[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF LOWELL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

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                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2003

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the silver 
anniversary of the Lowell National Historical Park.
  Twenty-five years ago, President Jimmy Carter signed into law former 
Congressman Paul Tsongas' legislation to establish the Lowell Park. At 
the time, Lowell was a struggling community with an uncertain future. 
Nevertheless, Tsongas knew that as the cradle of America's Industrial 
Revolution, Lowell was a dynamo waiting to be harnessed.
  Today, the Lowell Park receives nearly three-quarters of a million 
visitors a year and its revitalized and reused mills are home to high 
technology companies, a state university, and housing for all income 
levels.
  The Lowell Park has told the story of our Nation's industrial history 
using world class museum exhibits and innovative programs and events 
such as canal boat tours; a recreated weave room and interactive 
exhibits at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum; the Mill Girls and 
Immigrants exhibit; the annual Lowell Folk Festival, the largest free 
folk festival in the nation, now in its 17th year; and numerous other 
heritage-based special events.
  Furthermore, as a pioneer in the National Park System (NPS), Lowell 
has been a model for telling America's industrial history across the 
Nation, in such places as Dayton, OH, where stories are being told 
about the history of aviation; in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan about 
copper mining; in the Monongehela Valley of Pennsylvania about the 
steel industry; and in Scranton, PA, about railroading.
  At the local level, the Lowell Park's contribution to the area's 
economic development has been immeasurable, and nationally, it is a 
treasure of America's rich industrial heritage.
  The Lowell Park staff has been highly innovative, winning state and 
national recognition and awards. Here are just a few examples of their 
achievements:
  Partnering with the University of Massachusetts Graduate School of 
Education, the Lowell Park boasts one of the most successful 
educational programs in the Park Service, with over 65,000 
participating school children per year. The National Parks Foundation 
and the NPS have awarded their Partnership Award to this innovative 
heritage education program.
  Working closely with the city, the park has guided the rehabilitation 
of nearly 350 historic buildings in the park's Preservation District, 
improving the downtown and adjacent neighborhoods. These efforts have 
been repeatedly recognized, most recently with a National Honor Award 
from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a statewide award 
for ``Visionary Leadership in Community Preservation.''
  Most of the five and a half miles of canals--a National Engineering 
Landmark--are now accessible to the public via walkways and 
interpretive signage. The Park's Canalway Program has won a national 
``Excellence on the Waterfront Award'' from the Waterfront Center in 
Washington, DC.
  Its community programming through the Mogan Cultural Center reaches 
out to underserved populations and over three dozen ethnic communities, 
earlier generations of whom worked in textile mills.
  The community has built upon the presence of the Lowell National 
Historical Park by attracting museums, sports facilities, an arts 
community and major festivals to the Preservation District, making 
Lowell truly a ``Destination City.'' The National Trust for Historic 
Preservation designated Lowell one of its first ``Dozen Distinctive 
Destinations'' in 2000.
  New projects are underway in three major mill complexes--Lawrence, 
Boott and Dutton Yarn--that are generating 400 new market rate 
apartments and condominiums because Lowell is now a place to which 
people want to move. Over a dozen other historic buildings in the 
national park's Preservation District are also in the process of 
rehabilitation at this time, signaling that the marketplace has 
responded to the Federal investment.
  Congratulations to the Lowell National Historical Park for reaching 
this auspicious milestone. Its 25th anniversary is as much a 
celebration of Lowell's rebirth, as it is a stark reminder of the 
inherent value of preserving our history for future generations.

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