Lowell National Historical Park

park, Lowell, Massachusetts, United States

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July 20, 2026

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Lowell National Historical Park is located in Lowell, Massachusetts, a city renowned as the first planned industrial town in the United States. Established in 1978, the park commemorates the nation's early textile mills and preserves historic downtown areas.1

Lowell's industrial growth began in the early 19th century, driven by waterpower from the Merrimack River and the development of a canal system. The city became a major center for cotton textile manufacturing, famously employing young women known as "mill girls". The city was named after Francis Cabot Lowell, a pioneer industrialist who founded the Boston Manufacturing Company. By the mid-19th century, Lowell was a leading industrial hub, earning the nickname the "Spindle City".12

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Lowell
…change with the establishment of Lowell National Historical Park in 1978, commemorating the first American textile mills and saving much of the historic downtown, which included the majority of the vacant mills, from demolition. An influx of immigrants from Southeast Asia, primarily refugees from Cambodia, that began in the late…
Read More
…change with the establishment of Lowell National Historical Park in 1978, commemorating the first American textile mills and saving much of the historic downtown, which included the majority of the vacant mills, from demolition. An influx of immigrants from Southeast Asia, primarily refugees from Cambodia, that began in the late…
Read More