While not specific to Lowell and the Civil War, the above link is a great timeline resource of events leading up to the Civil War. We think our country is facing one of the great struggles right now with the economy. It’s nothing compared to what we faced going into 1861.

Let me tell you, for my husband and I to be in the same car for 4 hours together….that in itself is a minor miracle.

I’ll watch your site to see future events.

KM Murphy

Parker Lecture Series
Sunday October 3, 2010
12 noon
Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Hall of Flas

“Prelude to the Civil War: The State of the Union 159 Years Ago”
Lecture by Dr. Michael Pierson, University of Massachusetts Lowell

It took less than a year for the United States of America to fall apart. In April 1860, the Democratic Party met in Charleston, South Carolina, to select a candidate for the U.S. Presidency. By April 1861, Charlestonians saw a vastly different spectacle: a new country, the Confederate States of America, opened fire on the U.S. flag. Only weeks later, Massachusetts troops had to force their way through Baltimore, at the cost of several lives, including Lowell’s own Luther Ladd and Addison Whitney, to save the nation’s capitol from capture. This talk will chart this year of turmoil in order to understand what pushed Lowell residents and others to the brink of the Civil War.