The Women of Lowell
Social Science/History | Registration opens 1/5/2026 12:00 AM MST (Arizona)
In 1826 a group of Boston cloth merchants founded the town of Lowell, Massachusetts as the nation's first planned manufacturing community. By 1850, it was largest manufacturing center in the U.S. By design, most of the workers were young women from New England farms who worked in the cloth mills for a few years and then left to continue their lives elsewhere. This community was an "incubator" that nurtured some to become leaders in the rising women's rights movement. We will explore these questions. Why did women come to Lowell? What was the new cloth production technology the women managed? What were their workday, working conditions, and free time like? What educational, religious, cultural, and social activities were there? How did the Lowell experience change many of these women? What did they do after leaving Lowell? What became of Lowell, and what can you see there today?
Bill Blaker
Bill Blaker is retired after a 45-year career as a research scientist and university professor. He has received teaching awards from Virginia Tech and Furman University. He has taught university courses in general science, biology, anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, neuroscience, English composition, statistics, and philosophy. Now, he teaches anything he finds interesting.