Editing Lowell National Historical Park (section)

==History==
:''See the [[History of Lowell, Massachusetts]] article for a detailed history of the city''

First settled by Europeans in the 17th century, East Chelmsford (later renamed Lowell in honor of the founders' deceased business partner) became an important manufacturing center along the [[Merrimack River]] in the early 1820s. It was seen as an attractive site for the construction of a planned industrial city, with the [[Middlesex Canal]] (completed in 1803) linking the Merrimack to the [[Charles River]], which flows through [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], and with the powerful 32' Pawtucket Falls.  The already existent [[Pawtucket Canal]], designed for transportation around the [[Pawtucket Falls (Massachusetts)|Pawtucket Falls]] on the Merrimack, became the feeder canal for a 5.6-mile long system of power canals based around the falls. Unlike many other mill towns, however, Lowell's manufacturing facilities were built based on a ''planned community'' design. Specifically Lowell was planned as reaction to the mill communities in [[United Kingdom|Great Britain]], which were perceived as cramped and inhumane. Some called it the "Lowell Experiment", which was an attempt at creating a manufacturing center with a combination of production efficiency with democratic morals and social structure.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Lowell experiment : public history in a postindustrial city|last=Cathy.|first=Stanton|date=2006|publisher=University of Massachusetts Press|isbn=1558495460|location=Amherst|oclc=63297733}}</ref>

Initially the factories of Lowell were built with ample green space and accompanying clean dormitories, in a style that anticipated such later [[architecture|architectural]] trends as the [[City Beautiful movement]] in the 1890s.  Lowell attracted both [[History of Lowell, Massachusetts#Immigration|immigrants]] from abroad and migrants from within [[New England]] and [[Quebec]] (including a large proportion of young women, known as [[Lowell mill girls]]) who lived in the dormitories and worked in the mills.

The textile industry in New England experienced a sharp decline after World War II and by the 1960s, many of the Lowell's [[textile mill]] buildings were abandoned.  In the late 1960s and early 1970s, several important forces came together from which emerged the Lowell National Historical Park. Congressman F. Bradford Morse assisted in the city's selection for "Model Cities" status; Brendan Fleming, UMass Lowell (UML) Math Department faculty member, after his election to the Lowell City Council proposed the first Historic District "The Mill and Canal District" which was approved in 1972; Gordon Marker, executive director of Model Cities and an urban planner, was  instrumental in designing the concept for an Urban Park based on Historic Preservation and Economic Revitalization; Patrick Mogan, Education Administrator and later Superintendent of Schools, was primarily interested in Lowell's children and strongly advocated the preservation and sharing of their cultural experiences; and the Lowell Historical Society which opened the Lowell Museum in 1976.  Together these circles of interest became a collaborating force led by [[United States Senator]] and Lowell native [[Paul Tsongas]] to enact legislation for a national park.  In 1978, the [[United States Congress]] established the Lowell National Historical Park, the [[Lowell Historic Preservation District]], and the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission.

In 1990, [[The Trust for Public Land]] assisted the National Park Service in acquiring 3 acres for the purpose of housing the headquarters for the Lowell National Historical Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tpl.org/media-room/hassanamesitt-woods-protection-moves-forward-ma#sm.000001tw1n9rvrfo8u6y3v8zmk5xa|title=Lowell National Historical Park|website=The Trust for Public Land}}</ref>