league professional sports teams. Cawley Stadium, home of

3312-413: The city took in an influx of refugees, leading to a Cambodia Town and America's second-largest Cambodian-American population. Lowell is home to two institutions of higher education . UMass Lowell , part of the University of Massachusetts system, has three campuses in the city. Middlesex Community College 's two campuses are in Lowell and in the town of Bedford, Massachusetts . Arts facilities in

3384-542: The design and implementation of historical, educational, and cultural programs that link the university and the community in developing an economically strong and multi-culturally rich region. Its current collections and archives focus on historic and contemporary issues of Lowell (including: industrialization, textile technology, immigration, social history, regional history, labor history, women's history, and environmental history). Boxing has formed an important part of Lowell's working-class culture. The city's auditorium hosts

3456-420: The ethnic diversity of the city was 60.3% White (49.3% Non-Hispanic White ), 20.2% Asian American (12.5% Cambodian, 2.0% Indian, 1.7% Vietnamese, 1.4% Laotian), 6.8% African American , 0.3% Native American , 8.8% from other races , 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.3% of the population. The largest Hispanic group was those of Puerto Rican ancestry, constituting 11.3% of

3528-563: The family lived and the fact that "Guppy family oral tradition" claims that her paternal grandmother, "Sarah Loud Guppy, was an Abenaki woman." However, it is important to note that census records from 1830 through 1880 identify her as a "free white" female. Betsey Guppy was born on 29 December 1797 in Brookfield, New Hampshire. She was the daughter of William Guppy and Comfort Meserve. During her early childhood, her family moved to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Her mother died in 1802 when she

3600-523: The first Cambodian-American mayor in the United States, Sokhary Chau . According to current FBI Crime Data Analysis, Lowell is the 46th most dangerous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for all sizes. In 2018, the violent crime rate for Lowell was less than half of the violent crime rate in Boston, with no murders compared to 49 in Boston. Lowell's crime rate has dropped tremendously since

3672-405: The highest ever recorded seasonal snowfall being 120 in (3,000 mm) in the winter of 2014–2015. Summers are hot and humid, and of average length, while autumn and spring are brief transition periods between the two. On average, temperature in Lowell ranges from 64 to 84 °F (18 to 29 °C) in the summer months, and between 2 and 33 °F (−17 and 1 °C) in the winter months, with

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3744-657: The hours were long and working conditions often difficult. Betsey Chamberlain was recorded as joining the First Congregational Church in Lowell, Massachusetts in March 1831, and in April 1834 was married to Thomas Wright in that church. The marriage did not seem to have lasted, and Betsey Chamberlain did not use the name "Wright" in later years. According to Harriet Hanson Robinson , who worked with Guppy in

3816-403: The latter being the area closer to downtown. Middlesex Village, Tyler Park, and Drum Hill are in this ZIP Code. The Upper Highlands also includes the University of Massachusetts Lowell, South Campus (Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Sciences & Education). Downtown , Belvidere , Back Central , and South Lowell make up the 01852 ZIP Code, and are the southeastern sections of

3888-564: The magazine alternated between serious and farcical. In the first issue, "A Letter about Old Maids" suggested that "sisters, spinsters, lay-nuns, &c" were an essential component of God's "wise design". Later issues – particularly in the wake of labor unrest in the factories – included an article about the value of organizing and an essay about suicide among the Lowell girls. Among its contributors: Eliza G. Cate, Betsey Guppy Chamberlain , Abba Goddard , Lucy Larcom , Harriet Hanson Robinson , and Augusta Harvey Worthen . Many women who worked in

3960-650: The mayor is primarily ceremonial. The mayor runs the weekly meetings under the guidance of the City Clerk. In addition, the mayor serves as the Chairperson of the School Committee. The administrative head of the city government is the City Manager , who is responsible for all day-to-day operations, functioning within the guidelines of City Council policy, and is hired by and serves indefinitely at

4032-541: The mid-1600s, English efforts to convert native people to Christianity led to the founding of the " praying town " of Wamesit at the confluence of the Concord and Merrimack Rivers in what is today Lowell, however the population of Wamesit was reckoned at only 75 people just prior to King Phillip's War , which significantly altered relations between English colonists and indigenous groups in New England, and led to

4104-553: The mills and as a boardinghouse keeper. Her sister, Harriet Guppy, also worked in Lowell. From 1840 to 1843 Betsey published sketches in the Lowell Offering (1840-1845) and from 1848 to 1850 she contributed pieces to the New England Offering (1847-1850). Chamberlain used several pseudonyms including "Betsey", "B.C.", "Jemima", and "Tabitha." In 1843 Betsey Chamberlain and Charles Boutwell were married in Illinois. He

4176-562: The mills in the city over an attempted wage cut. The Mill Cities' manufacturing base declined as companies began to relocate to the South in the 1920s. The city fell into hard times, and was even referred to as a "depressed industrial desert" by Harper's Magazine in 1931, as the Great Depression worsened. At this time, more than one third of its population was "on relief" (government assistance), as only three of its major textile corporations remained active. Several years later,

4248-489: The mills were reactivated, making parachutes and other military necessities for World War II . However, this economic boost was short-lived and the post-war years saw the last textile plants close. In the 1970s, Lowell became part of the Massachusetts Miracle , being the headquarters of Wang Laboratories . At the same time, Lowell became home to thousands of new immigrants, many from Cambodia , following

4320-533: The mills, "Mrs. Chamberlain was a widow, and came to Lowell with three children from some 'community' (probably the Shakers ), where she had not been contented. She had inherited Indian blood, and was proud of it. She had long, straight black hair, and walked very erect, with great freedom of movement. One of her sons was afterwards connected with the New York Tribune ." While in Lowell, Betsey worked in

4392-417: The mills, such as Ellen Collins, were unhappy with the conditions and hours they were forced to work. They did not like the constant noise and bells that they heard during their shifts, and often had the desire to return to their homes to work on farms rather than in the factories. With them having the desire to go back home, many women also missed their families and wished to go back to them as well. However,

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4464-547: The neighborhood where Jack Kerouac resided around the area of University Avenue (previously known as Moody Street). The North Campus of UMass Lowell (Colleges of Engineering, Sciences and Business) is in Pawtucketville near the Lowell General Hospital. The older parts of the neighborhood are around University Avenue and Mammoth Road , whereas the newer parts are around Varnum Avenue. Pawtucketville

4536-576: The period of time when Lowell was part of the Massachusetts Miracle, the Lowell City Development Authority created a Comprehensive Master Plan which included recommendations for zoning adaptations within the city. The city's original zoning code was adopted in 1926 and was significantly revised in 1966 and 2004, with changes included to respond to concerns about overdevelopment. In 2002, in lieu of updating

4608-514: The population. Cambodian-American Population: In 2010, Lowell had the highest proportion of residents of Cambodian origin of any place in the United States at 12.5% of the population. The Government of Cambodia opened up its third U.S. Consular Office in Lowell, on April 27, 2009, with Sovann Ou as current advisor to the Cambodian Embassy . The other consular offices are in Long Beach, California , and Seattle , Washington , which also have large Cambodian communities. In 2022, Lowell elected

4680-423: The poverty and Great Famine of the 1830s and 1840s. The mill workers, young single women called Mill Girls , generally came from the farm families of New England. By the 1850s, Lowell had the largest industrial complex in the United States. The textile industry wove cotton produced in the Southern United States . In 1860, there were more cotton spindles in Lowell than in all eleven states combined that would form

4752-401: The title for its student literary magazine as an homage . Betsey Guppy Chamberlain Betsey Guppy Chamberlain (1797–1886) was a textile mill worker who wrote sketches and poetry that were published in The Lowell Offering . Her co-worker, Harriet Hanson Robinson claimed that Chamberlain "had inherited Indian blood" and some sources claim she was Native American; however, there

4824-461: The urban center. Additional historic manufacturing and commercial buildings were adapted as residential units and office space. By the 1990s, Lowell had built a new ballpark and arena, which became home to two minor league sports teams, the Lowell Devils and Lowell Spinners . The city also began to have a larger student population. The University of Massachusetts Lowell and Middlesex Community College expanded their programs and enrollment. During

4896-492: The yearly average being 49 °F (9 °C). Lowell is located at the confluence of the Merrimack and Concord rivers. The Pawtucket Falls , a mile-long set of rapids with a total drop in elevation of 32 feet, ends where the two rivers meet. At the top of the falls is the Pawtucket Dam, designed to turn the upper Merrimack into a millpond , diverted through Lowell's extensive canal system. The Merrimack, which flows southerly from Franklin, New Hampshire to Lowell, makes

4968-462: Was a widowed farmer with children of his own. Betsey joined Charles on his farm in Wayne Station, DuPage County, Illinois. She returned to Lowell in 1848 and then returned to Illinois in 1850. She had four husbands in total, dying at the age of eighty-eight. Thirty-three prose works by Chamberlain were published in the Lowell Offering between 1840 and 1843, and five more in the New England Offering from 1848 to 1850. A few of her writings, such as

5040-411: Was established in 1844 with 3,500 volumes, and was set up in the first floor of the Old City Hall, 226 Merrimack St. In 1872, the expanding collection was relocated down the street to the Hosford Building at 134 Merrimack St. In 1890–1891, the City of Lowell hired local Architect Frederick W. Stickney to design the new Lowell City Library, known as "Memorial Hall, in honor of the city's men who died in

5112-492: Was four years old, and her father married a second wife—Sally Marden—the following year. Her father, William, was frequently involved in legal troubles as both plaintiff and defendant; between 1799 and 1828, he was involved in twenty-nine Superior Court cases, with charges against him including theft, burglary, and assault. Betsey Guppy married Josiah Chamberlain in 1820, and had two children by him before he died in 1823. In 1828, she sued her father to recover her dower; her suit

5184-408: Was successful, restoring a portion of her husband Josiah's land to her that her father had attempted to take away through a bequest in his will. Despite the legal success, she was still in financial trouble, and was forced to sell their small farm in Brookfield and travel to work in the mills, which paid decent wages for the time (considering the generally poor wages paid to women at the time), although

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