Lowell, Massachusetts Celebrates the Working Man
By Jim Rue
Acquaintances in Hyannisport, when asked about Lowell, Massachusetts, assure me that it is an ugly, unpleasant little town. Even a Lowell resident tells me that Lowell is number one in the nation in car thefts and suggests that I keep my doors locked during my stay. I keep them locked, but learn days later than Lowell isn't even in the top ten. In fact, the town I find in central Mass is very different than I had expected.
A Center of Industry
First settled in 1635, Lowell was at the center of the American industrial revolution. The first textiles factory opened in 1801. Textiles mills worked 24 hours a day for many decades, and much of Lowell is a tribute to earlier, unhappier times.
True, some of these tall, old mills are abandoned or razed to vacant lots. But many of the brick structures along the river have been resurrected. Occupancy in the town center is high if not one-hundred percent.
Like Durango, Colorado, Lowell shows signs of a town that has had difficult times in recent decades but is now recovering. When the economic base was lost to outsourcing-heavy companies like Nike, the locals had no choice but to either move away or clean up what remained of their town.
Lowell chose the latter. Mills have been renovated for storefronts, offices and light industry. A historical museum has been erected honoring the industrial revolution. And the system of canals and small locks that once interconnected the mills has been cleaned up and serves as a unique and picturesque backdrop for a town that is building a new history of individual enterprise and the arts. While this small town has not paralleled the rally of Pittsburgh following the recession of the seventies, Lowell is capitalizing on its strengths.
The Club Diner
The Club Diner downtown has been in continuous operation since 1938. Doubtless homeboy Jack Kerouac ate here as a young man. The third generation of the LeVasseur family now runs the small stainless steel café, offering, first and foremost, breakfast. Across the street a lovingly restored steam locomotive stands on display with accompanying historic plaques. The warm, paneled café smacks of local warmth. Snapshots of hundreds of loyal customers adorn a narrow border circling the inside perimeter of the shop. Most are Anglo, but a few are Asian, African or Indian.
Happiness Magazine is given away at the door, with 'compliments of Club Diner' printed on the cover in laser printed black. Inside the thin magazine, TV listing compete against recipes for children and "Happiness is.." homilies. Donna, a third generation LeVasseur, serves up omelets expertly, juggling customers and tables at the same time. I have a perfectly executed ham, cheese mushroom and broccoli omelet. A well-maintained classic Wurlitzer lists the hits of the Shirelles, Bobby Darren (Beyond the Sea, my first 45rpm single) and Frank Sinatra. In one corner a Rotary award for sixty years of continuous business hangs in a frame. It is signed by the mayor. In the opposite corner of the café another certificate hangs, bearing acknowledgements from the Gourmet Dining Association. This framed certificate bears the signature of one Homer H. Hogwash. It is brown and faded in its frame, but occupies a place of honor in the store, giving flip testimony to the towns' labor roots.
An Interesting, Charming Town
I found Lowell, Massachusetts to be a very authentic, charming and friendly town, with an honest American history that in many ways runs counter to the whitewashed Americana imparted in our schools. My visit was only two days. Clearly, a week-long visit wouldn't be nearly enough to take in all the history this attractive town has to offer.