Lowell National Historical Park

Directions Website

Lowell National Historical Park This is the official page of Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. Discover the continuing revolution.
(447)

Lowell’s water-powered textile mills catapulted the nation – including immigrant families and early female factory workers – into an uncertain new industrial era. Nearly 200 years later, the changes that began in this vibrant city still reverberate in our shifting global economy. Explore this legacy at Lowell National Historical Park with interactive programs, unique museum experiences, canal boat tours, cultural festivals, and online resources.

As the season changes and we move into late fall, Lowell National Historical Park will be changing our hours of operatio...
10/17/2026

As the season changes and we move into late fall, Lowell National Historical Park will be changing our hours of operation.

Beginning Sunday, October 18, the Visitor Center (246 Market St.) will be open from 9 am to 4 pm on weekends only. The Mogan Cultural Center (40 French St.) will be open from 12 pm to 4 pm daily. The Boott Cotton Mills Museum (115 John St.) hours will remain the same, open from 9 am to 4 pm daily.

For a full list of hours, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/lowe/planyourvisit/hours.htm

“But while we gaze, the stars are fading. Fainter, and still fainter, is their pale glimmering light. . .” (E. E. T., fr...
10/14/2026

“But while we gaze, the stars are fading. Fainter, and still fainter, is their pale glimmering light. . .” (E. E. T., from The Lowell Offering, 1841)

The industrial revolution did more than transform our relationship with technology. It also transformed our relationship with the night. A worker’s free time was in the evening hours, which meant more lighting was needed to navigate the streets. As lighting technology advanced, the stars slowly faded from view in cities like Lowell. The increase of light at night has changed the natural rhythm of the human, animal, and plant life.

We’ll explore this and more at our next Night at the Museum, tomorrow, October 15 from 4 to 7 pm at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, with special guests from Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, UMass Lowell Schueller Observatory, and DarkSky Massachusetts. Learn more about this event at https://go.nps.gov/latenight10-15.


NPS Photo

Join us for an evening celebrating the Night Sky! The Industrial Revolution drastically changed the way we interact with...
10/08/2026

Join us for an evening celebrating the Night Sky!

The Industrial Revolution drastically changed the way we interact with the night. Come learn about light pollution, its impact on people and wildlife, and what you can do to reconnect with and protect the night sky.

Late Night at the Museum: Lowell's Night Sky is happening on Thursday, October 15 from 4-7pm at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum (115 John Street). Meet some turtle friends from Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, enjoy hands-on night sky activities, and visit the historic weave room to hear the beat of the looms, all free of charge.

To learn more about the event, visit our website linked here: https://go.nps.gov/latenight10-15
To learn more about how the National Park Service preserves and protects the night sky, visit this website: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nightskies/index.htm


Photo: James Higgins

The weather is looking cool and comfortable for Saturday morning's birding walk! Join us as we look, listen, and learn ...
09/10/2026

The weather is looking cool and comfortable for Saturday morning's birding walk! Join us as we look, listen, and learn about the nature that lives alongside us right here in downtown Lowell.

The program will begin at 8:30 am on Saturday, September 12 at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, (115 John Street).

From first-time birders to more experienced folks, all are welcome to join in! Learn the basics of birding and work with rangers to identify common birds of the area. Plan for up to 1.5-miles of leisurely walking along Lowell's waterways. Binoculars and field guides will be available for use. Please dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes, and bring plenty of water.

For more details, visit https://go.nps.gov/1crbfp.

We are excited to introduce a new program – boarding house talks! Enjoy a short, 10-minute, ranger-led talk about life i...
09/01/2026

We are excited to introduce a new program – boarding house talks! Enjoy a short, 10-minute, ranger-led talk about life in the boarding houses. Then you can explore the recreated boarding house inside the Mogan Cultural Center and learn more about the lives of the early mill girls outside the factory walls!

The boarding house exhibit is open daily from 10 am - 12 noon and then from 1 - 4 pm. Boarding house talks happen daily at 11 am and at 2 pm. Enter the door through 40 French St.

Learn more about it on our website: https://www.nps.gov/lowe/planyourvisit/mogan-cultural-center.htm


NPS Photo

We are celebrating all the people who preserve and protect Lowell’s sites and stories! Here are some of the different ty...
08/29/2026

We are celebrating all the people who preserve and protect Lowell’s sites and stories! Here are some of the different types of rangers you might encounter on a visit to Lowell National Historical Park:

🚎Our trolley operators, who run our historic trolleys.
⚙️Our weavers, who demonstrate our 100-year-old machines.
🔨🧹Our maintenance rangers, who keep our historic buildings clean and in working order.
🔎Our curatorial staff, who preserve objects in our exhibits and manage our collection.
🎤Our interpretation and education rangers, who give tours and provide information to visitors at the park.
🚨Our law enforcement rangers who protect visitors, staff, and historic resources.
🖥️Our administrative staff, who work hard behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly for the rest of us.

Do YOU want to join this awesome crew and become an honorary Lowell National Historical Park Junior Ranger? Stop by the Suffolk Mill tomorrow, Sunday August 30, between 1 and 4 p.m. for our Junior Ranger Day activities to be sworn in!


NPS Photos

Summer in Lowell is a time when volunteers especially shine. As one of the longest-running free folk festivals in the co...
08/27/2026

Summer in Lowell is a time when volunteers especially shine. As one of the longest-running free folk festivals in the country, the Lowell Folk Festival is proudly powered by volunteers and Lowell National Historical Park is proud to be a partner in this incredible community tradition. From music logging to recycling to helping visitors experience the festival, our Volunteers-in-Parks (VIPs) play an essential role in making this weekend possible. Their time, energy, and dedication help us share Lowell’s stories and culture during the best weekend of the year.

This , we’re thankful for the volunteers who show up for Lowell National Historical Park and the Lowell Folk Festival year after year. Their service helps bring Lowell’s history and culture to life and we thank you!


NPS Photo

For today's edition of we are looking at some of Lowell’s urban wildlife. Lowell National Historical Park participates...
08/26/2026

For today's edition of we are looking at some of Lowell’s urban wildlife. Lowell National Historical Park participates every year in the Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP), a nationwide project that connects people to place and tracks mercury in the Merrimack River Watershed. We've monitored sites in Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest, along Black Brook, Clay Pit Brook, and at Flaggy Meadow.

Since 2021, the DMP's efforts in Lowell have engaged over 900 students and 12 community groups in an initiative to monitor mercury levels in their local watershed. Groups have helped Park staff to collect dragonfly larvae from ponds and streams to assess mercury concentrations—a concern due to mercury’s toxic effects on health and the environment.


NPS Photo

Today marks the National Park Service’s 110th birthday. We are proud to be part of 110 years of preserving and protectin...
08/25/2026

Today marks the National Park Service’s 110th birthday. We are proud to be part of 110 years of preserving and protecting America’s history.

One of the crown jewels of our park is a set of machines almost as old as the National Park Service itself. Our 1920s weave room still operates today, keeping the history of Lowell alive, and giving visitors the opportunity to feel the beat of the looms when they visit the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. To celebrate the NPS birthday, visiting the museum is free today, so stop by to see what makes us a 10/10!

Visit https://www.nps.gov/lowe/planyourvisit/boott-cotton-mills-museum.htm to learn more about the museum and find when the next weave room demonstration time will be.


NPS Photo

There are lots of ways to travel during your visit to Lowell National Historical Park, but the most unique is by trolley...
08/24/2026

There are lots of ways to travel during your visit to Lowell National Historical Park, but the most unique is by trolley. Electric streetcars began operating in Lowell in 1889, as similar systems cropped up across the country. Trolleys transformed the way people moved around American cities and their suburbs and allowed mill workers and their families to access attractions like amusement parks and beaches.

Today, a ride on a trolley is an attraction itself! Our trolley operates from Wednesdays to Sundays, making morning runs between our Visitor Center and the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. In the afternoon, take the trolley from the Boott to the Suffolk Mill to explore our turbine exhibit.

In early fall our trolley schedule will shift, for more information and up to date schedules visit go.nps.gov/trolleys.


NPS Photo

Address

246 Market Street
Lowell, MA
01852

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 4pm
Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Wednesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm
Friday 12pm - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lowell National Historical Park posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category