Lowell National Historic Park

So many reasons why we wanted to visit Lowell, Massachusetts and the National Historic Park here. There’s our interest in the history of the Industrial Revolution, and of the textile industry, and of The Lowell Girls and their role in the history of organized labor, and the family connection. Francis Cabot Lowell and Karen both trace ancestry back to a Percival Lowle who emigrated from Bristol, England in 1639. Francis Cabot is lauded as a visionary and industrial spy. Certainly he played a key role in the establishment of this pioneering textile mill complex and it’s innovative plan for providing labor for the machines. Of course the involvement of Robert Owen with his intimate knowledge of the Arkwright power spinning and carding technology and his views on social reform was a tremendous asset too. And it was just plain fascinating watching the looms working.