Historical Marker- “The Worker” by Ivan and Elliott Schwartz, Lowell Massachusetts 1985
One of the most interesting sculptures that I came across on our roller coaster trip through Massachusetts was a large bronze and stone statue commemorating Hugh Commisky, an Irishman who arrived in Lowell with an Irish work gang to begin digging the first canal for the textile mills. The bronze sculpture, located in the heart of Lowell, symbolizes the hard work, vision, and perseverance that was needed to create the mill systems that would lead to economic prosperity for the community of Lowell. The statue’s marker proclaims, “In 1821 Hugh Commisky led a band of laborers on a trek from Charlestown to Lowell. With muscle and sweat they dredged canals in the soil of rugged farmland. As others joined in their toil a complex waterpower system evolved, creating a new era of textile production. When one generation had endured and the clamor of manufacturing increased, immigrants came by the thousands seeking labor and a better life. This fountain celebrates workers and their contributions to industrial and human heritage.” The canal diggers had the labor intensive job of dredging and building the walls along the waterway that would become the crucial power for the textile mills. Without that critical foundation of the canal workers, the mills power looms and machinery could not have worked and begun the fascinating history of industrialization in America.
“The Worker” is also symbolic of the diversity of that foundational component of industrialization. As an Irish immigrant, Hugh Commisky and his Irish work gang from Charlestown began a common theme of Lowell and industrialization in America. Although the original goal of the Lowell factory was focused on recruiting young women from the surrounding countryside, the history of Lowell is the history of various groups of immigrants who would arrive with the dream of a better life and needed job that would help those immigrant dreams come true. According to the Lowell Historic Society timeline, Irish, Jews, French-Canadians, Greeks, Portuguese, Swedes, Poles, and later Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrants arrived in Lowell, adding to its rich heritage. One might assume from the marker and its figure that Lowell was a place of harmonious diversity, but unfortunately, cultural differences often resulted in tensions and clashes between workers. Although tensions were present, “The Worker” is also a symbol of immigration and its role in the strengthening of our nation as the foundation of our economic strength.
The statue, “The Worker”, is also a significant symbol for the city of Lowell today and its’ unveiling in 1985. After the textile mills began to close, relocate, and go into decline between the 1920’s and World War II, Lowell went through a depressing time period. During this decline, unemployment, crime, and poverty became the story of Lowell as it looked to redefine itself and its economy. In fact, in 1975 unemployment reached twelve percent and our guide retold stories of the late 1970’s Lowell as being a depressed and scary place to live. But because of progressive leaders like Senator Paul Tsongas (from Lowell) and Michael Dukakis in the early 1980’s, often called the Massachusetts Miracle, a revitalization of the economy through new technological business helped to revitalize Lowell and lead to a unemployment rate of 4.1% by 1986. The midst of this revitalization, renewal, and redefining of Lowell is the same time when this statue was produced, and its symbolism of hard work, diversity, and economic renewal continues to resound today. The Lowell that we visited in June of 2011 was a city of diversity embracing their history and looking to the future. Right next to the Lowell museums, the abandoned factories are being turned into office space, art studios, and residential lofts. Today, Lowell has a new minor league hockey team called the Lowell Lock Monsters that began in 1998, and recently had a film produced in Lowell called, “The Fighter” about Lowell’s famous boxer “Irish” Micky Ward. As a symbol the hard work that became the cornerstone of Lowell’s Textile industry, it will continue to take great vision, hard work, and perseverance to remake Lowell into a city of the future and not a ghost town of the past.
Spencer, this is a great post. My focus on Lowell was simply on the textile mills. You have opened my eyes to a whole new perspective I can teach in class. Once again the past history of people in a place, plays a significant role in modern times and the personality of an area. I found this same feeling at the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston; the locals seemed to personify Revere, Adams, and those that met there to discuss issues pertaining to the Sons of Liberty. Looking at the culture of a community, the memorials they leave, gives us a glimpse into their past. I will teach about the textile mills in my classroom, but I will start this lesson using your post to introduce, brainstorm, predict and spark interest in my students. Well done!
Wonderfully informative blog! I so enjoyed reading your linkage from the past to the present, continuing the focus on hard work and dedication for the betterment of society. In class, I tend to dwell on the women of Lowell. The information you provided will certainly add to my lessons about the Lowell Textile Mill and its surroundings.
Gina
I didn’t even see this in Lowell- thank you for bringing this to my attention! 🙂 I just watched the movie “The Fighter” when we returned from our trip. You hit the nail on the head when you discuss that Lowell is not just a city with mills, but the immigrants and hard workers that came to America looking for the elusive dream. The people of Lowell are blue collar, hard working people from all corners of the globe– what a great microcosm for our entire nation.