'Something fishy' in canal-city Lowell

“Something Fishy’’ (acrylic), by Patrick McCay in the Whistler House Museum of Art’s (in Lowell, Mass.) members’ exhibition, which features art from members of the Lowell Art Association, the nation’s oldest incorporated art association. The Whistle…

Something Fishy’’ (acrylic), by Patrick McCay in the Whistler House Museum of Art’s (in Lowell, Mass.) members’ exhibition, which features art from members of the Lowell Art Association, the nation’s oldest incorporated art association. The Whistler House is the birthplace of famed painter and etcher James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), probably best known for the painting nicknamed “Whistler’s Mother.’’

The Boott Cotton Mill Museum and Trolley, in the Lowell National Historical Park

The Boott Cotton Mill Museum and Trolley, in the Lowell National Historical Park

Incorporated in 1826 to serve as a mill town, Lowell was named after Bostonian Francis Cabot Lowell, a major early figure in the American Industrial Revolution. The city soon became famous for its textile mills and other factories. Many of Lowell's historic but long closed manufacturing sites are now part of the Lowell National Historical Park, which is also well known for its canals, on which you can take tours by boat.

1975 map shows Lowell canals.

1975 map shows Lowell canals.