Lowell High School
Jack Kerouac attended Lowell High School in the late 1930’s – the clock in the last photo was a gift from his graduating class, so it wasn’t there when he went to Lowell High, but it’s nevertheless mentioned in some of his Lowell-set books.
Boott Mills & Canal
Open homeroom window in Lowell, rose morn and birds upon the Boott Mill Canal… (‘Maggie Cassidy’ p. 50 Penguin Classics Edition)
Aiken Street, Lowell
‘Untying myself, I walked through the little bush patch behind the house and came to the parapets of the sandbank overlooking the rooftops afar. I could see Aiken Street, the Aiken Street bridge, the river, the mills, and the hills beyond; …’ (Jack Kerouac Selected Letters 1940-1956, p.295)
The Lowell Sun
Jack Kerouac worked as a sports reporter for The Lowell Sun for a short period in 1941 after leaving Columbia University
Pollard Memorial Library
Lowell’s Library, needless to remark that Kerouac visited it often throughout his life I guess
Happy 90th Birthday, Jack
This post doesn’t fit 100% with the theme of my blog, at least as far as I’m aware this particular spot in Lowell didn’t have a special significance to him, but what the heck, it’s his birthday as I’m writing this. R.I.P.
Moody Street, Lowell
A view down Moody Street, coming over the Textile Memorial Bridge, which was the way Kerouac most probably took when walking from the family’s various homes in Pawtucketville towards downtown Lowell. It’s also mentioned in a number of his books, mostly the ones dealing with his childhood, such as ‘Maggie Cassidy’ and ‘Vanity Of Dulouz’
The Merrimack River seen from Moody Street Bridge
‘The town is Galloway. The Merrimack River, broad and placid, flows down to it from the New Hampshire hills, broken at the falls to make frothy havoc on the rocks, foaming on over ancient stone … (The opening lines of ‘The Town And The City’, Galloway is the name Jack Kerouac gave to his hometown … Continue reading
Pawtucketville Social Club
Jack’s father Leo used to run the Pawtucketville Social Club for a period in Jack’s youth. For more information about the club visit: http://ecommunity.uml.edu/francolowellma/socialclubs/pawtucketville.htm
Retracing Jack Kerouac 