Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Lowell, Massachusetts

The Boott Cotton Mills

Lowell National Historical Park

At the foot of 115 John St.

Lowell, MA

I decided to visit the museum recently because so many things were closed due to COVID-19, and this was open. It isn't every year you get to visit something during a pandemic! Lowell is lucky that we have two visitor centers (the one on Dutton Street has been closed for repairs for quite a long time but is due to open within a month.

When I visited the Boott Cotton Mills Museum in 2016 I wrote a post, https://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-boott-cotton-mills-of-lowell.html but, I didn't mention several exhibits I saw two weeks ago, however, I felt they should be written about. These items are pretty cool, like a real "Mill Girl" dress on display, and a see-through model of four floors of a mill. The model is amazing, I believe you and all children will be surprised. I don't know when it was made, but I'm sure glad I didn't miss it this visit. The next time I go, I'll have to ask a knowledgeable ranger question about the model.

Wear your mask!

Visitor Center and Gift Shop.

View from Visitor's Desk.

Model of mills in Lowell.

One of the signs below states:

"Severe Accident.

About four o'clock, yesterday afternoon,

Lizzie M. Ryan, a girl of twelve years,

working on the Boott corporation, met with

a severe accident, which it is feared may

prove fatal. By some mishap, as she was

sliding down the banisters, a habit which

has foolishly been indulged in by some of

the operatives, she was precipitated down

four flights of stairs and was found at

the bottom in an insensible condition. In

her fall she struck against a railing,

demolishing it. Looking at the distance

she fell, one can hardly conceive how she

escaped with her life. Dr. Plunkett attended

her. Her case is regarded as critical.

Lowell Courier-Citizen, 1869"

(Looking down to the bottom. I took the photo taken years ago. I don't believe you are allowed to climb the stairs now.)

First-floor exhibit. "The museum includes an operating 1920s weave room." "In 1910 the Boot Mills complex contained approximately 3,500 looms. A typical weave room had over 100 looms." Some are actually operating and weaving products for the gift shop. I went back last weekend to ask how many looms were operational and was told between 10-15.

View from a staircase going up to the museum exhibits.

"Mill Girl" Dress.

"Born in nearby Pelham, New Hampshire,

in 1810, Mary Cregg Butler came to Lowell

in the 1820s to work in the mills. She wore

this cotton calico dress which, according to

family tradition, was made from Lowell

mill cloth in the period 1820-1820. While in

Lowell, Butler met and married Aaron

Howard Sherman, the first superintendent

of the Lowell Manufacturing Co. They later

moved to Maine."

(The lights and reflections made it difficult to get a good picture.)

An exhibit of some cloth.

The Mill System. "Each of the mill buildings stood four stories high." "Because the mills produced different kinds of cloth, the layout of machinery in the individual mill buildings differed somewhat. Generally, the cotton moved up the factory, with the initial stages of production performed on the lower floors and weaving above." "During its 120 years of operation, the Boott Mills changed in major ways. New buildings were added. The entire complex was integrated and the buildings physically joined. Water power was used to generate electricity. Machines were improved. The layout of machines and the flow of the cotton through the buildings were redesigned." Unfortunately, I don't know who made this model. The quotes are from the information label.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Announcement: Due to construction, the Boott Cotton Mills Museum will be closed from May 17-May 23, 2021.

Interagency Passes and the Eastern National bookstore will still be available at 115 John St, open 12-5 pm Monday-Friday and from 10 am- 5 pm Saturday-Sunday.

The Boott Cotton Mills Museum will re-open on Monday, May 24 (10 am- 5 pm).

What's happening at Lowell National Historical Park today? (May 9, 2021)

The Boott Cotton Mills Museum (115 John Street) is now open from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. See a 1920s-era weave room, historical artifacts, interactive exhibits and video programs. Learn more about the city’s role as a developer of technology and hub of social and economic change in the American Industrial Revolution.

America the Beautiful - National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands passes are available for sale. The Boott Mills Museum is also open Monday-Friday between 12:00 and 5:00 p.m.

For more information about the Boott Cotton Mills Museum visit https://www.nps.gov/.../pla.../boott-cotton-mills-museum.htm

Sometimes you Need to Make a Second Trip to a Cemetery, Thanks to the Sun!

Rowley Burial Ground, Main Street
Rowley, Essex Co., Massachusetts

The above photo was taken on my first visit to the Cemetery, which was in combination with my Library visit in October 2018. The parking lot is for the Town Hall, Library, and Cemetery, which makes it very convenient to visit all places, especially for a researcher. I had no idea the cemetery was as large as the Google map below indicates. Wow, I felt I needed directions to get to where my Kilborn was buried, so I was pretty glad to discover that the Town Clerk has plenty of records. I love that this is a flat cemetery, made for easy walking. The red arrow points to the Rowley Library. My post yesterday was about my visit to the Town Clerk's office.

Main Street, Rowley, Massachusetts

1630     1930

ROWLEY BURIAL GROUND

_______

The Burial Ground set apart

at the settlement of the

town of Rowley in 1630. Here

are buried Ezekiel Rogers,

Samuel Phillips, Samuel

Shepard, Edward Payson and

Jedediah Jewett. The earliest

ministers of the town, and

nearly all the original settlers.

Massachusetts Bay Colony  Tercentenary Commission

On this trip, we knew where the stones were and hoped we could see them. The first photo is the before and after for Joseph Kilborn.

On our first visit (May 2019), we could see the flat stone for Joseph Kilborn but it was impossible to read (see above). So, we returned to the Cemetery on August 10, 2019, and the sun was in our favor, even though it was hard to read.

Joseph Kilborn

Dorothy Kilborn

It really helped to have this listing so we could see a few words written in the stone.

The two stones are above and below. At least I have some landmarks to find them again.

On the second visit, I had a listing from the city clerk and this Google map. I had no idea the cemetery was this large.

If you want to follow this line, I'm sharing a part of my database on RootsMagic.

The All caps are my direct lines for Mary and John only.

The Joseph Kilborn below was who I was looking for.

Doing Research at the Rowley, Massachusetts Town Hall

 

Rowley Town Hall

139 Main Street

Rowley, MA 01969

(978) 948-2081

townclerk@townofrowley.org

I have a George Kilborn / Kilbourn born in 1611 in Wood Ditton, England, and he had six children born in Rowley, MA. The family left Connecticut sometime before 1649. This is not a direct line, but Thomas Kilborn, the father, was my 10th great-grandfather. So, as I mentioned, George had six children born in Rowley. One of the sons, Joseph had seven born in Rowley. One of Joseph's sons had six children born in Rowley! It was the third Joseph Kilborn's gravestone that I was able to find. He died in 1806. Because Rowley isn't too far from where I live, I was pretty excited to think George Kilborn traveled from Connecticut to Massachusetts, and I wanted to search for some clues searching for clues.

On May 9, 2019, my husband and I went to Rowley, MA specifically to speak with the Town Clerk, Susan G. Hazen. I am glad I made an appointment because she allocated a good deal of time for me. I had seen the cemetery the previous fall, so I knew it was huge. Note: Rowley is not a city it is a town.

When I walked in, there she was at the copy machine.

Two parts of the office. Look at the great Rowley books.

Births from 1925-1932.

The earlier binder has records from 1843-1908.

Their mapping system is pretty self-explanatory.

My Joseph Kilborn and his wife are listed on this page, and with the exact location in the cemetery, it made for a pretty easy find.

So, we strolled in the cemetery and couldn't find my couple because the sun was in the wrong direction. Darn, we knew we had to come back. And we did, on August 10th. (It was just a month later when we discovered Bill had brain cancer. A word to the wise, do all you can when you can.)

More records below

The Library is next door to the Town Hall, and both places share parking space behind the Town Hall. See a previous post, Rowley Public Library, posted on October 8, 2018.

This desk displayed some Rowley history-related items. I don't recall if they were free or not.