Lowell

‘The Lowell Experiment’ is a pretty comprehensive history and analysis of the Lowell National Historic Park in the post-industrial Massachusetts town of Lowell. The site is unique in that it inherits the history and issues of the city and its economy from the early 19th century to the present. Given my interest in Geography and Urban Studies, the overarching issue of a post-industrial town struggling to find a way to redefine itself through a heritage site was particularly engaging.

Cathy Stanton gives a brief history of Lowell and public historians to sketch out the context with which the ‘Lowell Experiment’ plays out. Stanton’s background as an anthropologist results in a much different read than we’ve gotten so far. Stanton offers ‘counterreadings’ to many of the tours offered at the Lowell Historic site that really tackle issues of race, class and locality in a fairly exhaustive fashion. Where in previous readings there is some acknowledgement of the diversity problem within the public history field, Stanton really drags it into the light often using it as the central point of her analysis.

Although Stanton seems to hold the site in relatively high regard, she becomes more and more critical of the site and interpretations as the book goes on. She sees the coverage of the past as relatively progressive, but woefully lacking in providing a bridge between the Lowell of the 19th century and the Lowell of today. The presence of industry in the 20th and 21st century, globalization and the newer wave immigration to Lowell are covered awkwardly if at all in Stanton’s eyes.

Stanton places a lot of these failings at the feet of those responsible for crafting the historical narrative of Lowell. According to Stanton, the racial and economic homogeneity of the administrators and interpreters at the site and their own internal grappling with class, race and personal connection to Lowell create the chasm between the present day Lowell Historic Site and the larger community around it.

Although the text is rife with other issues including politics, how much heritage tourism can shoulder the burden of economic redevelopment of a town and inclusivity in managing the sites, Stanton’s ethnography of those at the helm of the Lowell Historic Site is where the most emphasis seems to be. The question of how much those at the site can be and should be agents of social change also is an issue Stanton raises. Solutions aren’t offered, but the text serves as an interesting point to start the discussion.