Posts tagged ‘Lowell Cemetery’

June 26th, 2011

Mourning Glory ~ Catherine Goodwin on the Lowell Cemetery

by Marie

We lost a “local treasure” when Catherine Goodwin died last week. One of Catherine’s legacies – and there are many – is her reseach on the Lowell Cemetery. Through her tours, her book and interview with Lew Karabatsos – now on DVD, Catherine shared her love of Victorian cemetery history, symbolism, art and lore. Her revelations, history and genealogy of the city’s beautifully designed and Victorian-era inspired Lowell Cemetery has become iconic. Dick Howe, Jr. carries on her legacy currently with his many Lowell Cemetery tours for the public and interested scholars throughout the year.

Her illustrated account and the DVD are available here through the Lowell Historical Society and at the Lowell Cemetery office.

Catherine Goodwin’s obituary is avaible here.

My comments in a Lowell Sun piece by Rita Savard:

“She understood the value of social and cultural history and had such a strong passion for it,” said Marie Sweeney, Clerk for the Lowell Historical Society who [first] met Goodwin in the 1970s.

“Her passion was contagious,” Sweeney said. “That, combined with her gift of storytelling, made her an invaluable teacher. She knew how to engage a crowd and make learning so much fun.”

Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_18352294?IADID=Search-www.lowellsun.com-www.lowellsun.com#ixzz1QOwLy14u

CategoryCulture, Education, Greater Lowell, History, Lowell | CommentNo Comments »

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August 27th, 2010

Upcoming cemetery tours in Lowell

by DickH

Tomorrow morning (Saturday, August 28) at 9 a.m., Kim Zunino of the Lowell Historic Board will lead a tour of the School Street Cemetery. Surrounded by a stone wall in the midst of a century and a half old residential neighborhood, this cemetery is bounded by Branch, School and Middlesex Streets. I’ve passed repeatedly through my entire life, but I know nothing about it and have never set foot within it. That will all change tomorrow. I hope some of our readers can come along.

You can also mark your calendar with the dates of upcoming tours of the Lowell Cemetery with me as the tour guide. The Lowell Cemetery is located behind Shedd Park and runs all the way back to Lawrence Street and the Concord River. All tours begin at the Knapp Avenue entrance (next to Shedd Park), last about 90 minutes and are conducted rain or shine. Here are the dates and times:

Friday – September 10 – 1 pm
Saturday – September 11 – 10 am

Friday – October 1 – 1 pm
Saturday – October 2 – 10 am

CategoryCurrent Events, Lowell | Comment1 Comment »

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August 10th, 2010

Lowell Cemetery tour this Saturday

by DickH

Our fall season of guided tours of Lowell Cemetery commences this Saturday (August 14) at 10 am at the Knapp Avenue gate which is right next to Shedd Park. The tour is free, open to the public and requires no pre-registration. It takes about 90 minutes and involves walking over the rolling terrain of the cemetery. The tour occurs rain or shine.

If you can’t make it this week, future tours of the cemetery are scheduled for:

    Friday September 10 at 1 pm
    Saturday September 11 at 10 am
    Friday October 2 at 1 pm
    Saturday October 3 at 10 am

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July 13th, 2010

Save the Date: Lowell Cemetery Tours

by DickH

We’ve just scheduled several guided tours of historic Lowell Cemetery for the coming months. They are still a ways off, but you can at least get them on your schedule:

  • Saturday – August 14 – 10 am
  • Friday – September 10 – 1 pm
  • Saturday – September 11 – 10 am
  • Friday – October 1 – 1 pm
  • Saturday – October 2 – 10 am

The tours begin at the Knapp Avenue entrance (right behind Shedd Park) and are all free of charge, last about 90 minutes, involve a considerable amount of walking and occur rain or shine.  For more information about the tours and the cemetery, check out the Lowell Cemetery website.

CategoryHistory | Comment3 Comments »

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June 19th, 2010

More on Frederick Ayer

by DickH

Frederick Ayer marker, Lowell Cemetery

Here’s some more information on Frederick Ayer to accompany Marie’s post from earlier today:

Frederick Ayer died on March 14, 1918 in Thomasville, Georgia where he was spending the winter. He was 93 years old and had been one of Lowell’s wealthiest and most influential citizens. According to “The Biographical History of Massachusetts” (1909), Ayer married Miss Cornelia Wheaton of Syracuse, New York in 1878. There were four children of the marriage, but Cornelia died in 1878. Mr. Ayer later married Miss Ellen Banning of St. Paul, Minnesota. There were three children of that marriage, one of whom married George Patton as Marie mentioned. Here’s the engagement announcement from the March 13, 1910 New York Times:

BOSTON. March 12. – Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ayer of Commonwealth Avenue announced to-day the engagement of their daughter, Beatrice Banning Ayer, to Lieut. George S. Patton of the Fifteenth United States Cavalry, now stationed at Fort Sheridan, Ill.

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June 11th, 2010

Lowell Cemetery Tour tomorrow

by DickH

Tomorrow morning (Saturday, June 12, 2010) at 10 am, I’ll be leading a tour of historic Lowell Cemetery.  We start at the Knapp Avenue gate which is right next to Shedd Park.  There’s no charge and the tour takes about 90 minutes.  Please consider joining us.

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June 7th, 2010

Lowell Cemetery Tour this Saturday

by DickH

During the month of May, I conducted three “official” tours of the Lowell Cemetery but some folks who missed those events were still interested in seeing the cemetery so I will lead another tour this coming Saturday, June 12 beginning at 10 am from the Knapp Avenue Gate. The tour takes about 90 minutes, is free, involves considerable walking, and takes place rain or shine. So if you’re interested in seeing the Lowell Cemetery and learning some of its history, please join me this Saturday.

(Unfortunately, I had already agreed to this time before I learned that Kim Zunino of the Lowell Historic Board is leading a tour of the School Street Cemetery at the same time. Hopefully Kim will give another one sometime soon so I’ll be able to join in).

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