By Michael Lafleur, mlafleur@lowellsun.com
LOWELL -- Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Lowell National Historical Park, the first site of its kind in the American national park system.
Yesterday, nearly 400 well-wishers packed Lowell Memorial Auditorium for a breakfast sponsored by the Lowell Plan economic development think tank to commemorate that watershed event.
Gary Campbell, president of the Lowell Plan board of directors, said the park was the key for downtown Lowell's transformation from the post-industrial wasteland of vacant mills that it was by the mid-1970s to the vibrant new business, entertainment and residential district that it is today. He referred to it as "an institution that has totally changed the fabric of Lowell.
"I remember those days well, growing up in the area, where to go downtown, you just didn't do it," Campbell said. "The historical park was truly the pivot point where the direction of Lowell was changed for the better."
The park was the brainchild of former Lowell public schools Superintendent Patrick Mogan, who argued that the city -- which was the premier manufacturing center in early 19th century America -- was worth preserving as a means to tell the story of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
He convinced U.S. Reps. Paul Cronin and Paul Tsongas, who defeated Cronin in 1974, to see the value of his vision. Cronin filed the initial legislation, and it was Tsongas who succeeded in pushing the measure through Congress.
U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, Tsongas' widow and the current holder of the state's 5th District congressional seat, said the creation of the park was "a catalytic event and still the dominant factor in Lowell's revitalization."
Park Superintendent Michael Creasey said the park today typically receives 750,000 visitors per year, including the Lowell Folk Festival weekend, the summer music series at Boarding House Park and trips by schoolchildren and their teachers.
He noted that 80 percent of the 5 million square feet of vacant textile factory space that existed in Lowell at the park's inception has been redeveloped, representing more than $300 million in public and private investment.
Creasey added that the park's next 30 years will see a focus on the establishment of such things as a Merrimack River Science and Exploration Center, a more permanent exhibit in honor of author Jack Kerouac to be done in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and a national community development academy.
He said he recently received a call from a representative of the blue-ribbon panel charged with coming up with a plan for the future of the National Park Service as it prepares for its 100th birthday in 2016.
Creasey said the panelists will tour four parks across the country next year: Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, Lowell National Historical Park, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California, and Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Wyoming.
"The fact was that 30 years ago, Congress and the National Park Service were trying to find out a way to wiggle out of this place called Lowell," he said. "We have certainly come a long way."
This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Saturday, June 7, 2008